Humane way to re-home a not-friendly rooster?

[katarine]

[QUOTE=cyberbay;7738910]
Apologies to you, alagirl!
Sorry, cowboymom. That quote /comment shd have gone to you: I don’t think it’s appropriate to call a stranger names when you know just the tiniest slice of this rooster story, the owner situation, etc. I mean, really, to call some names because she has done nothing except try to get informed? Really.

And, yes, I consider it “primitive” to make life-ending decisions about animals prior to having all the facts about their situation or all the methods for ameliorating their situation. I am not against any of the options mentioned here for this rooster. My friend are of the stripe of being informed. This thread is in service of that end. Being rude or angry in response was just never called for – and those instances have been pointed out.

We’ll disagree on the hatching out. It’s an urban school, and 0 chicken owners around. Hence, the project; hence, the chicken ending up w/my friend 35 miles away. And given how these chix could be roosters of this temperament, doesn’t sound responsible, does it, to give the chick of unknown temperament to people with little animal knowledge, as your post suggests.

I also notice that as you posters keep replying, you are getting much clearer in your responses and suggestions, in much less heated tone. Thank you.

Clarifying here: as deriding as people are about a ‘rescue,’ I am not seeing any material difference between “giving away” a rooster to another chicken owner or having it going to one of these (non-existent) rescues. Is there a real difference?

I agree that this is not just a mild household pet, this rooster in question: I mean, isn’t that obvious by the fact that this thread even got posted?

Ambitious Kate: “suspecting” is the word in my post you quoted.
Can you tell me how that word means he actually “killed”?

This post is about fact-gathering, as is 98% of what gets posted here on COTH. My friend is only just wanting to make sure she has a solid picture of rooster behavior and of her options b4 making a decision. She will make the right step, once she hears of as many (just a few, really) options as she can in the next few days. Again, using aggressive language just isn’t appropriate.[/QUOTE]

Man, you have some ridic control issues.

[Alagirl]

[QUOTE=cyberbay;7738910]
Apologies to you, alagirl!
Sorry, cowboymom. That quote /comment shd have gone to you: I don’t think it’s appropriate to call a stranger names when you know just the tiniest slice of this rooster story, the owner situation, etc. I mean, really, to call some names because she has done nothing except try to get informed? Really.

And, yes, I consider it “primitive” to make life-ending decisions about animals prior to having all the facts about their situation or all the methods for ameliorating their situation. I am not against any of the options mentioned here for this rooster. My friend are of the stripe of being informed. This thread is in service of that end. Being rude or angry in response was just never called for – and those instances have been pointed out.

We’ll disagree on the hatching out. It’s an urban school, and 0 chicken owners around. Hence, the project; hence, the chicken ending up w/my friend 35 miles away. And given how these chix could be roosters of this temperament, doesn’t sound responsible, does it, to give the chick of unknown temperament to people with little animal knowledge, as your post suggests.

I also notice that as you posters keep replying, you are getting much clearer in your responses and suggestions, in much less heated tone. Thank you.

Clarifying here: as deriding as people are about a ‘rescue,’ I am not seeing any material difference between “giving away” a rooster to another chicken owner or having it going to one of these (non-existent) rescues. Is there a real difference?

I agree that this is not just a mild household pet, this rooster in question: I mean, isn’t that obvious by the fact that this thread even got posted?

Ambitious Kate: “suspecting” is the word in my post you quoted.
Can you tell me how that word means he actually “killed”?

This post is about fact-gathering, as is 98% of what gets posted here on COTH. My friend is only just wanting to make sure she has a solid picture of rooster behavior and of her options b4 making a decision. She will make the right step, once she hears of as many (just a few, really) options as she can in the next few days. Again, using aggressive language just isn’t appropriate.[/QUOTE]

Quit tap dancing.
And don’t bother to apologize when you don’t really mean it.

In your opinion it’s primitive, but guess what, the solutions to life are sometimes simple and primitive.
because life has not changed in millions of years, just the form in which it presents itself.

