First post!

[Jernixon]

My first post!

I run a 40acre equine boarding facility with my wife and we were wanting to get a rooster as a pet . Are they ok living by themselves or do they need chickens nearby? I have not found much info on having them as pets. Anyone with experience?

thanks,

Jer

[Bird]

Jer, I have no idea how things would work out for a single rooster, but one rooster and two hens would get along just fine. As for them being "pets" . . . are you wanting a pet you can handle or just one you can watch. Our chickens never seemed much in favor of physical contact.

[jimbrown]

If you are going to let him run free it would be better to have a hen or two although not a total necessity. If you get a young one and pet him like any dog or cat or parrot they will react the same. My mother used to raise exotic ones and she could call them by name and they would come and sit beside here and let her pet them. Even worked with the peacocks.

[Jernixon]

Thanks for the replies!

He would be more to look at then to hold and cuddle. Of course if he were ok with affection he would certainly receive it.. We may just get a rooster and a couple hens then as I'm sure he would be happier with the company of them. We do plan on adding a few other animals such as goats or donkeys but for now it's just horses and a few barn cats. That's another question, will the little guy be ok around the cats? I'm worried we will have to keep the lil man caged up and that's not what we wanted to do.. hmmm..

Jer

[Bird]

</font><blockquote><font class="small">In reply to:</font><hr />
will the little guy be ok around the cats?

[/ QUOTE ]

I guess it might depend on how old and how large the rooster, or chickens, are and how hungry the cats are. When I was a kid, my dad did not allow any animals in the house, but we always had a couple of cats around; most of the time a black tomcat that stayed out around the barn and a gray female that stayed closer to the house, but followed us to the barn twice a day when we milked the cow because she knew we'd give her a little fresh warm milk. We had lots of free range chickens and I can't think of a single time we had any conflict between chickens and cats.

[Jernixon]

Well thats good news. Now I just have to find someone that sells roosters! hens are easy, in the paper al lthe time but im not sure about roosters.

Thanks again!

[jimbrown]

You can mail order fertile eggs and hatch them. It is not hard to do and then raise them in a stall for a few weeks and they will stay right at your place and eat the heck out of bugs. You can get a mixed batch of exotic ones that way. The only reason I don't have bunch around here is there simply are too many coyotes.

[Jernixon]

Do you know if a good document showing the process of hatching eggs? How do they keep the eggs warm while shipping? or is that not important?

thanks!

[jimbrown]

Just do a google for mail order chickens. More than you want to know.

[Pat]

If you Google on "hatching eggs" you will get plenty of info. Ag stores like Atwoods and such have chicks, geese, ducks, guinea, turkey, and rabits in the store every spring and early summer. Hatching can be fun but you can buy some chicks with no minimum purchase right out of the store that has all the paraphenalia you might want like waterers, heat lamps, and such.

My niece used to raise various "fancy" chickens and most of them tolerated her picking them up and petting them, eventually, especially the ones she raised from chicks. They let the chickens out all day to run in the horse paddock but eventually started locking them up at night when they started loosing one each night or every other night to a bobcat.

Guineas are a little more predator proof free ranging than chickens and are even better bug busters than chickens.

Can't comment on specifics as you gave no clue as to your location, not even approx latitude which goes to winter protection that might be needed.

Pat