Tuesday, April 16, 2013

Meet my rooster

See the little bitty guy in the corner?  That's him!  When I bought my chicks, I didn't think I needed a rooster.  It would be just another mouth to feed, and roosters don't produce eggs.  
Then I got to remembering how much fun it is to let a hen "set" some eggs and then watch her take care of the babies.  You can't get babies without a baby-daddy, so I put out word I wanted a rooster, which I would put in with my two grown hens until the chicks got bigger. I saw some on Craigslist, but none were nearby, and everybody seemed to want ten dollars for theirs.  Someone offered to give me a banty rooster, but I want the resulting baby chickens to be worth something, either as layers or food-for-the-table; banties are neither.  They are just cute.  
The reason I didn't simply buy another baby chick was that chickens are often cruel and will pick on newcomers.  Mine are four weeks old, and I was afraid a smaller chicken would get pecked to death.  Also, as you can see, the flock is feathering out pretty good and I'm not keeping as much heat on them as a newly-hatched chick would need. 
Yesterday at Orscheln's, I was admiring the baby chicks for sale and saw a sign on one cage reading "Frying Pan Special".  The chickens were male, and seemed to be of assorted ages.  The largest one appeared to be at least two weeks old; I decided to take the plunge.  He is the color of the Buff Orpington chicks.  I hope that's what he is.  
None of the other chickens seemed to even notice that he was a newcomer.  I went to check this morning, and peace still reigned in the brooder-house.  There is one slight concern:  Yesterday when I took him out of the cardboard box we brought him home in and placed him on the floor, he came running at my hand and pecked it several times.  
I've had a mean rooster or two in my time.  Do you suppose he will be aggressive when he's grown?  If so, he will fulfill the title of "Frying Pan Special".


Look, he's about the same size as my banty pullet!

4 comments:

  1. Your chicks certainly have grown. I hope your little rooster adjusts and will settle down. I'm sure he was only a little frightened by the move to your house so that was his defense. We all tend to pick at one another when we are upset. Knowing how you are with animals, he'll be tame in no time. Rainy day here in Ohio. Hope your Tuesday is a terrific one!

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  2. I wonder if he'd be more civil if you started carrying him around....a little bonding, maybe? (or is it just me that carries my animals around like children? hee....)

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  3. That rooster you got looks mighty fine with all those cute chicks. Sorry I couldn't resist. Everytime I hear about roosters I think about that 1968 novel by Charles Portis, True Grit. The main character was Reuben J. "Rooster" Cogburn, later played by John Wayne in the movie.

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  4. Sounds like you have a mean on on your hands! We always found that Araucana roosters are universally gentle. (And of course, their hens lay colored eggs, so that's always fun.)

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