Backyard chicken keepers

[Pooh's Pixie]

For anyone that has chickens, I have a newbie question. We have 7 chickens that are about 4 months old. Basically as pets, to get eggs, etc. Well, we ordered all hens (girls). We are starting to suspect one of the silkies is a rooster! He does a weak "****-a-doodle-doo" in the morning. Not loud, and not until we let them out (they stay in the hen house for the night.)

If this is true, and our she is a he, is there any problem with keeping him? Other than local ordinances (which are ok)...the kids would be devastated if we had to get rid of him, but I don't want to have problems. We obviously didn't anticipate this!

Thanks!

 

[Boo'sMom]

Not a problem at all...he just won't lay eggs.
We have a flock of 6 BPRs and we love raising chickens.
We did have a rooster but had to send him to freezer camp because he started crowing around 3:30 every morning and the neighbors were getting irritated.

 

[Tarheel Tink]

I have had a flock in my backyard for 4 years now. Sounds like a rooster- I too noticed an adolescent crowing going on but physically couldn't tell at that age (I have a mix of 6 breeds so combs, etc. vary in them) until that. I keep 1 rooster who guards the hens rather well from hawks, etc. I had more than 1 rooster and found it wasn't easy to place them (who knew? ).

"Mulan" renamed "Mushuu" rules over the hens we have; Cinderella, Jasmine, Beauty, Merriweather, Fauna, Ariel, Belle,etc.

 

[Pooh's Pixie]

Was he inside the coop/henhouse and crowing? My DH thinks that maybe if we keep him in the henhouse until a reasonable hour of the morning (7?) he won't start crowing...but I'm not sure. Thanks

 

[Tarheel Tink]

We don't have a fully enclosed coop so occasionally he will crow when we turn a light on in the kitchen or outside in the middle of the night- stops when the light goes off. We don't hear him unless we open a door or window.

 

[Pooh's Pixie]

Anyone in the evening crowd want to chime in?

Sounds like maybe it will be okay. I just don't want anyone complaining. Granted, my neighbor's dogs definitely are more annoying, but people are more tolerant of dogs than chickens...

 

[Pooh's Pixie]

bumping, I thought there were more chicken keepers out there! LOL

 

[golfgal]

Is it legal to have chickens in your backyard? I know it isn't here. DH's parents had some neighbors that had chickens-and a rooster. I think the town was about ready to lynch this family because that stupid rooster crowed every morning. I would NOT keep a rooster in town if you want to have good relationships with your neighbors.

 

[Pooh's Pixie]

Yes, it's legal. Lots of people in our town have them, it's become quite a movement. I even know one family that has a steer!

I do have a concern for my neighbors, which is why I am posting to see if people have had problems. We have approximately two acres of land. It is not a city lot. Like I said before, I know the dogs across the street are far louder and more of a nuisance than a rooster would be, but some people have issues with non-traditional pets. Our property abuts one of the richest people in the country (according to Forbes Magazine) and I don't need trouble. Of course, they keep to themselves and their constant construction is also a nuisance to me, but I wouldn't make a big deal. Just wondering if any chicken keepers have had this happen and have they been able to deal with keeping a rooster.

Thanks!

 

[clarabelle]

I can't help you -but I would love to see pictures!
This is a fantasy of mine to keep chickens some day (right now we live in the burbs and can't )

I know that you can get books on chicken keeping -I have seen them on amazon

 

[Pooh's Pixie]

Here are some pics! This one is when they were just babies.

Here is the coop my DH made, and my DD playing with them.

And a picture of them getting bigger.

ENJOY!

 

[Jockaroo]

My husband grew up on a farm and for a 4-H project he raised chickens. Like you he ordered hens, but was sent an additional "bonus" bird--the rooster. I don't remember him talking about issues with crowing, but I do know he said that the rooster grew huge spurs on his feet and these were quite a danger. I believe he said the rooster was quite protective of the flock. A neighbor's dog got loose, got in the chicken enclosure and killed most of his chickens. He was devastated. Just wanted you to be aware of the dog problem. I'd hate for your daughter to see something horrific like this. I know it still bothers my husband. He really cared for these birds--took good care of them and had a small profitable venture selling fresh eggs to neighbors.

Good luck with your chickens.

 

[clarabelle]

oooh
Thanks
I like the gray one. What variety are they?
Which one do you suspect is a rooster?

 

[tileman]

Yep if you have a chicken run make sure the wire is at lest 18" in the ground kind of at a angle. So the dogs can not dig in.

Here's a good site here full of info http://www.backyardchickens.com/

Ron.

 

[mtdevine615]

Sorry can't help but it does sound like a rooster in the making. We had bad luck this year. We got new chicks and all were wiped out during one night. Not sure but we think it was a fisher.

 

[Pooh's Pixie]

Thanks all. You can't see in the pics, but our chicken enclosure is Fort Knox for Chickens. My DH spent a lot of time on it. Two fences, both with latches. The internal coop that they stay in is fenced with aviary fencing on top, so nothing can get in from the top. And then there is an additional fence with a gate around it. Plus at night they are locked in the coop. Although we certainly have predators, we have done all we can to make it super secure. I joke that they are more secure than we are! But I appreciate the concern.

I have looked at backyardchickens.com. And we do have some books. I was just wondering if people had "real" experience with roosters. The spurs sound nasty, but we don't pick them up too much...I think they all have dinosaur feet anyway!

As for breeds, we have two black silkies (one of which we think is the rooster), two Easter Eggers (the grey and multi-colored ones; they don't look alike; they will lay tinted eggs), two Buff Brahmas (the yellowish ones) and one Dominique (black & white speckled). We had another Dominique but lost it to pasty butt...very sad.

It's been a great project for the kids. They have done lots of research of which breeds they wanted before we got them, and how to care for them. And they do care for them. That's why I would hate to have to get rid of the rooster if it is one...

No noise from him today, we'll see!

mtdevine165, sorry to hear you lost all of yours! Fishers are nasty, and we have had them around here...even found tracks in our yard. They are the primary reason we lock them in at night!

 

[clarabelle]

ok this is fascinating
I am 42 years old and have never heard of a fisher. I had no idea such an animal even existed! I thought I knew all the North American animals.
Wow -you learn something new every day.

 

[Pooh's Pixie]

ok this is fascinating
I am 42 years old and have never heard of a fisher. I had no idea such an animal even existed! I thought I knew all the North American animals.
Wow -you learn something new every day.

Did you google them, I assume? They are nasty little creatures. very obscure, probably why you hadn't heard of them. But they are getting more common around here. They are one of the few predators of a porcupine. We think we have heard the fisher in the woods behind us, and it is like a Tasmanian devil! Shrieking!

 

[clarabelle]

Yeah I googled them
They are not cute.

From what Wikipedia said they are not found here in the south -but they are starting to distribute into places that they weren't before.

 

[tiggger1]

We have chickens, we only have 9 right now all hens( 4 white leghorns, 4 Rhode Island Reds, and 1 barred rock) , we did have roos but they got majorly aggressive, so we rehomed them. but my neighbor has 50 something birds (7-8 roos). Her are fine with her but aggressive with anyone else. They do crow but I can barely hear them now and when they do crow its because they hear or see something...

I love your coop, did you bury the fence? We have to make a trench about 24 inches wide and bury the hardware cloth like this __l so nothing could dig under ( they will did close to the fence and not be able to get under it... We only lost 1 bird in 6 years and that was because there was a hole higher up and the hen jumped out)