The Story of Rogge, the “Useless” Rooster
Preface
Where did this odd title come from? In the factory farming of industrial
countries, the newly born chicks are examined. If they are male chicks they
are killed when only 1 day old. The reason? Male chickens don’t lay eggs.
Usually the male chicks are simply gassed or even put through a meat
grinder. We’ll spare you these pictures.
Normally a chicken can live to a ripe old age. According to what textbook
you consult, you find they can live between 20 and 50 years.
Now to Rogge’s story
At My name is Rogge. I hatched on April 30, 2008 in a hatchery near
Stuttgart. At only one day old, I was supposed to be fed to other animals.
But I survived the gas chamber, in which hundreds of thousands of chicks are
killed every day. I was found in a “feed sack” between several dead baby
roosters. A woman noticed me, because there was still “life” in the sack.
She rescued me and cared for me lovingly in her apartment. This is how I
came know caring people. Later she looked for a place for me, the little
rooster, which would fit my natural living conditions.
She found a suitable place for me at the Johannishof. Meanwhile I have
become a handsome rooster and have been living at this farm sanctuary called
“Home for Animals,” together with other hens and roosters. Chickens, geese,
doves, peacocks, swans, ducks and other feathered friends live here in
freedom.
I still like to be around people. Sometimes I accompany them part of the way
as they go around the farm. I have already made friends with other animals.
Epilogue
Rogge survived the cruelty that millions of male chicks and other animals
experience every day. He can live on the Johannishof as a representative for
the many maltreated and tortured creatures and has found a home here.
Pictures: © by Home for Animals