(Originally posted Sept 6, 2011)
I must stop getting free chickens from Craigslist. Apparantly giving chickens away is just something people DO around here – along with breathing. I got 6 free roosters today, and they delivered them to my door for the price of gas. Wow!
I had put today aside to butcher and process some of the hens I got yesterday, but once the roosters arrived I had to do them first so they didn’t bother the neighbors. Everything was going well until one of the roosters got loose! He slipped out the door while I was getting another out of the crate. He spied the run of hens I’d gotten yesterday, crowed loudly, and made a beeline for them. I headed him off and the chase ensued.
All around the yard, back to the gate, over the rabbit hutches and around the yard again. Crowing the whole time! (The rooster, not me.) The neighbor’s birthday party noise silenced. Another neighbor decided that just then was the best possible time to come over to the gap in the fenceline to “pick some blackberries”. The determined rooster finally got IN to the run with the hens, but since they didn’t know him the hens commenced flogging him! 12 vs 1 was not a fair fight, but also not one I was stepping in to, so I waited until the rooster surfaced out of the melee before going in to grab him. I got him and carried him out of the run by his legs – That durn rooster could crow even UPSIDE DOWN!
I’m covered in burrs from all the weeds I haven’t cleared yet, my legs are bleeding from the blackberry brambles, I’m carrying a rooster upside down, and I look up to see my neighbor, who hurriedly picks another blackberry. I was in no mood to pretend all was good, so I lassoed the rooster’s legs together and picked up the knife, and the neighbor decided she had something to do elsewhere. Whew!
I tell you, that rooster will taste GOOD.
Ranting About Rectangles 
it’s hilarious to visualize you chasing that rooster. that one must taste the best. how old are the roosters? it must be very easy to get free roosters where you live. do you get them very often? by the way what’s your method of dispatching them?
Oh, he certainly did taste delicious! I don’t know how old they were, he was one of several free roosters from someone who just had too many. Old enough to be full grown, young enough that he wasn’t too tough – I cooked him in the crock pot. People tend to give away their excess chickens in the fall, because they don’t want to pay to keep them over the winter when they cannot forage for their food. I use the killing cone method, seems to cause the chickens the least stress. Thanks for your comment!
just curious. do you still raise chickens and able to get free roosters?
I do not currently have any chickens. We had a predator killing one every night so I gave the remaining ones away. But I still see free chickens and roosters on Craigslist from time to time.