He is why we do not sell rabbit kits around Easter. OK maybe not directly, but he is definitely a symptom of a growing problem…him and three of his kind.
I came to this realization one day after I noticed an entourage of children in bicycle helmets and one adult without a bicycle helmet rapidly pacing back and forth in our neighbors yard, just on the other side of the chain link fence. Upon closer inspection I saw them chasing (quite unsuccessfully mind you) a young rooster…I latter came to call the rooster Brian. Brian was a very spunky Americana mix roo who was very interested in introducing himself to my ladies on the other side of the fence. I watched them for about 10 minutes; Brian went one way- the entourage followed. Brian went the other way- the entourage followed. Brian was cornered and decided it was time to bring out his secret weapon…wings. Brian flew and one adult went screaming the other direction, the kids just cowered.
When I ventured outside to ask the painfully obvious question- “Whatcha doing?” the response was expected. “One of your roosters got out and we were trying to get him back in your yard.” Very thoughtful, very noble… but Brian wasn’t mine. Brian was the result of a mission gone awry. A secret operation from some unknown entity, someone who thought…they have chickens…they won’t notice another one…maybe they won’t notice that it crows and doesn’t lay eggs. I have been here before…three times before now. A memorable rooster was left in a conspicuous shipping like box that I unwittingly open up to see a panicked banty take flight over my neighbor’s house and down the street...way down the street and out of sight. I was expecting a printer toner, not a rooster. Ferris the Great came back that night, again hoping to woo my ladies. I wasn’t upset, just annoyed. I can’t have many roosters. They don’t like each other.
The very first two “surprises” were different, it hadn’t happened before and we were blissfully ignorant. I had high hopes for these two orphans- they showed up on the roost late one night. I did my nightly routine of counting the ladies and securing them when I stumbled upon a Copper and a White silkie. They screamed, I screamed, my hens screamed, the barn cat just watched with a certain level of indignity. Jack and Bobby Marley were a surprise, but they got along fine. Jack kept to himself and slept in the open coop box courting Princess Buttercup and Ginger. Bobby Marley kept to himself and being a white silkie stood like a statue next to an overturned white bucket all night. I wasn’t clear if he thought it was like camouflage or his mother. They didn’t fight until Ferris the Great showed up.
The funny thing is I take roosters from those who can’t or don’t want to raise them- no real questions asked, no judgment. I try to do it the right way- find out about his history, lineage and health concerns. Quarantine them and eventually introduce to the flock or my soup pot…whichever comes first or is agreed upon. What I don’t understand is why people abandon them in our yard…without any reason. I don’t hear about too many cows, horses, sheep or goats just being randomly left on someone’s porch or packed into a shipping crate and left by the gate(no it not an invitation). You wouldn’t even know we had chickens unless you know us. Of course they could have just flown the coop and followed their testosterone radar to our ladies. Regardless, it raises other concerns than the obvious. Is this a growing problem? Do people understand the responsibility needed to raise livestock- especially in an urban setting? What would happen to our neighborhoods and local ecosystems if wild chickens were allowed to roam? I know chickens seem pretty close to the wild, but they have evolved domestically to the point where most breeds wouldn’t survive well on their own…or would survive to well and destroy the native vegetation. I do fear a feral chicken problem that would force the hand of politicians to decide where and how I can keep my chickens and other animals. This same fear leads me to the tie into rabbits.
It is for the same reason we don’t just sell rabbit babies to just anyone and never around Easter. I would love to take advantage of the sales boom. They are so cute and cuddly that you almost forget that they are actually rodents and most people underestimate the needs of these furry livestock critters. I fear a Rabbit Armageddon if ignorance prevails and Easter rabbits are released into the wild. It is true that the local native wild rabbit populations only have a 1 in 1000 chances of reproducing with a domesticated rabbit, but nature has a way…and where a buck is released a doe is soon to follow. Rabbits are much much harder to control in the wild, reproduce (ironically) like rabbits and are usually too smart to catch en masse- just ask the Woodlawn park zoo about their rabbit adventure that started with a rouge breeding pair released outside the zoo that nearly destroyed several of the protected exotic animals they work with.
So, I will be asked…perhaps 100 times this year. The answer will remain to be no, unless you have done your homework and know what you are getting into. I blame the rooster.
