Posts by swatchick

I recently broke my broody hen by placing her in a wire cage I'd used as a run when they were chicks -- hardware sloth on all six sides with a door on one side -- with only food and water, and I kept her in the run with everyone else...

Thanks everyone...  I definitely feel both sadness and relief.  He was a truly magnificent creature to behold, all golden yellow in the bright green meadows....  The hens were safely enclosed in their predator proof coop...

That calming down with age was what I was planning on.  Unfortunately, he became lunch to a bobcat today....  Ironic, since he has been driving me nuts for quite awhile, and I had just gotten into a relatively smooth routine...

Just to be clear, my roo is NOT living in this wire enclosure -- I simply pop it over him when I am intruding on territory which he is tasked with protecting.  I don't need him to be nice to me, I need him to protect the hens, and...

I've got a roo who is a great flock protector -- too good, in fact, as he considers me a threat to the girls most of the time.  He's free range, so it can be a bit of problem.  The other day, he started coming at me and I...

It matters how much space there is, as well.  If the hens can put some space between themselves and the roo, they've got a better chance of avoiding him.  If there isn't much of anywhere to go to get away, they don't have...

I say, if it's got a shell, it's an egg......and a darn cute one at that.....

Thanks for your replies -- I think I'll go ahead and make him a bachelor pad so the girls can get a break now and then.

I'd wonder about mites...

I have a 9 month old Buff Orpington rooster and 10 hens in a 4x10 house and two 8x10 runs (one on each long side of the house, both accessible all the time).  Roo is, shall we say, very enthusiastic about his rooster duties. ...