The teacher was trying to bring some reality to her urban children, close the gab between grocery store food and life.
Primitive me is considering to get some chickens.
But rest assure, I will plan ahead and make sure I know somebody who can kill them - humanely - when their time comes…

(Stupid teacher…couldn’t sex the eggs before hatching…:no:)

[Chall]

Saultgirl how on earth did you get those links.
You couldn’t pay me enough money to google “save the c**ks”.

[crosscreeksh]

Talking about “humane”…OP…what about the hens (Egg Producers) that the rooster injured and maimed?? Didn’t they deserve “humane” living conditions?? Just trying to put farm/barnyard life in perspective. All those package of chicken in the grocery came from somewhere!! This whole thread…at this point is like trying to feel sorry for or find a humane situation for a bad bull. Sorry JMO.

[Alagirl]

[QUOTE=Chall;7739095]
Saultgirl how on earth did you get those links.
You couldn’t pay me enough money to google “save the c**ks”.[/QUOTE]

:lol:
I completely missed that one…as if searching for pony tack isn’t bad enough…

[saultgirl]

[QUOTE=Chall;7739095]
Saultgirl how on earth did you get those links.
You couldn’t pay me enough money to google “save the c**ks”.[/QUOTE]

Good gravy – that’s not what I googled!!! LOL! But I did just about choke on my coffee when that came up!

[chism]

[QUOTE=cyberbay;7738910]
Apologies to you, alagirl!
Sorry, cowboymom. That quote /comment shd have gone to you: I don’t think it’s appropriate to call a stranger names when you know just the tiniest slice of this rooster story, the owner situation, etc. I mean, really, to call some names because she has done nothing except try to get informed? Really.

And, yes, I consider it “primitive” to make life-ending decisions about animals prior to having all the facts about their situation or all the methods for ameliorating their situation. I am not against any of the options mentioned here for this rooster. My friend are of the stripe of being informed. This thread is in service of that end. Being rude or angry in response was just never called for – and those instances have been pointed out.

We’ll disagree on the hatching out. It’s an urban school, and 0 chicken owners around. Hence, the project; hence, the chicken ending up w/my friend 35 miles away. And given how these chix could be roosters of this temperament, doesn’t sound responsible, does it, to give the chick of unknown temperament to people with little animal knowledge, as your post suggests.

I also notice that as you posters keep replying, you are getting much clearer in your responses and suggestions, in much less heated tone. Thank you.

Clarifying here: as deriding as people are about a ‘rescue,’ I am not seeing any material difference between “giving away” a rooster to another chicken owner or having it going to one of these (non-existent) rescues. Is there a real difference?

I agree that this is not just a mild household pet, this rooster in question: I mean, isn’t that obvious by the fact that this thread even got posted?

Ambitious Kate: “suspecting” is the word in my post you quoted.
Can you tell me how that word means he actually “killed”?

This post is about fact-gathering, as is 98% of what gets posted here on COTH. My friend is only just wanting to make sure she has a solid picture of rooster behavior and of her options b4 making a decision. She will make the right step, once she hears of as many (just a few, really) options as she can in the next few days. Again, using aggressive language just isn’t appropriate.[/QUOTE]

WOW… just WOW! If i do decide to post another opinion on this thread, should I PM you and run it by you first? You asked for opinions, you got them… but your OP didn’t tell us that we could only submit them if you agreed with them.

[Aven]

@Alagirl;7737232

You question is akin to ‘my dog killed three cats, need to rehome it’

Totally off topic. I have had dogs that will kill cats. I just don’t own cats or go to people’s homes who have cats. Problem solved.

Also this is more like I have a dog who killed other dogs.

If this was a perfectly friendly pet rooster (as in lovely to people) and she found people who wanted an only bird…

Its likely easier to find people who want a JRTs and dont’ have cats though.

Now back to saving the ck, or eating the ck…

[Alagirl]

[QUOTE=Aven;7739232]
Totally off topic. I have had dogs that will kill cats. I just don’t own cats or go to people’s homes who have cats. Problem solved.

