MARYLAND — A yearslong surge in displaced roosters is overwhelming animal sanctuaries in Maryland and across the country, fueled by a pandemic-born boom in backyard chicken coops and the noisy realities of owning a male bird.
“All the time — calls, emails, text messages wanting us to take roosters,” said Cathy Rogers, executive director of Flip Flops Animal Sanctuary in Calvert County. “It kills me every time I have to turn them away.”
Maryland has roughly 10,000 registered backyard flocks, according to the state Department of Agriculture. But many new owners don’t learn until weeks after bringing chicks home that they’ve wound up with a rooster. Whatever the reason, be it their frequent crowing, protective behavior or sharp spurs, because roosters are often banned in cities, suburbs and by homeowners’ associations, owners have to make other arrangements quickly…