The Ravages of War

Yesterday was a rough day in our world of roosters.
It seems that our beautiful white roosters have fought and fought until they have 
turned themselves pink.


The pink is the result of blood stains.


You might remember that months ago we moved one of our roosters into one of the
henhouses because the others were picking on him.


Then, weeks later a second rooster defected and joined the henhouses....
where he has remained since then.


All that remain in the house by the barn are two roosters who bunk with the turkeys.

And until yesterday these two spent their days visiting the upper henhouses during the day...
returning to their own house in the evening...
seemingly content.


At some point, however, that nasty awful testosterone kicks into gear,
turning sweet teenage roosters into angry, over-sexed maniacs...
who are willing to fight at the drop of a hat...
not to mention the floggings they dish out if one looks at them sideways.

Roosters....
beautiful birds,
but, seriously...
more trouble than they are worth.

Ask any hen and she will agree!
"Men!  Who needs 'em!".... I've heard from many-a-hen.

Ultimately, I am not sure what our solution is.
Solitary confinement is not a fun life,
but then neither is mortal combat.


And although we have never resorted to turning our chickens into dinner...
there is a soup kettle simmering right now...
all it needs is the meat.
(And in case you are reading this, Maggie and Macy,....I am only kidding.)

On a more positive note... the wooden egg solution seems to have worked.
There were no broken (cannibalized) eggs in any of the henhouses yesterday....
a first in many weeks!

Comments

Louise Stopford said…
Oh dear what a shame they have started fighting each other. Those roosters don't know when they are well off!! I suppose it is only nature taking it course, but it's not nice to have conflict among the critters. I would be interested to know what solution you can come up with. Hope harmony returns.
Tracy said…
We have 2 (Vorwerks) that live quite happily with each other but I can see as they are getting older, that their testosterone is kicking in. Good luck!
The JR said…
we accidentally ended up with 4 roos one time. They were kept separated into the pairs in which we got them.

2 were suppose to be hens (according to the seller). We had bought about 14 chicks.

2 came from someone whose niece had gotten them as Easter chicks. I took them from her to give them a country home.

Eventually both pairs started fighting. We kept one in with the hens. Move the other 3 to separate dog kennels. Which we already had from our beagle days.

That's where they lived until their time was over. But, believe me....many a time, my husband would walk by them and say "chicken and dumplings". I would tell him they would taste horrible.
Dawn said…
Our roosters have just just started fighting, we have picked the one we are keeping the others are destined for the table, we had one the other week and number is now sitting in the kitchen soon to be in the oven, others who are surplus have a few weeks grace.
Gayle from Oklahoma said…
While we all have to make choices that are right for us, feuding roosters is not a good thing. Perhaps you can find someone with hens who wants a rooster to tend to them. I did that with a pair of mine but I couldn't keep mine due to city restrictions. Would I ever resort to freezer camp? Yes if need be, miserable hens are not living a good life and those who have to run the gamut of flogging roosters aren't happy either. In your case you have two girls watching this unfolding drama. Good luck with whatever you choose!
Kate said…
Unfortunately, we have had dreadful times with our roosters. They are wonderful until they hit about 12 months when the hormones kick in, and they become aggressive. I have had to either re-home or euthanize all of them so far. We have a very nice boy right now and I am keeping my fingers crossed. He is just coming up on a year, so I am hoping for the best.
jaz@octoberfarm said…
uh oh....they are looking like easter roos.
NanaDiana said…
I remember that happening when I was a kid on the farm...and I think it was ultimately a death sentence for a rooster or two. Back then, they were not pets there were for sustaining life. xo Diana
This N That said…
You are between a rock and a hard place with the Roos..Good luck!! Glad the wooden eggs are working.
Kristy said…
I started calling them roosturds. They start out so sweet and then boom! They hate everything and everyone. The only way I've found to make life easier is to rehome them. The ones I have left are all well behaved... and that's why they get to stay.
That's the reason I don't have roosters - they would drive me nuts and I hate how they are constantly demanding of the hens and plucking their back feathers out. Bleh.