Shadrach's Ex Battery and Rescued chickens thread.

[MrsNorthie]

He'll be gone tomorrow. It's all rather sad but this can't go on.

I am sorry. It is sad and I do not envy your position, but that is not healthy behaviour for any of them.

 

[MaryJanet]

He'll be gone tomorrow. It's all rather sad but this can't go on

He's had a very sweet life.

 

[HiEverybirdy]

Sorry it reached this point. If it's not in your heart to off him, time and separate housing can turn a violent cockerel into a gentleman. I'm not saying something you don't know, and separate coops may be unrealistic. But since Dig had a good upbringing, this is most likely a phase that will pass in a couple months if you have the resources wait it out.

Even better if you can bring in new girls for him to focus on instead of trying to figure out how to get hens away from Henry.

Stilton and Merle both had bad phases. Andre's was worse. He nearly scalped a pullet early on, which is why he lives in a separate yard from his original group. Even now, the hens he was raised with barely regard him. They haven't forgotten being stomped on and bitten. Luckily he's a teddy bear with our latest additions, the Speckled Sussex. They had the option to move in with the other roosters, but I think they liked that Andre didn't have hens of his own yet, so they'd get top billing.

Then there was Cogburn, the chick in my hand in my profile picture. My rookie failure. I adored him, but with no rooster role models, he turned into a monster. A feathered bull whose antics were far worse than any stories you've told about Dig. An experienced keeper would've culled him long before I did. Separate housing didn't help in his case. I miss him but am the only one. I learned from him and have never raised another like him.

Anyway, culling Dig might be what's best, if a bummer. But if it's not on your heart or you have doubts, alternate solutions always exist.

 

[Perris]

Hopefully someone with a scientific background can explain it better than I, but I think that permethrin is a chemical reproduction of natural pyrethrin.

You're right. I found this, which I think explains the differences between them well. It also has tips on how to make pyrethrum more effective but still safe.
https://www.livingwithbugs.com/permethrin_pyrethrum.html

 

[Perris]

Three hours today. It got quite chilly towards dusk.
Dig has got to go. I almost killed him this evening after he knocked Fret over then tried to rake her with his feet. He attacked Mow today as well. He wasn't trying to mate. Mow was eating and he just flew at her. He'll be gone tomorrow. It's all rather sad but this can't go on.
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It's entirely for you to decide on his fate of course. I'm just a bit surprised that they all look to be in such good condition if they're subjected to serious attacks, especially given all the hours they're locked up together in the run. He's young and boisterous. Is he also nasty?

 

[SimpleJenn]

Goodbye Dig, maybe in different circumstances it might have worked out.

 

[RoyalChick]

You're right. I found this, which I think explains the differences between them well. It also has tips on how to make pyrethrum more effective but still safe.
https://www.livingwithbugs.com/permethrin_pyrethrum.html

This article would have benefited from a glossary of terms!

 

[Shadrach]

In different circumstances...
I have to deal with the circumstances I have.

Over the last few days the hens behaviour has changed and they cluster around Henry or me when out of the run. This picture sums things up, Henry trying to protect his hens with Dig hanging around the outskirts waitng to make a dive at either Carbon or Fret. Mow gets as far away as possible and recently she's been reluctant to go into the coop at roosting time.

Carbon already has a bald patch on her back and now Fret has a small wound on her back from Dig's attempt to mate with her. Nobody is happy with the current situation.
Fret would like to sit and hatch again. Yesterday when she went into the coop to have a trial sit as she does, Dig went in after her and dragged her out of the nest box.
More hens might help the situation but Dig would need his own coop if he could entice any new comers to live with him. In such confined conditions even if I bought another coop for Dig, I very much doubt things would improve and I do not want to import hens. I want Fret or Carbon or Mow to sit and hatch and while Dig is there this looks unlikely.
Dig isn't happy. He's not getting much of a life in these circumstances. Trying to fight Henry has proven to be a non option and non of the hens will crouch for Dig. Dig is driven away from the food which is normal and that means I have to ensure he gets properly fed after the others have eaten.
It's possible that Dig might settle down in another six months or so but fights between Dig and Henry would continue and meanwhile the hens would have to live in constant fear of either attacks, or mating attempts from Dig.

My primary commitment is to provide Henry, Fret, Carbon and now Mow with an acceptable quality of life and currently that is not what they're getting. It's a shame about Dig and it will be a shame for any future cockerels that may hatch and behave in a similar manner.
It wouldn't be fair to Fret and any other hen that went broody to prevent them from sitting and hatching because dealing with the cockerels is always likely to be a difficult decision.

 

[fuzzi]

In different circumstances...
I have to deal with the circumstances I have.

Over the last few days the hens behaviour has changed and they cluster around Henry or me when out of the run. This picture sums things up, Henry trying to protect his hens with Dig hanging around the outskirts waitng to make a dive at either Carbon or Fret. Mow gets as far away as possible and recently she's been reluctant to go into the coop at roosting time.
View attachment 3801878
Carbon already has a bald patch on her back and now Fret has a small wound on her back from Dig's attempt to mate with her. Nobody is happy with the current situation.
Fret would like to sit and hatch again. Yesterday when she went into the coop to have a trial sit as she does, Dig went in after her and dragged her out of the nest box.
More hens might help the situation but Dig would need his own coop if he could entice any new comers to live with him. In such confined conditions even if I bought another coop for Dig, I very much doubt things would improve and I do not want to import hens. I want Fret or Carbon or Mow to sit and hatch and while Dig is there this looks unlikely.
Dig isn't happy. He's not getting much of a life in these circumstances. Trying to fight Henry has proven to be a non option and non of the hens will crouch for Dig. Dig is driven away from the food which is normal and that means I have to ensure he gets properly fed after the others have eaten.
It's possible that Dig might settle down in another six months or so but fights between Dig and Henry would continue and meanwhile the hens would have to live in constant fear of either attacks, or mating attempts from Dig.

My primary commitment is to provide Henry, Fret, Carbon and now Mow with an acceptable quality of life and currently that is not what they're getting. It's a shame about Dig and it will be a shame for any future cockerels that may hatch and behave in a similar manner.
It wouldn't be fair to Fret and any other hen that went broody to prevent them from sitting and hatching because dealing with the cockerels is always likely to be a difficult decision.

They get a hold of a little bit of our hearts, which makes it harder to do what is the best for all.

 

[ManueB]

It's a shame about Dig and it will be a shame for any future cockerels that may hatch and behave in a similar manner.
It wouldn't be fair to Fret and any other hen that went broody to prevent them from sitting and hatching because dealing with the cockerels is always likely to be a difficult decision.

That is why I asked several days ago if you thought it was due to his personality, to the settings, or both.
You could eventually question whether it's possible to have a cockerel coexist with his aging father in the circumstances you have to deal with, before letting another hen hatch.
Personally , I don't agree with the "it's not fair not to let them hatch" if that means certain death for the males. It would be more fair then to get for the future a bunch of ex-batt's who would be very happy without a rooster.

Edited to add : I realise the problem is for the hens, and not between the roosters ; but my question remains.