Nakia Posted April 1, 2011 Share Posted April 1, 2011 Out of our 12 chicks, one of them now has a really red and large comb. I really only wanted hens, but I guess we have a rooster. He is one of the white leghorns. My husband is really happy about it! I, on the other hand, am terrified of roosters, and I'm pretty sure I will run from him every chance I get. Any tips on making him a friendly rooster? :D ETA: I am pretty sure we do not want to raise baby chicks. I am ignorant about this, so help me out here. Do we just need to make sure we pull the eggs every day when they start laying so the hens don't set (I hope that's the right verb)? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Impish Posted April 1, 2011 Share Posted April 1, 2011 Yup. Bake at 350. :D Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nakia Posted April 1, 2011 Author Share Posted April 1, 2011 Yup. Bake at 350. :D :lol: That was my suggestion, but I was outvoted. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
momofkhm Posted April 1, 2011 Share Posted April 1, 2011 Out of our 12 chicks, one of them now has a really red and large comb. I really only wanted hens, but I guess we have a rooster. He is one of the white leghorns. My husband is really happy about it! I, on the other hand, am terrified of roosters, and I'm pretty sure I will run from him every chance I get. Any tips on making him a friendly rooster? :D ETA: I am pretty sure we do not want to raise baby chicks. I am ignorant about this, so help me out here. Do we just need to make sure we pull the eggs every day when they start laying so the hens don't set (I hope that's the right verb)? I have a friend with chickens close to me. She said around here if you end up with an unwanted rooster, you put it on craig's list and pretty soon someone will want it. You might get outvoted for that too though. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Impish Posted April 1, 2011 Share Posted April 1, 2011 ETA: I am pretty sure we do not want to raise baby chicks. I am ignorant about this, so help me out here. Do we just need to make sure we pull the eggs every day when they start laying so the hens don't set (I hope that's the right verb)? Castrate the rooster? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chickenpatty Posted April 1, 2011 Share Posted April 1, 2011 We had a very friendly rooster up until a month ago. For some reason (mid-life crisis?) he has become the embodiment of evil. Seriously, I don't go near him without a stick! And he used to be so friendly that he would eat from our hands. Good luck! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bluemongoose Posted April 1, 2011 Share Posted April 1, 2011 (edited) I also ended up with 2 accidental roos. They were friendly until they turned about 10 months old. Now they attack us. They are about to become dinner. But an answer to you fertilized egg question. As long as you collect eggs everyday, you will not see any babies in the egg. It will look like any other egg. The problem comes if you do not collect an egg and a hen is broody and sitting on it, or if it is a very warm summer and you leave it out for a few days. Edit to add: Chickens will peck on each others heads to show dominance. We read a chicken handling book and it recommended that you tap their head with your finger when they are small so they recognize you as the head chicken. This totally worked with the roos for a long time. Now one of them has decided he simply doesnt care, so he is greeted with a stick. DH can still approach the less aggressive roo by tapping his head and reestablishing his dominance. The rest of us cannot though, he will attack anybody else. DH is the alpha. Edited April 1, 2011 by bluemongoose Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
3lilreds in NC Posted April 1, 2011 Share Posted April 1, 2011 I also ended up with 2 accidental roos. They were friendly until they turned about 10 months old. Now they attack us. They are about to become dinner. :lol: I know it's not funny, but the way you describe them becoming dinner is. One of the only good memories I have of my grandfather is that he killed the rooster that attacked me and we had him for dinner. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nakia Posted April 1, 2011 Author Share Posted April 1, 2011 I have a friend with chickens close to me. She said around here if you end up with an unwanted rooster, you put it on craig's list and pretty soon someone will want it. You might get outvoted for that too though. My uncle told me this morning he will take Andy if he starts being mean. If he is being a jack@ss and starts attacking me, no one else gets a vote! He is out of here! Castrate the rooster? :lol::lol::lol: Is that even possible? That is funny! We had a very friendly rooster up until a month ago. For some reason (mid-life crisis?) he has become the embodiment of evil. Seriously, I don't go near him without a stick! And he used to be so friendly that he would eat from our hands. Good luck! So I need a stick. And a castration device of some sort. Okay, I'm writing this stuff down. :D I also ended up with 2 accidental roos. They were friendly until they turned about 10 months old. Now they attack us. They are about to become dinner. But an answer to you fertilized egg question. As long as you collect eggs everyday, you will not see any babies in the egg. It will look like any other egg. The problem comes if you do not collect an egg and a hen is broody and sitting on it, or if it is a very warm summer and you leave it out for a few days. Edit to add: Chickens will peck on each others heads to show dominance. We read a chicken handling book and it recommended that you tap their head with your finger when they are small so they recognize you as the head chicken. This totally worked with the roos for a long time. Now one of them has decided he simply doesnt care, so he is greeted with a stick. DH can still approach the less aggressive roo by tapping his head and reestablishing his dominance. The rest of us cannot though, he will attack anybody else. DH is the alpha. Thanks for the tip. I'm going in there to peck on him now. I'll show him who's boss. ;) :lol: I know it's not funny, but the way you describe them becoming dinner is. One of the only good memories I have of my grandfather is that he killed the rooster that attacked me and we had him for dinner. I don't think I could eat him. Well...maybe I could, if someone else did the dirty work of getting him ready for the oven. