how to catch the rooster for the pot?

So, I've had enough of the big guy. I run a mobile pasture with 4 hens and a good-sized, little over a year old rooster. He's good looking, but just eats and makes noise, and I don't need chicks.

I got these chickens not even 2 months ago, and he's one of the youngest, so they don't know me or trust me. They zoom away from me, even when I'm bringing in new lay pellets or compost. I can get them within 3 feet of me with scratch, but they're very wary and ready to run, even if I just move a little.

The dude is up and going by 5:45, which seems to me a little to early to be trying to get up before him to grab him on the roost and start the process - which I do want to do as calmly and humanely as possible.

Anyone have any thoughts on how best to get ahold of this rooster without getting my face scratched off and without, well, running around like a chicken with its head chopped off?

maybe put him in a box the night before, so after breakfast, I just have to reach in that to get his legs?

gettin' hungry,
Tys

good plan is to catch him the night before, once he is asleep on the roost. easy peasy.

put him in a cage or box overnight so that he can fast out his digestive tract. butchering will be much cleaner without food in the GI tract.
fasting overnight before butchering is always good to do, I wont do it any other way.

enjoy that roo stew

What Adam said. The rooster should be half asleep by dusk, and totally asleep by deep dusk. You should be able to peacefully walk up to him at medium dusk and take hold of his legs. If you blow it you can try again in half an hour: chickens go to bed early!

Go ahead and give the rooster water: he will be more comfortable.

Maybe you could wrap him up in a blanket or cloth to protect yourself, once you've got hold of him. Or throw the blanket over him like a net.

I agree from experience with Terri and Adam. I even wait for a few hours after dawn to slaughter since they seem to have a large bowel movement then , even with fasting . This bird will require long slow cooking and will make superior broth. The meat will be stringier than a younger cock or hen and is best cut up small . Bon Appetit !

We recently cooked a roo in a crockpot - very tender and flavorful. Enjoy him!

Sleepy roosters go down easy. That being said, if you want some exorcize you could try to run him down. In my experience, they get winded pretty easily and need to rest often. If you can keep him moving, you'll eventually tire him out.

I had a rooster that attacked my son one afternoon. I saw red and just started chasing him (the rooster). It took a couple minutes but I wore him out and put him in "time out" for an hour away from his hens. He was not happy but I think we both learned something. I learned that I'm not in as bad of shape as I thought. The rooster learned that messing with kids is just bad for business. I guess my son learned something too, though I'm not sure what. He did laugh like hell while I scrambled around the yard chasing a delinquent rooster. So I guess that made him feel better.

Two weeks later, we ate the rooster. I caught him coming out of the coop in the morning when I let them out.

Always, always off the roost at night. Life is too short to spend it chasing an animal when you can walk up calmly and pluck it off the roost instead. He's more calm, you are more calm and the whole thing goes more smoothly. I make it a point to never chase a chicken...too ridiculous.