Also this is more like I have a dog who killed other dogs.

If this was a perfectly friendly pet rooster (as in lovely to people) and she found people who wanted an only bird…

Its likely easier to find people who want a JRTs and dont’ have cats though.

Now back to saving the ck, or eating the ck…[/QUOTE]

yeah, lame analogy…but in the end the same thing, I don’t want to deal with the killer, so I want to give the problem to somebody else. But they have to give the critter the paradisical forever home, I am unwilling to provide…

Like with all creatures, great and small: the only way you can control their life (and death) is to keep them)
And since we are not talking about a dog or cat, it is still acceptable to eat the offender.

[blue_phlox_farm]

I started reading this because years ago when my kids were small we had small chickens. Sweet little seabright bantams…that sometimes become warped into small rapters as the young roosters matured. We live about an hour outside of Philadelphia and there was a small auction on Saturday nights at a local farmers market near us so I would take the young offending roosters and sometimes non offending, just overload, birds to the auction. After the first summer of selling breeding pairs in the local Penny Pincher, and taking the over flow of roosters to the auction, someone told me that my roosters most likely met a cruel demise at the hands of cock fighters. They were too small for a soup pot, but ideal to teach a fighting bird how to kill. I never let my hens set on a full nest again. I took their eggs and left them dummy eggs in their nests, leaving only two or three eggs to hatch. Those chicks I gave away. My oldest hen lived to a month shy of her 14 birthday, and her brother went blind when he was 12 and lived til he was 13. After they died I have been chickenless ever since. Miss them.

[poltroon]

[QUOTE=saultgirl;7738766]
They’re out there

http://savethecocks.com/Save_the_Cocks/Why_Rescue_a_Rooster.html

http://www.brittonclouse.com/chickenrunrescue/

https://www.facebook.com/rooster.sanctuary[/QUOTE]

Oh dear. “80% (of chicks) die in transit”??? You’d think that would cut into the poultry industry’s profits… if it were true.

You can’t make girl chickens without making boy chickens. Same is true of sheep and cattle. Fortunately, they’re delicious, and that’s nature’s job for them.

[Houndhill]

OP, perhaps your friend might research whether castration in adult roosters might be likely to eliminate sexual and aggressive behavior to hens. Perhaps her local vet school or extension service might be able to tell her, or she might do a review of the literature or ask someone else to do so.

If it seems likely to be effective, perhaps the vet school or an avian vet could perform the surgery. Alternatively, if castration is thought likely to be effective, or she wants to try it, there may be non-surgical methods of castration that might be possible, perhaps a depo-provera or other hormonal implant.

Obviously this would be more expensive than simply slaughtering him, but if your friend is exploring options, this might be something to look into.

I would be curious to know whether a rooster castrated as an adult could then live “platonically” with hens…or would the hens then perhaps even turn the tables and behave aggressively to the castrated rooster? I am sure if any procedure was done, the rooster would probably need to be separated for some period of time before being re-integrated to the flock.

I am sure there is some scientific literature on this. It is a valid question.

[yellowbritches]

I think the most humane thing for this dude and the hens (and possibly goose…?) would be to humanely dispatch him. If the friend is vegetarian/vegan and has issues with the idea of him going as food, have the vet come out and euthanize him and bury him with the rest of the pets. Or, to be less primitive and a bit altruistic, look into see if there is a food pantry or organization where his carcass could go to feed a hungry family or two.

Most dog aggressive dogs (truly nasty ones) don’t get rehomed but (if the owner is a good, thoughtful, compassionate owner) euthanized. I would take a rooster who attacks and brutalizes other chickens in the same boat. At least he CAN be useful in death by feeding someone.

[Ambitious_Kate]

I think it would be inhumane to keep him alive. Inhumane for the hens and other animals, and inhumane to foist him off on someone else. I think the OP should try backyard chickens dot com. See what other chicken owners consider ‘humane’.