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Denisemomof4 Posted April 1, 2011 Share Posted April 1, 2011 I can't believe you only ended up with one rooster! I got two roosters when I ordered 12 HENS, and I bought 7 chicks last July and again got two roosters! They are both friendly but they're only 8.5 months old. We're probably going to get a couple of hens for the rooster that's been removed from the rest due to the rooster fights. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Impish Posted April 1, 2011 Share Posted April 1, 2011 My uncle told me this morning he will take Andy if he starts being mean. If he is being a jack@ss and starts attacking me, no one else gets a vote! He is out of here! :lol::lol::lol: Is that even possible? That is funny! So I need a stick. And a castration device of some sort. Okay, I'm writing this stuff down. :D I'd suggest tweezers, magnifying glass...:leaving: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nakia Posted April 1, 2011 Author Share Posted April 1, 2011 I can't believe you only ended up with one rooster! I got two roosters when I ordered 12 HENS, and I bought 7 chicks last July and again got two roosters! They are both friendly but they're only 8.5 months old. We're probably going to get a couple of hens for the rooster that's been removed from the rest due to the rooster fights. Well, I guess we could have more. Three of them are 3 weeks old, and the rest are only 2 weeks old. He is the only one with a giant red comb though. Do you think we would know by now if we have more than one? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nakia Posted April 1, 2011 Author Share Posted April 1, 2011 I'd suggest tweezers, magnifying glass...:leaving: How soon can you get a flight out of Canada? I'm going to need an assistant. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheAutumnOak Posted April 1, 2011 Share Posted April 1, 2011 Wow...We are planning to get chickens next year and cannot have roosters where we live...I am not sure what I would do... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Impish Posted April 1, 2011 Share Posted April 1, 2011 How soon can you get a flight out of Canada? I'm going to need an assistant. Shoot me your credit card info, and I'll let you know :D Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nakia Posted April 1, 2011 Author Share Posted April 1, 2011 Shoot me your credit card info, and I'll let you know :D Ummmmm...okay...moving on to Plan B. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Denisemomof4 Posted April 1, 2011 Share Posted April 1, 2011 Well, I guess we could have more. Three of them are 3 weeks old, and the rest are only 2 weeks old. He is the only one with a giant red comb though. Do you think we would know by now if we have more than one? we knew we had two pretty early on because of the large combs. If you do have more than one, you can always feed it to the snake.:D Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nakia Posted April 1, 2011 Author Share Posted April 1, 2011 we knew we had two pretty early on because of the large combs. If you do have more than one, you can always feed it to the snake.:D :svengo: ;) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Impish Posted April 1, 2011 Share Posted April 1, 2011 *LOL* Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fairfarmhand Posted April 1, 2011 Share Posted April 1, 2011 if you have leghorns, I seriously doubt any will set. The broodiness has pretty much been bred right out of them. However if that does happen, take the hen, put her in a brightly lit cage w/no nesting material and after 2-3 days she will snap out of it. Roosters vary. In my experience, leghorns are not aggressive, just nervous. You are lucky in that leghorns are pretty small. If he does get a bit agressive, remember, you are bigger than he is. And hit him back. Kick him, swat at him with a stick, let him know that YOU are boss. It won't hurt him, it will teach him that you are boss hen around there. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bluemongoose Posted April 1, 2011 Share Posted April 1, 2011 Not to be a smarty pants, but dont Roosters have a cloaca? I dont think you can castrate them :lol:! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Impish Posted April 1, 2011 Share Posted April 1, 2011 Not to be a smarty pants, but dont Roosters have a cloaca? I dont think you can castrate them :lol:! Shhh! Spoilsport! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Anita in NC Posted April 1, 2011 Share Posted April 1, 2011 Roosters are evil. Seriously! We use to have chickens and roosters and the kids, that love animals, were more than happy to eat the roosters. Wait until you have to fight that sucker off with a baseball bat or your poor kids are pinned to the ground being attacked by a rooster. I'm thinking your crew will change their vote. :D Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DarlaS Posted April 1, 2011 Share Posted April 1, 2011 Not to be a smarty pants, but dont Roosters have a cloaca? I dont think you can castrate them :lol:! You're right. You can't. Wouldn't it be amusing though to see someone try? :D Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fairfarmhand Posted April 1, 2011 Share Posted April 1, 2011 Not to be a smarty pants, but dont Roosters have a cloaca? I dont think you can castrate them :lol:! yep you can. they are called capons. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Capon Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DarlaS Posted April 1, 2011 Share Posted April 1, 2011 Roosters are evil. Seriously! We use to have chickens and roosters and the kids, that love animals, were more than happy to eat the roosters. Wait until you have to fight that sucker off with a baseball bat or your poor kids are pinned to the ground being attacked by a rooster. I'm thinking your crew will change their vote. :D :iagree: It also bears mentioning that roosters (if they are aggressive) often go for the eyes. This is particularly dangerous if you have small children. