Should I evict my rooster?

[BelovedBirds]

Hello, I'm just wondering if I should evict my rooster from the coop? He's 1 year old this July and so are the three hens that he lives with. He's always grumpy with me and does that side-step at me when I bring fresh water and food into the coop each day. Sometimes I have to hold up the empty metal pie-plate as a shield to protect my feet and legs. He's never actually hurt me, but he has pecked at me and scratched me. The 3 poor hens each have bare backs from his attentions. They don't seem to be very fond of him although I'm not sure if I would ever be able to tell. There is a "wild or free-range rooster" that always visits my yard. I'm concerned if I evict my rooster it might fight with this wild one. And I actually like the free-range rooster better then mine. I haven't kicked him out because I do feel responsible for him. I bought all four from the local Tractor Supply store 1 year ago.

Evict? You mean dump your rooster into the wild?
This seems to be what you're saying, if you're concerned he will fight with another "wild" rooster

Do not "evict" him. Either cull or rehome him

 

[koko365]

Yeah setting him free might cause a hole host of problems for him and you.

1. He might want to get back at what he considers 'his girls' so he will likely become even more aggressive.

2. If he attacked a human or pet and they take any injury, I'm sure you could be liable for damages since he's your rooster and he's not controlled.

3. He won't know how to survive by himself, they are flock animals and he would be crowing for his flock for days/weeks. Depending on neighbours, you may get noise complaints.

I hope things work out for you

Why cull him when you can get money off of him if you sell? Or just keep him and get chicken capes.

He is beautiful! Lavender orp?

Thank you for letting me know what kind of Rooster he is. Glad you think he's beautiful.

He is crowing very often, night and day, with the wild or free-rooster that is nearly always in my yard and crowing back and forth with him. The feral rooster dances back and forth while my rooster is confined by the coop. They raise their neck feathers and bob back and forth until one or the other gets bored and moves to other things. Thankfully no neighbors have complained. I keep sharing fresh eggs with the neighbors when possible. (I think they like and appreciate that).

Does a simple peck and occasional scratch really qualify as aggressive? My inside pet cats have done far worse to me and I would never just get rid of them.

I'm only allowed to own 4 chickens where I live but there are many wild or free-feral un-owned chickens that wander the city depending on what neighborhood you drive thru. That's why I thought it would be ok to evict him, but, guess I'll keep him. I don't have it in me to kill or cook him. If I post on Craig's List, hell might freeze over before anyone would respond, even if I list him for $5.

 

[koko365]

Some people call them "aprons" instead of "capes," but the idea is the same: something that covers the back of the hen to protect her.


In that situation, considering that the rooster is also causing issues for you and for the hens, I would remove him. I like to eat chicken soup, so that is my favorite solution for chickens that need to go

I notice that other people have suggested giving him away or selling him. It is also possible to build a separate coop (so he doesn't overmate the hens) and arrange to feed and water him from outside (so he can't hurt you.) The "right" answer is different for different people, and I don't know what would be best for you.

I love chicken soup too, but I would not know what the details of that would involve. He used to be such a cute pet-able chick, but the hormones have taken effect now for sure. Maybe I should spend more time with him and try to re-forge the friendly bond?

I will look to purchase the chicken capes and ... maybe consider building an addition for him. Thank you.

 

[koko365]

With the risk of infection I'd consider a scratch as trying to hurt you. If you happen to be bent over when he pecks your eyes are at risk. Children especially are at risk as their eyes are closer to him and they probably aren't that good at protecting themselves.


Some people keep 3 hens with a rooster and do not have barebacked or over-mating issues. Some do. That may not always be the rooster's fault, some hens have brittle feathers that can easily break even if he does everything correctly. But if he is not there that should not be a problem.


That is a personal issue. I don't have a rooster and individual hens. I have a flock that consists of chickens that are sometimes replaced. I try to solve for the peace of the flock, not any one individual. Why make the rest of the flock suffer for the benefit on one individual? Your opinion may vary.

What are your goals as far as having that rooster? The only reason you need one is if you want fertile eggs. Anything else is personal preference. Nothing wrong with that, I have a few preferences myself. But those are a want, not a reason. If your goals mean you need a rooster or if your preferences are to have one for whatever reason you can try to keep him, especially if you feel responsible for him.

