Cockerels

[AlwaysLatte]

We're relatively new to chicken keeping and due to one of our 5 chicks turning out to be a male we now have a full grown cockerel. We love him and he likes a cuddle but he also goes for us and we've all had bad pecks/pinching and got the bruises to prove it. Now the children won't go in to the coop so we took the sad decision to rehome him (found a wonderful free ranging home). Do most people with chickens have a cockerel? And if so have you managed to curb the aggressive behaviour? Or do you mostly have just hens? Not sure if we're doing the right thing by the flock, removing him?

[TheLeadbetterLife]

I’ve always had cockerels but I don’t keep them if they’re aggressive. The one we have at the moment is fabulous - always calls the hens over if he finds some tasty food. He is never aggressive with us, or even our dog and cats (who have all been beaten up by broody hens on the other hand). I’ve had aggressive ones in the past and you end up having to wear wellies and carry a broom to fend the little sods off. Rehoming is probably best.

[PersonaNonGarter]

We have had lots and plenty of fun characters but depressingly we always have to kill them eventually as they get more and more violent with the hens.

Killing cockerels is just part of chicken keeping sadly.

[SelkieQualia]

Roosters can either be lovely or aggressive, and there's no fixing a nasty one. The only place for them is the pot.

[blah3000]

We had one who flew at your face every time we opened the coop. We ate him.

[AlwaysLatte]

We took him to his new forever home today and he will live out his days in orchards with turkeys, other chickens and ducks. It's a shame as he still loves his cuddles! We would have kept him rather than kill him though - wouldn't ever be able to do that! We came home with this beauty of a hen who needed a home. Any guesses on her breed? Bluebell?

[TheLeadbetterLife]

She looks fab, could be a bluebell, or a nice mix. All of mine are very pretty mutts, including one which is like the bluest bluebell you ever saw, but with feathered legs. The best thing is she lays bright blue eggs. Had no idea when we got her - we got a few from a woman who had a load of mixed breed birds which seem to have blue and green egg genes in amongst them, as we have a few that lay those colours now.

[AlwaysLatte]

Ah @TheLeadbetterLife she sounds very pretty! This one is probably more brown than blue but she has lovely eyes.
The others we have are mixed ones too, although brown and white mostly.