[saultgirl]

[QUOTE=Ambitious Kate;7741333]
I think the OP should try backyard chickens dot com. See what other chicken owners consider ‘humane’.[/QUOTE]

Just stay out of the Meat Birds sub-forum (although there is where you will find the detailed illustrated DIY surgeries that some perform.)

[LarkspurCO]

When I opened this thread I had no idea what quality of entertainment I was in for. This is hilarious. The only thing that would make it better is if someone on COTH were to acquire the rooster and then to have it get stuck in the oven.

:lol: (Save the cocks… oh my…)

[mountainhorse]

Exactly this.

[QUOTE=cowboymom;7736107]
I’ve had hundreds of chickens over the last 20 years. I probably have around 40 right now and about 15 of them are roosters. (2Dogs?)

We’ve had roosters in the past kill other roosters and hurt the hens badly enough that they could have died. But we killed the rooster instead. They grab the hens behind the head and can twist them around pretty violently, or rake them with their spurs.

I’ve NEVER had a chicken just spontaneously die. Egg bound, worms, or infection, yes but not just hey presto, dead. IME a chicken killed by a dog or coyote leaves behind lots of feathers.

Look, a mean rooster is like trying to give away a rattlesnake. Nobody wants him unless he’s food or feathers.

But now in your follow up post it appears that maybe he’s not the primary suspect? What does he ACT like, does he chase people, fight with the other chickens? So far all he’s confirmed of doing is crowing, in which case he might be perfectly suited for “re-homing”.[/QUOTE]

[Another_Poster]

[QUOTE=LarkspurCO;7741451]
When I opened this thread I had no idea what quality of entertainment I was in for. This is hilarious. The only thing that would make it better is if someone on COTH were to acquire the rooster and then to have it get stuck in the oven.

:lol: (Save the cocks… oh my…)[/QUOTE]

I just chocked on my water when I read this! To the OP, I do hope your friend gets this rooster situation straightened out in a way that’s acceptable to her.

[Houndhill]

I must admit, I could not resist doing a quick Google search for “behavior in castrated adult rooster”.

I was surprised at the lack of good info! No doubt if I went to a library at a university I would find better info. I was also surprised at how many people would like evidence about this issue. There are many people who keep a relatively small number of chickens for egg production, who end up with roosters which have problematic behavior, and who would like a non-lethal solution for these birds, which does not entail solitary confinement. They view these animals more as pets than in the practical manner many COTH posters adopt.

I read a fascinating paper that detailed fowl-keeping practices in a remote village in Thailand, where a few women had the skill to castrate adult roosters. They essentially then became heavier birds and lost their desire to mate with hens and to behave aggressively.

If castrated before puberty, the effects are well known, no aggression or sexual behavior. But, if castrated as adults, I found less clear evidence, because the procedure is less frequently done and studied in adults. We know that dogs and primates castrated after puberty may continue to exhibit sexual behavior.

With doves, I can tell you for sure, if castrated post pubertally, they will cease all sexual behavior in about three weeks. You can take this to the bank (husband did research in doves, effects of hormones on social behavior at Dule U., and was the first person to successfully castrate male ring doves. He was very good at it.)

But, since species differ, I was not sure about the effects of castration on adult chickens. From what I read, though, I was convinced enough that if I had an adult rooster who was exhibiting unwanted sexual behavior and aggression to hens, and I
did not wish to kill him or socially isolate him, I would have him castrated, either surgically or chemically.

I saw estimates that ranged from $30 to $400 to castrate an adult rooster.

[Houndhill]

Just to add, husband did castration of ring doves under anesthesia! He tells me he was asked to castrate an adult rooster By a colleague in the Netherlands, where he did his post-doc, since he was so good at castrating ring doves, but it did not end well. Actually he thinks it was an African Jumgle Fowl, the ancestor of our domestic chickens.

Adult roosters seem to be not that easy to surgically castrate, according to what I have read. Their testicles are very large, particularly during the breeding season, which I have read you should avoid when castrating. If you take the testes out between the ribs, they have difficulty fitting when they are very large, evidently that is what my husband encountered.