Is there a breed that has friendly and gentle roosters?
I had to find The Colonel, my Millie Fleur rooster, a new home because he wouldn't stop attacking my family and me. Fortunately for him, a high school student in our area wanted him for 4H and plans to show him the in local fair this summer. I told her all about his temper, and she said, "I will be fine with him. I've had really mean full size roosters before and I know how to handle them. My chicks are too small for the fair this year and he is so pretty. He'll do fine." So…. Off The Colonel went to greener pastures.
……I miss hearing cockle-doodle-do! ~:>
~~ Glenda
Is there a breed that has friendly and gentle roosters?
Well, allegedly the silkie roos are. Which is why I got 10 straight run silkie chicks this spring, so we'll see.......
I have a full grown Aracana that has never offered to bother anyone. He was able to free range during the winter months when no garden was in. When I came out the back door to feed, he would always run to meet me and then go to the pens with me to feed the girls. He had a buddy that free ranged with him, and they both were nice. But.......... they might have been nice because there were no hens anywhere around that they could have access to.... and therefore feel defensive of. If there were hens , they might have acted badly.
I have a little tiny Old English bantam roo that will flog you at the drop of a hat.
Little snot !
Do you know anything about the breed - "Delaware", or know anyone who has them? The feedback on McMurray Hatchery's website sounds like they are very gentle and sweet.
http://www.mcmurrayhatchery.com/product/delaware.html
You know Glenda, I feel like a lot of people do. I think animals , any of them, raise up to be People friendly if they have been handled with kindness since birth! I have not had a single rooster that I raised be agressive , Intentionally, toward humans! Now Protective is another story! When Roosters mature and have their own Hens they do protect them! They will not let strange animals or predators near the Coop! They will protect their territory from new Roosters too! ( Point in Case.... My new Thread " New Roo's" ) My Barred Rock is the Gentlest thing and he greets me every morning! The new Buff Orpingtons I brought home were raised by another Excellent Chicken family and they are very Human Friendly! ...but when you put them together they fought like "Devils", but I was able to get between them and pick them up to separate them.......Which I really dont reccommend!!!!
We've talked a lot about roos on this forum, about 6 months ago, I guess it was. ( Although I'm glad you brought it up again, don't worry :) ) What I've gathered from all this conversation is that a lot of it is the individual roo. I raised up a turken/silkie X from a chick. When he was a baby, he would come when I called and sit on my lap, but when he grew up, he attacked me every day :( So it is hard to tell.
http://www.browneggblueegg.com/Article.html here is an EXCELLENT article about ornery roos. I wish I had had it when MEduder was alive. It is all about how to pacify an aggressive roo.
I'd start by thinking small. Get a bantam roo, that way, he's little, regardless. My neighbor has some enormous cornish X roos and a dark brahma roo that are really big. I'm glad they are not aggressive! Yikes!
BYH, You are so right ! There is always the Exception to the rule! Chickens have their own mind set and we will never be able to out think them!LOL!!!!
Thanks for the link! I'll check it out.
Maybe I should keep trying calmer breeds until I get a rooster who is gentle??? I hear stories about people who do not have any trouble out of their rooster, so there's some out there somewhere.... BYH, I think you're absolutely right though. Bantams are the way to go. At least that way, if they start fighting, they can only get up to my knee! ;)
Can you neuter a rooster? Ha! ;)
Isn't that what a capon is, a neutered rooster?
I had a white leghorn rooster when I had chickens before who was very nice and gentle. He never attacked or chased anyone. He was the only rooster with three hens.
Stupid me learned my lesson about allowing them to free range. I'll never do that again. A neighbor's dog allowed to run loose killed all of them. The rooster tried to defend his girls and was the first one killed. It breaks my heart to think about my brave rooster. It was the only time he ever attacked anything.
We ended up with 5 roosters. Each have interesting personalities. 1 is a Rhode Island red, 1 is a Aracana, and 3 we got last year from our local farm show, but not sure what breed they are. Well, one of the farm show roosters, which is solid white, has a major issue with people. He attacked our 3 year old once, and bite her once. After the biting incident, she named him drumstick and wants him on our dinner table. Our 4 year old cried and doesn't. After seeing the welt from the bite, our 4 year old wants to eat drumstick as well. He will be joining our dinner table in a couple weeks. Anyways, my wife's grandma said that she ain't met a rooster that was nice. Maybe that will help you.
Boy hart, don't I feel stupid! ...Can you tell I was raised in the city (without chickens) and am as "green" as they come? I have heard the word capon used but never cared enough to find out what it was. lol! Thank you dear, now I know and won't embarrass myself locally. lol!! ...It's ok, go ahead - laugh your head off. I've got it coming. ;)
whosennext, yes, that's a big help! I might not have known what a capon was, but I am smart enough to learn from others. Please tell your wife's grandma, "Thank you for sharing your knowledge of roosters with me!" I truly appreciate it. :)
~~ Glenda
Glenda, don't bother asking a vet if they can neuter them for you. They'll just laugh. and then say no through the giggles.
