constructing a single chicken family unit for porch

[Newwell]

I found this thread yesterday & read the whole thing. Remarkable study & insights!!!

Sorry to hear about Eduardo. He truly is a stunning rooster.
How is Trueman doing? He'll be chasing chickens sooner than you think. How's Mom doing? Glad to hear that Grandma is there to help out.
Congrats on being the bigger person concerning the neighbor's dog.

 

[centrarchid]

Since the bad day, each evening I have let Eduardo forage with front porch flock for about an hour before going to roost. Until today he has been flightless although wing motion increased during stretches each day. This evening he flew four feet up to roost. He still has to roost in travel box on back of motorcycle in garage each night. His free-ranging days without supervision are over.

 

[welasharon]

Glad he's back in the air...even if limited.
sharon

 

[NewToFarming]

Good to hear of some improvement!

 

[centrarchid]

I am making changes in composition of the front porch flock. Pure games have been removed leaving only the hen red jungle fowl, three red jungle fowl x American pullets and four cockerels of same. All but one of the hybrids are out of the red jungle hen previously mentioned. The cockerel by another red jungle hen but same game father (Eduardo) is named Speach. Speach is older than the other hybrids by about 28 days and will be the dominant male through at least spring. Speach was the only hand reared cross in the same manner as Sallie and Eduardo and has been trained to come when his name is called. Unlike Sallie and Eduardo, Speach will not fly up into my hands but effort will be made to have that realized by Spring. He is a very good repressentative of what the first domestic chickens likely looked and behaved like.

Speach is decidely cro- like in behavior making sounds and gestures that domestic chickens, games and certainly otherwise, do not make. Following are images of Speach through present.

Immediately following hatch.

Speach eating crumbs out of Scoobs mouth.

Speach as of tonight. He weighs 1450 g.

Dorsal view showing relatively straight sicle feathers that splay out horizontally.

 

[Newwell]

Absolutely beautiful bird!!! I take it that Eduardo is doing well now.
How is Trueman & wife?

 

[centrarchid]

Quote:
Eduardo has flight capacity no limited only by conditions of feathers and possibly some residual soreness. I am looking into pulling damaged feathers so he can re-grow them by spring. If will work this late in season.

Wife is excellent. Trueman is still in neonatal intensive care unit. His is biggest by far at 9+ pounds. He was supposed to have actually been born yesterday. We brought him out 3 weeks early. Wife, and I, want to bring him home but they may be weeks away. He will be starting second grade by then.

 

[welasharon]

Quote:
He will be starting second grade by then.

Love this!

 

[perchie.girl]

Quote:
Eduardo has flight capacity no limited only by conditions of feathers and possibly some residual soreness. I am looking into pulling damaged feathers so he can re-grow them by spring. If will work this late in season.

Wife is excellent. Trueman is still in neonatal intensive care unit. His is biggest by far at 9+ pounds. He was supposed to have actually been born yesterday. We brought him out 3 weeks early. Wife, and I, want to bring him home but they may be weeks away. He will be starting second grade by then.

If he has your brains He will be in second grade by then ..... LOL. glad everyone is good. Your new Roo is stunning.

 

[centrarchid]

FRONT PORCH FLOCK DEFENDS ROOSTING SITE FROM ANOTHER FLOCK

Last night great horned owls came in and stirred up the last of my free-ranging birds that are not part of the front porch flock. It seems to be the owls version of cow tipping. Chickens were all over the place, stags under car and pullets on roof of house. Birds in elevated locations likely flushed up by Scoob as he ran about yard trying to line out the cause of the commotion. No birds lost or damaged but they were shook up, Somehow the owls flush chickens from roost without coming into direct contact.


This evening as I constructed more pens (owl resistant) the birds that were disturbed by owls (15) attempted to roost on same in same location as the front porch flock. Speach (new leader) would have nothing of it and invested considerable effort in driving interlopers off. Hens, pullets and cockerols of front porch flock provided limited assistance. Interlopers eventually went back to their usual roost which I reinforced against owls. Scoob will be at ready as well.