*Roosters ONLY!* (Rooster Management)

[chickengeorgeto]

If your roosters and hens all free range at the same time, the boys will find the girls....

The gals will also find the guys.

I have had more mateings before that I wanted to make than I had brood pens, and I solved it like this. I took the rooster that I wanted to breed and put him on a tie cord. (all hens and roosters on this 'yard' were under wire) Then after they laid that day I turned out the hens I wanted to breed. Every hen in her own good time would sidle up to the rooster in a saucy manner and immediately squat. Sometimes this would happen while the hen was beyond the range of the cord that the rooster was tethered on. When this happened the hen would invariably get up with a hurt look on her face, then move a little closer to the rooster and squat again. I only needed to do this about once every 5 days to get very good fertility.

 

[chickengeorgeto]

When you will run into trouble in a men only flock of chickens is when you get a sudden downpour of rain. If the cockerels are caught out in the rain and their feathers get soaked they won't recognise each other (or the old rooster either) and that is when your 'battle royal' breaks out.

 

[sourland]

When you will run into trouble in a men only flock of chickens is when you get a sudden downpour of rain. If the cockerels are caught out in the rain and their feathers get soaked they won't recognise each other (or the old rooster either) and that is when your 'battle royal' breaks out.

I too have noticed this in my free range bantam flock.

 

[ketojenn]

Time for school.

"Gamefowl" are essentially 50% of every broiler chicken raised commercially. The Cornish breed was a blend of Asil and Old English Gamefowl. (Although from my attempts at recreation, the Cornish has a good bit of "fluffy butt" in there too.) The Game definitely gave them their type, and their ample breast. In fact, many breeds are game based. Buckeyes for instance. Rhode Island reds as well. They were probably much better breeds back when they had a fresh infusion of game. My game cross hens are both beautiful and productive, it is easy to see why someone would build a breed around them, but if allowed to keep degenerating away from the game traits, they become just another helpless chicken, with no survival instinct, no predator evasion capabilities, and very little chick rearing instinct. Every breed that we have is derived from game chickens. That is why chickens were domesticated. People living in a jungle with trees hanging with fruit in all seasons, wild hogs, and the eggs of a million shorebirds nesting by a sea teaming with fish did not domesticate a bony 4 pound, wild jungle bird that hides its 20 small eggs a year for the purpose of meat and eggs.

Most breeds, compared to games are basically degenerate. Flawed in many ways, especially mentally. They lack the instincts that games have, and are prone to quirky behavior. Games, through their historic, and in many places current use, are superior, having been shaped by nature into a machine of perfect form and function, rather than misshapen by human fancy. This is why it is not uncommon at all to see games approaching twenty years of age, sometimes still breeding. Games are so much more noble than mere barnyard chickens, in their carriage, persona, and human interaction capabilities.

As a bird for the backyard or homestead, they are without equal. They can forage their own food, are survival experts, and self replicate at an alarming rate. Thanks to the skills of a game hen, excellent paternal traits selected for in the males beget excellent maternal traits in females. There is simply no better chick raiser. It took me a long time to realize why my grandmother, who was no cockfighter, spoke so fondly of her game chickens. She lived in a time before electricity, when a good broody hen was a necessary component of any poultry operation.

While not great for egg production (mine keep me in eggs most of the year) it is a simple matter to chuck some leghorn eggs under them and have laying hens coming on at all times. The meat is excellent, being much more like pheasant in flavor and texture. It requires a little different handling than the eight week old comparably bland and flavorless broiler chickens, but is quite good. I eat all of my extras, and get rid of my dual purpose breed extra roosters hatched under game hens through live chicken sales to foreign people. Simply not worth the freezer space when there are games to be had. My extras amount to spare hens that live in the woods, and manage to breed a cock on a tether and get a nest past me without me switching them out. Anything of known breeding is worth too much to simply eat. Since they are rare, thanks to many people having attitudes such as yours, they are pretty valuable to those who seek a little something more in their poultry.

Some people collect them, like Pokemon or stamps. Having different varieties in a collection is important. Some varieties have quite a bit of historical significance, and others very unique traits. I have sold birds to people from other countries where gamefowl are more commonly kept. I always assume the worst and usually question people outright. I find that in most cases, these people want birds for their kids, as they had chickens when they were kids. They buy farm store chicks and invariably end up with a mean rooster that attacks their kid. Knowing that this behavior is not likely with game roosters, they seek out birds for their children from breeds that have been intensively selected for thousands of years for it to be easy for humans to handle adult males, even when slightly agitated, without them turning on humans, as well as the females raising baby chicks, living a long time, bearing confinement well, being able to tolerate being alone, and a host of other traits that make them superior as children's pets.

