So it seems almost certain that somehow, two of our eight sexed chicks are roosters. They're thirteen weeks old and while we keep holding out hope, it really seems to be the case. We got these birds for eggs only and have had them since day one, so we're rather attached to them at this point. One of them, Fern (Fernando?), is super snuggly and lovey with me and mostly acts like a gentleman with the hens. A few of them still get in minor squabbles. I really wish I could keep him. The other one, Ruth (Rufus?), had been fairly chill, snuggling at night with the smaller Easter Eggers. Sometimes he is kinda cuddly with us. Recently, he's been acting like a total
jerk and attacked one of the Salmon Faverolles, jumping on her back, biting her and continuing when she tried to escape. The same Faverolle has recently had an injured eye and a peck to the face, not certain who did that, but I have a guess..So Ruth/Rufus is in
chicken jail for now, separated from the others.
From my understanding, we don't have
enough hens to keep a rooster. Definitely not two of them. So what to do? As I said, we love these birds and would really like them to be able to live out their lives somewhere they'd be cared for. But I wonder how possible or likely it is to find such a home? There's a
local chicken store that will "rehome" them for a nominal fee. But it seems like they just give them away and I question if they actually get forever homes or if it's mostly just a way for suburban chicken keepers to avoid killing them but feel good about it. If that is my only option, I'd rather ask my friend to do it, since I don't have the heart to and I know he would do it humanely and with respect for their lives. Again, I'd really like to avoid that. If anyone has advice on how to go about rehoming a rooster, it would be greatly appreciated. Are there avenues to find a real home for them I might not have thought of? Obviously, I've started asking friends who have
chickens, no luck so far.
I especially worry if Ruth/Rufus has any chance, since he's been acting like a jerk and I would be honest about that behavior. Is it possible that keeping him separated for a few days in a crate like he presently is will help? That seems to be the common advice I read for dealing with bully chickens, but not sure how effective it is. As it is now, they can all still see each other but are physically separated. It doesn't feel very nice to him and seems to cause him distress. But I also am totally unwilling to give him another chance to hurt the Faverolles, since it sounded like it was a pretty vicious attack that wouldn't have stopped if my partner had not seen it and intervened.
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