Sam Posted December 6, 2010 Share Posted December 6, 2010 Hi guys. I was just wondering what happens to all the roosters? I doubt many people really want them because of their noise, so what happens to them? Sorry I was just curious! Thanks Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chortle Chook Posted December 6, 2010 Share Posted December 6, 2010 (edited) The sad truth is, that they join the happy rooster strutting ground rather early in life. i.e. the same happens to them as to little bull calves etc. Having to despatch the little chicks that grow into cockerels is one reason why I can't quite let my girls experience the happiness of being Mums. Silly I know. I'd never make a reall small holder with sentiments like that. Edited December 7, 2010 by Guest Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sjp Posted December 6, 2010 Share Posted December 6, 2010 one of mine invited to christmas dinner the other one's safe unless I get the letter from the EHO Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
meezers Posted December 6, 2010 Share Posted December 6, 2010 I hatched eggs under a broody for the first time this year, ended up with 2 cockerels. One crowed too early, too loud , too often, he became dinner. My Silkie cockerel is still with us, he's not so loud and doesn't crow so often, hoping I can hang onto him. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
peebles Posted December 6, 2010 Share Posted December 6, 2010 Our cockerel is alive and with us! He was hand reared from 13wks and regularly cuddled and he is not at all aggressive and is very friendly, leading his little troop of girls round the garden. He does have an 'interesting' crow, but we put that down to crowing inexperience. We were worried he was disturbing the neighbours, but none of them were disturbed by him. He sometimes crows at 6am but most often is crowing 11-2 when people are at work. He rarely crows in the evening and rarely between 6am and 10am While hens are fine on their own, I personally think having a charming and gentlemanly rooster (not a hideous aggressive one) makes for happier hens! He is very assertive when threatened and does not back down, the hens copy this behaviour and have scared off the cats on a couple of occasions! He does do the odd strange 'dance' and peck of the girls, but is still young and as yet has not been trying on the naughty He is thoroughly whipped, the older two keep him in shape and the younger two are cottoning on quick! Originally, we had our chicks as pot luck. Two were obviously cocks even at that young age as they were very aggressive, even when separated. We swapped them for different chooks, one of which was our boy! He was so docile and gentle we didn't know he was a boy until he grew a whopping set of wattles. From this I would say the 'niceness' of a boy really depends on the individual cockerel and not necessarily on its rearing Failing that, the lady we got them from assured us there were charities who took on cockerels either for rehoming or to have a happy life. As Ginge was so pleasant, we never needed this, so I don't have any more info. Sorry Sorry for the mega-post, I'm just so in lurrrrve with my rooster Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sam Posted December 6, 2010 Author Share Posted December 6, 2010 Thats brilliant! It sounds the perfect cockerel! Would really love to get one, but I think I'd be far too worried about it annoying the neighbors, but like you said the fact it protects the girls slightly sounds really good! I wasn't sure if that was case, unfortunately I thought it would be resulting in a lot of them losing their life Seems so cruel, but you can't really expect everyone who has chickens to be able to home a cockerel too. Thanks for the answers guys! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mollie333 Posted December 7, 2010 Share Posted December 7, 2010 I have had 5 cockerels at one time! I hatched three light sussex boys out which I then rehomed all together for breeding stock, I have a leghorn x cockerel which was a chicken of fate and is still with us. Then I brought Alice, gold laced Wyandotte, as a girl, but seemed to be a boy, he's still with us. Also I got given a pekin cockerel a few weeks ago! I love my boys Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Old Speckled Hen Posted December 7, 2010 Share Posted December 7, 2010 I absolutely adore mine and I went to great lengths researching a "gentle" breed. I settled for a Vorwerk and he is gorgeous though loud He really looks after his harem and I wouldn't now be without a male in the flock. I would love to hatch eggs and simply eat the boys .............. maybe next year. To answer your question I'm sure commercial chicks are sexed at birth and the males destroyed. You can buy them frozen as pet food Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
megalin Posted December 7, 2010 Share Posted December 7, 2010 AWWWWW I can't bare it! I would LOVE a smallholding but this is my big issue! I'm vegetarian and can't imagine toughening up enough to dispatch them. My dad says he'll do it for me when the time came! (big carnivore) Unfortunately it is the sad truth that most of them are born to die. Only the very lucky ones get a harem. My step father used to keep and breed chickens, he would just set the fellas free in the forest. Gives them a more natural go at it I guess. Poor boys. If anyone has a good solution to it that involves them staying alive please tell me!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ScotianLady Posted December 7, 2010 Share Posted December 7, 2010 When we got our chicks we knew that it would be about 50/50 as far as sex was concerned. So once they became pullets, I put an ad online and gave away 2 of my RIR roosters. After that there were two roosters left in my flock, one Silver Laced and one RIR. The silverlaced was very aggressive with the hens and would not let them eat near him. It was quite mean. So my husband decided he would be supper, I did not witness this. The RIR was not aggressive in the least and quite docile so we kept him. Now it seems that one of my hens has either changed sexes or was a late bloomer or something. She appeared to be a silverlaced wyandotte hen, a little bit of an ugly one but besides that pretty normal. Now she appears to be more male... if she turns out to be a boy, I'll be taking her to a farm somewhere Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Old Speckled Hen Posted December 8, 2010 Share Posted December 8, 2010 Welcome all the way from Canada Should you be on our snow forum as well? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Redwing Posted December 8, 2010 Share Posted December 8, 2010 Welcome Scotianlady I think you may be our first Canadian member! Regarding the subject of roosters... I cull my surplus males when they are young but if one catches my eye for showing then I will let it grow on, if it doesnt make the grade later on I will try to rehome it Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ScotianLady Posted December 8, 2010 Share Posted December 8, 2010 Actually no snow for us yet! We live right next to ocean and lately all we have been getting is rain. I want a white Christmas but I'm not in too much of a rush to get the usual cold and snow fall! I'm sure I'll join the club to whine about it once I have some of the fluffy white stuff on the ground Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