If you let him loose the two roosters will almost certainly fight. That may be a fight to the death, one may become seriously wounded, or they may reach an accommodation where they get along, probably by always staying far apart. You can try that and see how it turns out or you can build a separate coop/run to keep him in by himself. He won't be very happy about that at first but may settle in. The girls will probably miss him at first but you may be amazed at how quickly they adjust to him being gone.

My goals are different from yours. With me having been around human aggressive roosters before he would have been gone by now. My goals are not what are important, yours are. But I think you will find that experienced people on here will not put up with a human aggressive rooster. It takes most of the fun out of it and you and yours are at risk.

Thank you. I have worried that the two would fight.

 

[koko365]

Thank you for your experienced advice. I have worried that the two would fight. And I have tried to keep my head up out of reach regarding my eyes. He's usually most interested in my feet, knees or legs. (I usually wear boots when I go into the coop, but if I'm just making a quick dart to bring in fresh water, sometimes I'm in sandals).

 

[koko365]

Yup I know, I thought culling ment kill.

I thought culling meant kill too!

 

[koko365]

This used to be a dilemma for me but not now. My step Dad took a spur to the leg and it got infected, it was very bad, he could have lost his leg. So now from the moment I see Rooster aggression, they're gone (craigs list or processing.)

I'm so sorry to learn about your step-dad's leg. I wouldn't have thought anything like that could happen. Thanks for sharing this.

I used to call my rooster "Gilligan," but lately I've been calling him Boss-Man! He always seems grumpy. I don't give him or the other hens mealworms from my hand anymore...but I will top off mealworms on the pie-plate of fresh collard greens and other veggies/fruit that I give them as a supplement to the normal chicken food they have available.

 

[koko365]

My roo is 14 mths old, he has 1 mate. Her sister had refused to let him mate with her, she wasn't laying eggs, but she passed away in February.
He mates with his hen often when she's in with him (seperated while recovering from pneumonia)
He doesn't do anything towards me but I get into his space and play games with him. He gets special treats when he's calm and nice.
Mine are semi free range, they have runs because they're not in together. My roo does the wing thing when his daughters are around, and when I take his mate outside in the sun. He's a Rhode Island Red Shaver cross, sweetest nature ever, although he hates the person who feeds them when I'm away. We just created a plan to avoid him getting to her. He's fine through a fence but I don't see the point forcing him to accept her when we can do things different.

Have you thought about putting a fence to help stop the roamer getting too close?
When my two's first son grew to 10 weeks, and was already practising his crow, his dad got agitated and possessive of his mate, he herded her more often and would drive her away from me. Once his son sold, he went back to his usual self.
Perhaps try some tidbits when you go out but do it randomly. I pop out to mine through the day and offer him treats. When he doesn't want them, I scatter them anyway and leave him alone.

I'm very curious what kind of games you play with him?!
Also, I'm not sure what "the wing thing" is? Could you or someone else explain what that means to me? And what "tidbits" do you mean? What treats? I have only used mealworms as treats and I don't give them by hand at all anymore.

 

[NatJ]

I love chicken soup too, but I would not know what the details of that would involve.

If you want to know, I suggest the section "Meat Birds Etc":
https://www.backyardchickens.com/forums/meat-birds-etc.21/

There are quite a few threads about how to butcher chickens, and if none of them tells quite what you need to know, you can start a thread of your own.

Some people like to butcher & eat their own chickens (they know the birds had a good life, and they may enjoy the feeling of being self-sufficient), some people can do it but prefer not to, and some people prefer not to even think about it. Depending on your own preferences, you might like to read about it or you might not.

He used to be such a cute pet-able chick, but the hormones have taken effect now for sure. Maybe I should spend more time with him and try to re-forge the friendly bond?

Some people say that works, some people say it does no good. It may depend partly on the individual rooster and the individual person, but I have seen only a few "it worked" stories and a lot more "it failed" stories.

I will look to purchase the chicken capes and ... maybe consider building an addition for him. Thank you.

Hopefully you can work out a situation that works well for everyone involved (chickens and people.)

 

[Themellowyellows]

I love chicken soup too, but I would not know what the details of that would involve. He used to be such a cute pet-able chick, but the hormones have taken effect now for sure. Maybe I should spend more time with him and try to re-forge the friendly bond?

I will look to purchase the chicken capes and ... maybe consider building an addition for him. Thank you.

Sounds good!