Soon to be Rooster Parents!

[volunbri25]

Hi everyone,
My fiancé and I will be receiving 3 cockerels as Emotional Support Animals. For a few months they were kept in a coop with their father, hens, and 2 ducks. For the last month they have been kept in their own coop without any complications.

So, I am here as a new parent of feathered children to ask what to consider when picking or designing a coop and run for them?

We live in Connecticut, have about 1 acre of land, and a fairly small budget. These cockerels are being kindly given to us by an organization that provides therapy, and these cockerels will be kept as therapy animals for my fiancé. Since they have been handled and trained as support animals over the past 5 months, they are not your typical farm roosters. So, we want to make sure we provide them with the best coop possible that will also be easily accessible.

Guidance would be greatly appreciated. I have included a picture of the 3 boys as well as a couple pictures of where we would like to put the coop in our yard.

 

[CalgaryFarmer]

I know nothing about this, but I would think that hens would be much more suitable as Emotional Support Animals. Roosters can get quite aggressive so I would think they would not be as suitable as Emotional Support Animals.

 

[PrettyBirdRocky]

Roosters can be, all depending on temperament. We had an inside bantam for over 3 years, who followed our son around the farm and came home so he could work with him for 4H showing and ... House rooster happened.

Good luck. Is it going to be a covered run coop? Just be sure to slant roof for all that snow removal lol

ETA: search bachelor groups for roosters, make coop and run extra big for room.

 

[WingItRanch]

Can I recommend doing a search on BYC for issues that may arise with owning one cockerel... let alone 3? You may find owning hormonal young roosters is the exact opposite of stress relief. I won't tell you not to because it's not my place and I don't know your situation but just a recommendation to do research first.

That said, you posted for advice on housing so I'll just add if you decide to go forward with this therapy animal.. make sure their housing is protected from the elements but still has plenty of ventilation. An easy clean out door is never a bad idea so you can reach all corners of the coop to clean.

 

[CalgaryFarmer]

It is one thing to have a rooster that ends up having a great temperament. It is another to expect/hope that any given cockerel will have a great temperament, let alone 3.

If the expectation is to not directly interact (ie. only watching them) with the roosters then that could work.

 

[Strawberry74]

I had 4 "brothers" hatched and raised together that did great. They were separate from the hens so there wasn't competition. All 4 were lap roosters and would all hang out with me at the same time. I have lost 2 and the remaining 2 are now with the hens. They honestly did better just the 4 bachelor's. These two have bickered this last spring and one lost an eye. They are still both very friendly with me and will come sit on my lap if I sit out there.

Just my experience.

 

[CalgaryFarmer]

I won't tell you not to because it's not my place

I agree it is not our place, but a lot of troubles people have with chickens that post on this site revolve around roosters. The typical post involves troubles with aggressive roosters and typical response is to kill the rooster or otherwise get rid of it.

Back to volunbri25, please ensure that 3 roosters is the right solution.

Also, if you have neighbors within an acre distance, the crowing can cause grief with your neighbors.

 

[CalgaryFarmer]

For your coop and run, you should flip through the coops people have posted here for inspiration. Link.

Ventilation, size (square feet per chicken), roosting bars, ability to clean and predator proof are important aspects. You should read up on those items. Perhaps others can add other items to consider.