Chickens for 10-20 years or more? Pull up a rockin' chair and lay some wisdom on us!

[bruceh]

okay now i need advice. i have 3 roosters in a pen with my meaties. i was fattening them up for slaughter. here is the problem. the 2 columbian marked ones beat the heck out of production red rooster. the 2 ganged up on him started to peck him to death.i removed my not so manly rooster. it did not look like a pecking order problem. so i am not sure how to treat the other 2.

 

[pigeonguy]

Well let me tell you what. I have built several moderately successful businesses and I have been frustrated boiling fresh brown farm eggs. As a matter of fact, I have 5 minutes left boiling 19 on the stove as I type to try it. Anyone can boil a store egg. Maybe I am just special, an idiot savant of sorts. I can build a business but have had my share of trouble peeling fresh eggs. I am grateful.

I wasn't trying to come of rude just guess it comes out that way. What I was trying to say is I guess theres a lot of people that can't do it but in the circle of people that I am around learn at a very young age. When you get up in the morning boil for 15 min or so (no recipie here is exact) put pan in sink turn on cold water to cool them off (we don't even dump out the hot) when cool put in fridge (If you tyhem right away ice them or put in freezer for 15 minn or so) Then to peel crack up on counter then roll in hands till shell crumbles (didn't know any other way to say that it doesn't fall apart just really cracked up) Peel it like a unwraping a sheet of paper.
We learn young because when ready to eat and say mom I'm hungry she says go cook something and if you don't ya go hungry. Why eggs Because we were not allowed to use oil by ourself untill around 10 years old.
And honest I have never met or heard of anyone who could not do it till today on here and I'm not from the back woods only 10 miles from town.

 

[pigeonguy]

okay now i need advice. i have 3 roosters in a pen with my meaties. i was fattening them up for slaughter. here is the problem. the 2 columbian marked ones beat the heck out of production red rooster. the 2 ganged up on him started to peck him to death.i removed my not so manly rooster. it did not look like a pecking order problem. so i am not sure how to treat the other 2.

From what Ive read in this thread if he is the only one with a problem it is not a flock problem but is his problem. So the choice is saughter him now or pen him separate fatten and slaughter later.The other two unless they start picking on someone else it is not there fault.
Maybe one of the old timers will chime in though. Cause I'm new with my own chickens but 41 years with pigeons and taking care of others chickens. (Should put that in my sig so I don't have to keep saying it)

 

[bruceh]

i agree with you. there is something wrong with him. he is to whimpy. no confidence at all. that maybe the whole problem. i think i caught him doing his nails. i have no need for roosters so i think i am going to slaughter all 3 this weekend . won't be much meat but good chicken corn soup.

 

[Lazarus718]

i agree with you. there is something wrong with him. he is to whimpy. no confidence at all. that maybe the whole problem. i think i caught him doing his nails. i have no need for roosters so i think i am going to slaughter all 3 this weekend . won't be much meat but good chicken corn soup.

Why not just let all three get fatter first? Keep them separated like you already have, I've always been one for sleeping on a bright idea.

 

[ldutch123]

I BROKE MY BROODY!!! I'm super excited. I don't need her having the ideas and running off and coming back with babies lol. I have enough mouths to feed

I just keep her in a cage in a spate area with the youngsters and by today at 2 I let her out and she didn't even try to go into the nest boxes! And tonight she was roosting in her usual place. I'm very excited....but she is still clucking a bit???

Also I didn't think laying birds really went broody much. I was told that it was bread out of them or something.

I do want one of my girls to go broody at some point because I think it would be very net to have my own mix breed Birds that I don't have to raise but not now. It's hot and I have way too much work as it isl. maybe in the fall would be nice lol

 

[therapydoglady]

pigeonguy: Of course we can ALL boil an egg...we just want them to come out of the shell nicely. Sometimes, with very fresh eggs (as we all obviously have) that's a lot easier said than done!

I did take two dozen eggs to class tonight and we followed all the directions and we got 23 out of 24 to shell beautifully! We deviled them in 3 different ways, then acted like pigs! Yum!

Ya'll can laugh at me if you want to, but I'm tickled to death with this tip!

bruceh: As in the pecking order of any species, a submissive, sick or weak animal becomes a target. Your other two bigger roosters are just doing what roosters do. If your timid rooster isn't big enough to butcher, feed him out somewhere else, or, if that's too much trouble, be quick...

 

[bruceh]

i am doing just that. i have to wait and see if the other 2 carry the same way with the meaties.. i just spoke to someone who had a production red that looked just like a rooster tail and all and it layed an egg.. although, it did not looking mating to me. they were going to kill that bird.

 

[therapydoglady]

Hahaha! I have a canary bird that just sings it's little heart out. A friend wanted to borrow "him" because all of hers were related, so Jolly went to stay with her awhile to make babies...started laying eggs instead. Changed her name from Jolly to Butch!

 

[bruceh]

i have not even heard this bird crow. 18 weeks old. when the other roosters were pecking the rooster/ hen it did not make a sound. just was in the corner being pecked and stomped. never seen this before. i wrote beekissed and asked her.