Well, it finally came to a head when I realized we just couldn’t keep Earl any longer. But first, let me take a quick walk down memory lane.

It all began with our excitement over getting our chicks! I had wanted chickens for quite some time and this felt like a dream come true. From having them inside and hearing their squeaks, to moving them into the coop, it was all so much fun.

Then, when they turned around 12 weeks old we were shocked to hear sounds of learning to crow coming from the coop. I convinced myself these were normal noises for hens to make, but eventually had to come to terms with the fact that three of our 11 “hens” were indeed actually roosters. I cried.

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With Duck and Nugget rehomed to a different farm, we kept Earl. He was Hailey’s favorite and we had snuggled him since he was a day old and we were cautiously optimistic that all would be ok. Things were so exciting when we got our first egg!

Then, Earl hit puberty and the hormones started turning him into a bit of a jerk. I tried all the tricks to get him to be more submissive, including wearing Kaitlyn’s softball helmet, but ultimately he couldn’t be trusted.

Slowly, things changed. The girls became scared of him, and with good reason. He would jump at us when we entered the fence or got too close to the hens. I stopped holding the hens as much because while they’d still run to me, Earl would herd them away. At some point I realized we just weren’t enjoying the chickens like we used to. I would go in to collect eggs but would have to walk in with a rake just in case Earl decided I was suspicious.

Then came the feather plucking. To be fair, I can’t be certain it was all Earl’s doing, but certainly the feather loss on the backs of many was due to over-mating. It was easy to tell which hens were his favorite. But then it got worse and feathers started being plucked. Poor Wednesday girl had an almost completely bare back. Then he started plucking her tail feathers. I put a saddle on her to protect her and the next day I saw that Heyhey had 4 beautiful feathers plucked right off of her. I assumed since he couldn’t get to Wednesday with the saddle, he was taking it out on the next one in line.

That did it for me. I knew Earl had to go.

I was the very last one to feel this way. David had no warm feelings towards him. The girls were scared of him. The neighbors didn’t like him. It was just me. And it took me so long because I truly love animals and felt like I was giving up on him. We had good moments, he was a great protector from predators, and I really do think he trusted me more than anyone. So to me, it felt like I would be betraying him.

But the facts were the facts. The hens’ health was being affected, and they needed time to grow their feathers back before cold weather. And I couldn’t deny that the girls just weren’t involved with them anymore, which made me super sad. So, I made the call and contacted the farmer that had taken in Duck and Nugget. He said he would take Earl, so on Friday, I burst into tears as David grabbed Earl, put him in Finley’s dog crate, and drove him over to the large farm.

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But, once David returned, I was at peace with the decision. Having this farmer and his farm nearby is truly such a gift because I knew Earl had joined a huge flock with plenty of ladies to keep him busy and a bigger area to go about his protecting job.

And then, as if solidifying that I made the right decision, H and K were back in the chicken fence, hand feeding and snuggling the hens.

We did a thorough coop clean out and trimmed and weeded the area. It was so nice to be with the chickens again without literally having to watch my back. So while I will certainly miss his crowing, I do feel like this was the best choice for our flock and family.

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I wanted to be sure the girls were really OK with it all, too. After all, he had been a favorite during those first few months. However, when I went to inquire, Hailey was editing a video of the whole ordeal and using the song “Goodbye Earl” and it was then I realized, I think the girls are juuuuust fine to be back to having just hens.

I’m happy now to be going into cooler weather and all of us being able to go out and enjoy being with the chickens. But whew, this chicken business isn’t for the faint of heart!