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DarlaS Posted April 1, 2011 Share Posted April 1, 2011 yep you can. they are called capons. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Capon Really? I had no idea. I still think it would be amusing to watch Nakia try to do this. :D The jewels have got to be really hard to find. :lol: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Liz CA Posted April 1, 2011 Share Posted April 1, 2011 It happens at least once in a chicken lovers' life. We had a Ruby that later in life became Reuben. He was the gentlest rooster we ever had. All others were attack roosters. The one I have now has evidently learned not to mess with me but every day is a new day and one never knows what they think. ;) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fairfarmhand Posted April 1, 2011 Share Posted April 1, 2011 Really? I had no idea. I still think it would be amusing to watch Nakia try to do this. :D The jewels have got to be really hard to find. :lol: it takes a surgery. to do it. I am a farmer's wife and it is not anything I've ever tried. I have castrated a calf, but that's my limit. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bluemongoose Posted April 1, 2011 Share Posted April 1, 2011 yep you can. they are called capons. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Capon eeeewwww! Nakia- I triple dog dare you to make a capon out of your roo! :lol: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DarlaS Posted April 1, 2011 Share Posted April 1, 2011 it takes a surgery. to do it. I am a farmer's wife and it is not anything I've ever tried. I have castrated a calf, but that's my limit. I would think so since rooster parts are on the inside similar to a hens. This is why it's so difficult to tell the hens from the roos until they're bigger. (In other words, it would be amusing to see someone search simply because they aren't going to find them. ;)) I've castrated a few critters too (lambs & goats). They have easier to find parts. :tongue_smilie: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tap Posted April 1, 2011 Share Posted April 1, 2011 Got any old bcps laying around......maybe a daily dose of estrogen and cheap Easter chocolate will smooth those rough edges. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Impish Posted April 1, 2011 Share Posted April 1, 2011 I just want to say how proud I am to have gotten folks talking about castrating a rooster. Proud, proud day. Wait til Wolf hears. I'll probably not be allowed to play online again for a while...:lol: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Impish Posted April 1, 2011 Share Posted April 1, 2011 Got any old bcps laying around......maybe a daily dose of estrogen and cheap Easter chocolate will smooth those rough edges. :smilielol5: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Remudamom Posted April 1, 2011 Share Posted April 1, 2011 Ha! I've got a couple of little silky roos that act really tough when my back is turned and suddenly innocent if I turn around. They are a hoot. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fairfarmhand Posted April 1, 2011 Share Posted April 1, 2011 I've castrated a few critters too (lambs & goats). They have easier to find parts. :tongue_smilie: yep. even my dd's (13 and 9) have helped with calf castration. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kokotg Posted April 1, 2011 Share Posted April 1, 2011 if you have leghorns, I seriously doubt any will set. The broodiness has pretty much been bred right out of them. However if that does happen, take the hen, put her in a brightly lit cage w/no nesting material and after 2-3 days she will snap out of it. Oddly, our only broody hen is our one leghorn. She's quirky. She didn't get the memo about how all her maternal instinct has been bred away :). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nakia Posted April 2, 2011 Author Share Posted April 2, 2011 Oh I see how you girls are! I go out for a few hours for a girls' night out, and when I come back you have a whole plan for me to castrate my rooster complete with links and triple dog dares. We'll see if I ever tell you all anything else again. Hah! :lol::lol::lol: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tap Posted April 2, 2011 Share Posted April 2, 2011 Oh I see how you girls are! I go out for a few hours for a girls' night out, and when I come back you have a whole plan for me to castrate my rooster complete with links and triple dog dares. We'll see if I ever tell you all anything else again. Hah! :lol::lol::lol: There is no problem that a group of homeschool moms can't solve. Just make sure to create a Unit Study for all the future DIY homeschooled veterinarians! LOLLol Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Impish Posted April 2, 2011 Share Posted April 2, 2011 I told Wolf about this thread, giggling away. He listened, looked at me gravely and said, "Castration is not funny to a guy, under any circumstances." I snickered at him. :D Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LibraryLover Posted April 2, 2011 Share Posted April 2, 2011 Long thread! Have folks talked about neck feathers yet? If the roo is old enough, pointy feathers mean roo. Rounded ones are hens. If this has been covered, ignore-ola me. :D Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Denisemomof4 Posted April 2, 2011 Share Posted April 2, 2011 Long thread! Have folks talked about neck feathers yet? If the roo is old enough, pointy feathers mean roo. Rounded ones are hens. If this has been covered, ignore-ola me. :D VERY cool! I did not know this!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LibraryLover Posted April 2, 2011 Share Posted April 2, 2011 (edited) VERY cool! I did not know this!!! :) The feathers change towards the end of the neck...right as the body rounds... I find Silkies a bit trickier, as they are so fine and fluffly. But an Orpington, RIR, Dominique, Leg Horn, Barred etc., it's pretty straightforward. :) Edited April 2, 2011 by LibraryLover Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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