Just because you can't see the value in something does not mean it is not there, or that other people don't see it. Don't take offense at any perceived insult to your mere barnyard chickens, just understand that gamefowl keepers and fanciers are not all criminals with birds with no value outside of criminal activities.

Wow, this post makes me want to look into gamefowl. I have to say, the cochin flock I currently have are, hands down, some of the dumbest birds I've ever raised. Fortunately most will be going to freezer camp soon.

I'll be researching those gamefowl for sure.

 

[Amos-Moses]

Varidgerunner, thank you for taking the time to share that. I really appreciate your perspective, and definitely value gamefowl more than I did a few days ago. Like Ketojenn said, you've actually gotten me really interested in keeping gamefowl now!

I tend to prefer livestock that are closer to their origins in behavior and appearance, but previously I was under the impression that gamefowl were only the product of human intervention and selection for fighting characteristics. I hadn't considered what original traits that may have preserved or the effect that would have on their survival instincts. 'Domesticated' animals that can survive on their own or with minimal human assistance are almost always preferred on my farm, but in my opinion it is even better if they can produce for you. What kind of weight can you harvest off of a gamefowl rooster? I have been reading up on Shamos, and it seems like they would provide a substantial meal. From what I've been reading online though, most people describe gamefowl meat as tough and less desirable. Did you find it to be an acquired taste, or have you always preferred gamefowl meat over other chicken?

If only Shamos produced more eggs, I think I would be sold on raising them.

 

[varidgerunner]

Shamos are oriental games. Oriental games, or malayoid games are generally bigger than the Bankivoid games like Old English, American, or Spanish. Cubalayas have a large component of oriental in them but are more utilitarian in nature. I have had good success with oriental game (Thai) crossed on barnyard "dual purpose" fowl for more egg production and better feed conversion than pure OG for meat production. I have had American game leghorn crosses that were pretty nice layers with a lot of self preservation skills. Once you see them in terms of being selected by nature (the strongest and best cock with the most instincts gets to pass on his genes, regardless of what human intervention has to say about it) you will see them more as the progenitor of common chickens. The genetic influence they can provide is limitless. The opportunity is there to fix a lot of things that may be missing in highly inbred and overdomesticated breeds. I have read things about the meat of games, and have often wondered if the writers had ever eaten any. They aren't broilers, but then again, neither are any of the dual purpose breeds.

 

[Amos-Moses]

Well, plan A worked well...for about 3 weeks.

Moved the roosters to the turkey coop, kept them locked up for 1 week to get them attached to their designated roosting area, then began letting them free-range about 2 weeks ago. Didn't wander far from their new coop, until yesterday when they got into a crowing contest with one of my breeding roosters from across the property. Didn't think anything of it until I went to close their coop last night and couldn't find them. Guess where they were?

Shacked up with their old posse in the hen coop, hiding behind a group of pullets like they knew I was going to take them away again.

Today they are locked back up in the rooster coop, and will stay that way until I build some sort of a run to keep them in. Thankfully the coop is 10'x6'x6', so I have time. Honestly these guys will probably be eaten before I get that run built though, so I may push off building the run until the next cohort of roosters needs to be relocated.

I guess if I am only putting them there to fatten them up for harvesting though, a run may not be necessary. Any thoughts?

 

[Amos-Moses]

If your roosters and hens all free range at the same time, the boys will find the girls.....

Good call Bobbi-J. Took them about 2 weeks, but they found their way back!

 

[Rysktal]

Read the whole thread, it was a great read!

I'm currently growing out a bunch of cockerels among pullets. I plan on harvesting them at 16 weeks, no matter how big they are. My first batch is almost 12 weeks now and the cockerels are definitely working out their pecking order a little more seriously every few days. If I have to harvest them sooner, I will. Hoping another month will fatten them up a bit!

Next year I may set things up differently but so far just keeping everyone together is going well.

 

[aart]

If I have to harvest them sooner, I will. Hoping another month will fatten them up a bit!

It's a toss up between a bit larger and bit more tender.
I slaughtered cockerels at 14wo this year instead of the usual 16,
and they were more tender off the grill....not sure if it was the cross or the age.