Pig News

We've got something a little different for our final Santa Cruz County Animal Shelter Pet-of-the-Week of 2025. Meet Frodo and Merry. Frodo is an iridescent green-black and white, while Merry is almost all iridescent black. Both of these plucky little roosters have bright red combs and waddles, short legs, abundant high tail feathers and compact bodies that make Japanese Bantam roosters recognizable and super charming!! For more info, read the full post or visit the shelter, located at 1001 Rodriguez St. in Santa Cruz and open from 11am to 6pm every day.

They were surrendered to the shelrter along with 3 other Japanese Bantam and 2 Silkie Cochen roosters when their previous owner ended up with just too many roosters for their property.

Both these breeds are smaller and generally have friendly, non-aggressive personalities, so they can be a nice addition to the right rural homes. If you have hens, having a rooster (or two) among or around the flock can help stabilize the social hierarchy among the hens, which can reduce stress and actually lead to increased egg-laying and better overall health. Roosters also help protect flocks from predators and increase their efficiency as bug and pest-eaters around a property.

But property is key for roosters! Roosters can be noisy, so here in Santa Cruz County they aren't allowed in any of the incorporated cities or on smaller lots. You can have up to 4 roosters ONLY in the unincorporated county, only on properties zoned RA (Residential Agricultural), and over 1 acre in size.  So, although these guys only weigh 2-3 pounds and do their best to contribute, their adoption options are somewhat limited. The shelter is hoping to find a few ranch or small-farm property owners out there willing to give these cute, slightly macho alarm clocks a chance for a new life.

Of course, the shelter also has also have lots of dogs, cats, rabbits, Guinea pigs, and even a pair of goats available for adoption, so if you're looking to add a feathery or furry companion, please visit www.scanimalshelter.org to see listings and get more information.

Note: Due to the New Year's holiday, there isn't a live Pet-O-Rama call this Thursday.

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