Way back when The Story Book Farm Sanctuary started, we began by rescuing the most misunderstood and abused animals on the planet- roosters. After beginning our rooster rescue, we quickly realized how much of a need there is for a safe haven for roosters. Often when people acquire chicks, the fuzzy babies that are supposed to be hens end up being boys, and many times cannot be kept due to city or neighborhood restrictions, limited space, etc. As many people find out, it is sad to re-home their boys- roosters are full of personality and often bond to their owners more so than hens do! They make wonderful pets! Since roosters are such great animals, it is even more sad to see them abandoned in people’s desperation to “get rid of” them. We’ve rescued roosters from parking lots, woods, parks- you name it, simply because they were born male. Contrary to what some think, roosters cannot “fend for themselves” in these situations. They are domestic animals that fully rely on human care for food, water, and shelter from predators and the elements.
So we’ve dedicated our farm to being a safe haven for these boys, and love that we are able to be able to be a place that our community can re-home their birds to!
Here are a few fun facts about roosters, (and since we get asked so often- how we keep 140 roosters living peacefully on our farm sanctuary).
Roosters can live together happily in a bachelor flock!
In our experience, there are 3 key factors when beginning a bachelor rooster flock:
Introduce new boys to each other slowly.
We use a large wire dog crate when introducing new roos to our flocks, and set the crate within the coop. That way everyone can see and hear each other, but without being able to bully one another. Also, we generally try to introduce at dusk when chickens are the least active, and after they’ve had dinner for the night.
Have plenty of space!
Overcrowding leads to stress, and stress leads to fighting. Make sure your rooster coops have ample perches, roosts, and brush for “get away” areas in case any squabbles do break out. Just like with people, not all roosters get along, there’s no two ways around it. We have several bachelor coops at our sanctuary for this reason. If someone just doesn’t seem to be fitting in with a particular group, we will simply move him to another flock. And always have plenty of food and clean water in your bachelor areas. A hungry bird is a stressed bird, and again, stress can lead to fighting.
Be sure to keep it a boys only zone!
Even in a mixed flock of hens and roosters, roosters will choose their favorite ladies- there’s no magic number ratio of hens to roos like some people believe.. However, keeping ladies away from bachelor coops will create an “out of sight, out of mind” mentality, and will keep your roosters being the best roommates they can be.
With close to 150 roosters, we can assure you that bachelor flocks can and DO work! If you would like more information on starting a bachelor flock (or even your own rooster rescue!) please reach out to us anytime! Roosters are where we began here at our sanctuary! They are very special to us, and we are happy to help!