I learned the hard way :)
Good to know - good to know. Thanks BYH! ;) I've lived in the area for 28 years and know lots of people who would get a BIG laugh out of me doing that! LOL!!
OK, I'll bite...... How DO you neuter a rooster, making it a capon, if you (don't) take it to the vet?? LOL
Yeah, why would they neuter a cat but not a rooster? Showing my city kid roots here now.
Oh good! I'm not alone... lol
I've had a sweet RI Red and an awful one. A lovely Light Brahma and a very violent one. Two mean Australorps and one gentleman. How I raised them seemed not to make a huge difference.
Then maybe it's worth it to keep "trying" roosters until I find a gentle one?
Okay, here goes. This is a little graphic, but hey, it's science.
So cock-a-doodle-doos don't actually have the external parts that give them their nickname, if you catch my drift. They don't. They have the same external parts as hens( which is why sexing is so difficult) When they mate, they touch the vents together.
So the testes are on the inside of the bird and very very small. they are hard to find ( apparently) and there is a lot of chance for bleeding.So vets won't bother.
Now, I don't know alot about capons, but you can get a self-caponizing kit from murraymcmurray. You take them out via the front on the bird. It seems very messy and is done w/o any anesthetic, etc. It's just too much for me. Has anyone else here ever done it?
Boy, that does NOT sound like a real good do-it-yourself project! LOL
Thanks for explaining the birds and the bees of chickens, backyardhens. That's really interesting. They're sort of like snakes, then. Male snakes have internal parts too but I think they extract for usage, if you get my drift. Guess it just shows how close birds are to reptiles.
I really don't understand caponizing a rooster. From the times I have butchered and dressed out roosters here, the testes are way back against their back, where one would think kidneys would be. Seems to me that to take these out while the animal is still living, would be like someone doing major surgery on us without anesthetic. Especially since they are so deep within the abdominal cavity. To me, that just seems too inhumane. I really don't understand how they do it and not kill the poor bird. Probably why vetenarians won't do it.
I guess there are those who feel there is reason enough to do this....... but I guess I just don't understand it.
Caponizing is done to make a more tender bird, right? I've heard it's pretty risky stuff if you don't know what you're doing. Sure isn't a project on my list...
Wow! Thanks BackyardHen for the details. Yep, that's way over my head... I laughed outloud when I read "you can get a self-caponizing kit from murraymcmurray." ....There's enough demand for these kits that it's worth selling them on the website???? Wow, that's scary.
First, I couldn't do that to any animal without anesthesia - even IF I knew what I was doing? ....I had a hysterectomy years ago, and can't imagine having it without being sedated. ;) LOL!!
Ok, well, I was hoping it was like having a dog neutered, resulting in a more "laidback" pet.
You gotta wonder about the very (first) guy who said, "Hey Jake, I wonder if I could just take "those things" out??" ....YIKES!
I have found my polish roosters to be very gentle. It may be because they can't see as well as other breeds (with the feathers in their eyes). They usually end up getting beat up by other breeds.
Now that might work....
Is there such a thing as a bantam polish rooster?
Scratch that last post... McMurray DOES have bantam polish roosters!!
Yes, and they are wonderful!
Ok. Who has experience with this?......
Which bantam rooster can see the LEAST?
A Sultan? http://www.mcmurrayhatchery.com/product/bantam_sultan.html
A Silkie? http://www.mcmurrayhatchery.com/product/bantam_buff_silkies.html
Or a bantam Polish?
http://www.mcmurrayhatchery.com/product/bantam_white_crested_black_polish_bantam.html
By the looks of the picture, I'm guessing the Polish??
McMurray only offers a straight run in the bantam Polish. Any odds on my chances of getting a rooster?
Are you going to combine these in a big order? Is the minimum still 25 chicks? I think if you got 3 chicks you would be sure of getting at least one rooster.
One of our local feed/grain elevators collects orders until they reach the 25 minimum, and then they place the one order. When the chicks come in, everyone goes to the elevator to pick their small order up.
I think you should at least get 3. Maybe more just in case some don't make it.
i just took the plunge and got 10 straight run silkies, so I'll let you know how the roos work out. I think they'll ( hopefully ) be okay, as silkies are pretty docile.
Well, here's what has been decided about getting a new rooster...
For Mother's Day, my youngest daughter ordered me (2) White Crested Black Polish Bantams. McMurray only offers them in a straight run, so please cross your fingers for me that I will get a rooster!!
http://www.mcmurrayhatchery.com/product/bantam_white_crested_black_polish_bantam.html
I like the fact that they are small (bantams) and with the feather hood on them, maybe they won't be able to see well enough to feel like fighting every time they turn around. ...We'll see. I sure do miss hearing cockle-doodle-doo every few minutes. :)
My daughter also ordered for me (1) female Delaware, who I have already named, "Hello Delie", and (1) female White Leghorn, who I have named, "Pearl".
.....I'm SO excited! I can't wait for them to come!!