SufficientSelf's Chicken Thread!!!

[piglett]

My silkie X EE rooster just bought himself a one way ticket to a stew pot. He beat up the brahma cockerel and tore up his earlobes pretty bad.

Poor boy didn't want me to touch them to clean them, had to bring him some bread and feed him bites until he relaxed. Has a little chunk torn and sticking off the side. After it get's dark, I'm going to try and see if I can tape it into place. I don't really want to stitch it in case he scratches. He's trying so hard to be a big boy. When I put him down outside and gave him his last bite of bread, he called for his girls over and gave it away.

That will leave the brahma and ameraucana in with the girls. They grew up together and get along quite well. Both have always been friendly and non aggressive.

a rooster only wants 2 things

1 to fill your backyard with his chicks
2 to defend your hens so he can fill your backyard with his chicks

once they get old enough yes they will fight
if they grow up together it doesn't seem to be as bad
but even then if they are short on hens they might go at it
that's just how roos are


piglett

 

[Hinotori]

The problem was the blood line. I had trouble with his father and brother as well. I won't breed his daughters or his sister for chicks. Only reason he lived past 20 weeks was that the day before I was going to process him the neighbors dog came and killed my good rooster and cockerels. He was fine for the longest time. Just snapped. 30 girls for 3 boys was plenty.

The two boys left get along fine. I may get rid of the brahma only because I'm thinking of just keeping ameraucana and silkies. The ameraucana cockerel is just so laid back. A fight between him and the silkie rooster (he entered the silkies pen), was one jump at each other to begin with and then a staring contest. Few moments later they just stood up and shook themselves and went back to doing what they were doing.

 

[Hinotori]

Apparently mites can attack pretty quick. My poor ameraucana boy had a ton on him. The girls who sleep next to him had a few, and the rest of the birds didn't have any. He wouldn't come off the rooster yesterday and when I picked him off and carried him out into the light I saw the issue. He had a warm bath with soap, was blown dry, treated with meds for the mites, fed some boiled eggs, and got to spend the night in a kennel in the warm house.

He's usually such a clown and sweet heart and he's always talking. He was so quiet yesterday. This morning he was talking to me again. He ate a bunch of crumbles and drank well. There are a lot of dead mites on him, but a few are still moving. I'll keep an eye on it. It warmed up to 40 degrees today so I let him outside. He was quite happy to go lean against the house and groom himself. He's been out eating grass and acting normal.

I have to make sure that the new coop has good screening to keep the pesky little birds and their pests out.

 

[piglett]

The problem was the blood line. I had trouble with his father and brother as well. I won't breed his daughters or his sister for chicks. Only reason he lived past 20 weeks was that the day before I was going to process him the neighbors dog came and killed my good rooster and cockerels. He was fine for the longest time. Just snapped. 30 girls for 3 boys was plenty.

The two boys left get along fine. I may get rid of the brahma only because I'm thinking of just keeping ameraucana and silkies. The ameraucana cockerel is just so laid back. A fight between him and the silkie rooster (he entered the silkies pen), was one jump at each other to begin with and then a staring contest. Few moments later they just stood up and shook themselves and went back to doing what they were doing.

i have found that any change in the flock can trigger the roos to go into attack mode
i had a big old buff leghorn in with the rest of my flock
the idea was due to the fact that he had big spurs he could protect the flock
well all was well till i added a couple redstar hens that i had rehabed
i guess it upset the pecking order because the leghorn attacked my young buff orpington rooster
the rooster was only about 25 weeks old so he didn't have any spurs yet
the buffs comb was bleeding in good shape & i worried that he would get cut up to the point that i would have to put him down which wasn't really in my plans. he was to be my breeder come spring.
i had to get the leghorn out of there without getting spured myself, he was really worked up!
i wrapped an old bath towel around him took him to the processing area at once.
the old boy went camping & that was the end of that.


piglett

 

[Hinotori]

Set 10 eggs under a broody today. 8 wheaten/blue wheaten ameraucana and 2 from one of my hatchery EEs covered by the wheaten ameraucana rooster.

I can't wait for chicks.

 

[Cindlady2]

So nice with the days getting longer! I Finally got back up to 18 eggs today!
I suppose someone will be broody soon too. Don't want a broody for another month.

 

[Hinotori]

18 eggs is great! How many birds is that from?


My girls haven't all resumed laying from late molts. Out of 24 old enough to lay, I'm getting 15 eggs. I still have about 4 in molt, and 1 broody. I know a couple of the EEs don't lay well if at all. I have to cull them this year.

Now the silkies aren't included in that count. Two old enough to lay and they give me 1-2 eggs a day. Very good layers for me when they aren't broody.

 

[Cindlady2]

I haven't counted lately, but I think I should have about 20-25 laying this year. I had some losses in the last few months and I have a few that I think might be done laying. A couple of the "old girls" are more like pets now so I won't cull them. They help keep order in the coop and are sweet. There are a few others that may go in the fall though. I wanted to hatch good layers this year but my layer roo had an accident a couple of months ago. He was a gold comet/ Australop cross. I need room to sort breeds this year! If I hatch now, all I'll get is mutts, thou I got a few of green egg layers out of the last hatch. My buyers like 1 or 2 blue or green eggs in a carton, even if they are on the small side.