Sufficient Self members with Poultry!

[Finnie]

I have 12 chickens. Purchased last fall at the local PNW farm store. 90% accuracy on being pullets. Well...........one was a rooster. Lavender Orp. He's been attacking hubs a bit and today, he got me good with his beak. I kicked him, waited for him to advance, swift kicked again four more times. Ran inside, washed the bleeding on the back of my left hand really well, then poured alcohol over it. Will he learn?

I've only butchered two chickens. Once in a Meat Science class in the 70's and one sick one in 2010. I can do it, but not sure if a gorgeous mean fowl is worth the effort.

They can learn, but I only give them a few chances. If they keep it up, I get rid of them. Either eat them, or if they are a special breed, I put them on Craigslist and see if it’s worth it to somebody else to give them another chance.

Lavender Orpington might be in demand where you are. Or maybe not, but you could see. The 3 lav orp roosters I’ve had have all been sweethearts. If he doesn’t improve for you, maybe a change of coop and being new to a strange flock will make him nice for someone else.

 

[Dreamz]

I agree with @Finnie . I have 2 right now and they cannot be together. Sin dethroned the father. I have been letting them all out but LoveChild runs after his father Pitbull and he runs from him. He has bigger spurs but he will not face off his bully son LoveChild. If I throw treats, he will not let the father come close. But neither one of them go for me. LoveChild tried and he regretted it for real. Now I can only catch him at night. I do try to get them once in a while to just hold them and love on them. But it's an imposed kind of love,lol

 

[Hinotori]

Eggs are cooking away. Just over a week in.

 

[Mini Horses]

Will he learn?

Mine have, if I have an occasional get any aggression, I've smacked them with a long stick! A couple whallops and they learn. Hit with meaning! I mean, if ya kill it, too bad. Had a leghorn that was a bad boy...he's gone.

 

[Dreamz]

I use nothing but my hand and they do not dare. They will involuntarily fly and end up on the other side,lol
The new pullets tried when getting eggs and not again.
@Hinotori first time ever last year and I enjoyed it so much. The excitement is amazing to see them grow and then see those fluffy creatures. Happy for you.

 

[baymule]

Mean rooster soup.

 

[Finnie]

Guys, I’m so excited!

I’ve been working on a “Purple Egger” project for years. I started with some nice brown eggs that had a purplish bloom on them, and at the time my only rooster was a Penedesenca. I’m not sure which hens laid the purplish eggs, but their offspring laid even better ones. They might have been Light Brahmas and/or Sapphire Gems, because when I sold those hens I stopped getting the nice bloom eggs.


Since then I’ve been using roosters from those breedings or other dark gene roosters such as Penedesenca or Black Copper Marans. And setting the eggs with the best “plum bloom”.
Well last year’s pullets are coming into lay now, and today I got the best “purple” egg ever!!

Not sure what I will do for the next generation, because the only dark egg roosters I have now are siblings to the pullets, and they are all from sibling to sibling breedings. So I am going to have to bring in a rooster from a good egg color breed. I’m leaning towards Brahma or Langshan.

I wasn’t going to buy any outside chicks this year. I have enough plans for hatching my own from what I already have. I guess I will wait and see what opportunities arise.

 

[frustratedearthmother]

Love, love love the purple egg!

 

[Hinotori]

Went into lockdown tonight. So one last candling. Out of 22 eggs that developed, 20 look good, one has me concerned, and one looks like it died around day 14

 

[Mini Horses]

Awesome colored egg