Possible rooster alert! We have our eye on that one, a possible fella in the bunch. Just to the left of our lovely red/brown Mary Ann, we think that chook, known as Rocky, could be a rooster. We are keeping an eye on him. It can take several weeks to be absolutely certain.
There are good reasons to have a rooster, but also some good reasons not to. It's illegal to have roosters in the city limits, even in an on and off again incorporated patchwork zone like ours. While the rooster can do a fine job protecting the flock from danger, they also eat an incredible amount of feed--and in our situation where we aren't so interested in hatching out our own chicks, the whole breeding thing is not a high priority. Additionally, besides being noisey, roosters can become aggressive. Friends of ours who have a rooster in their small back yard flock have reported their over 1 year old rooster has become aggressive toward men! Likewise, roosters always have to be watched around young children--they can do serious harm with their spurs, especially to eyes.
4 comments:
Just yesterday I got rid of a chick that turned out to be a rooster! I wasn't sure until he actually started crowing. Well, I pretty much knew, but I didn't want to believe it. I wanted to keep him so I really wanted him to be a hen. :) It was a buff Orpington. We gave him to a nice lady and she gave me a big bouquet of store-bought flowers, which was a surprise!
Katy,
We've decided if Rocky is indeed a rooster, we will likely do our best to try to keep him for at least a while. In general I don't want a rooster, but when it comes time to integrate the two flocks, a rooster might be just what is needed to keep the Big Girls from picking on the Littles. It will totally depend upon the personality. If Rocky turns out to be a constant crower and our neighbors are not into it, well that decides the whole thing right there! What do you think?
Mac,
I'd love to hear more about the compost tea--it's not something I have done yet. I will say that we've got the biggest fattest worms in our garden, and our perma-culture gardening enthusiast neighbor (who has utilized the poop-infused coop straw as a mulch and composting agent) reported he has never seen worm activity like this before either. He thinks worms love chicken manure.
If you have suggestions on how to create a compost tea without offending my neighbors, please let me know.
Mind you, I am no expert in this area--but I have heard that roosters raised together from the start might not have too much difficulty if there is a sufficient quantity of hens available.
That said, I was wondering if your big boy is already attacking the younger roo, is that what is leading you to suspect a 2nd rooster? We are wondering if we too have a second rooster, as our New Hampshire (the red one) seems *awfully* aggressive!
I find when I have questions that our local county extension agent is very, very helpful. Additionally, you might want to slide on over to www.feathersite.com and see if you can ask him this question. I don't think Katy has much experience with roosters (her site is listed earlier in the blog), but you could also try her--she is incredibly knowledgeable!
Good luck, and keep me posted!
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