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  1. Siyabonga Mama

    My rooster is mean to one of my hens

    Well, time for an update, and it's disappointing. I completely separated the roo from the hens - I have a run in our backyard, where they spend summer (with access to the yard and a neighboring pasture), and another run with a more weatherproof house with access to the veggie garden, where they...
  2. Siyabonga Mama

    My rooster is mean to one of my hens

    Thank you ... Yeah, as I told Ridgerunner, at first I thought she might be sick, but she really doesn't seem to be. I thought maybe she was no longer fertile - would he know? And care? Anyway, I have no way of knowing whether she's the author of the occasional giant egg, so she may be. In any...
  3. Siyabonga Mama

    My rooster is mean to one of my hens

    I did wonder about that - the possibility that she was sick. I've had several unexpected losses, causes undetermined, this year. But this started several months ago, before they went into moult, and she really doesn't seem ill. It took her a few days but she's reintegrated into the flock and is...
  4. Siyabonga Mama

    My rooster is mean to one of my hens

    Thank you everyone for responding. I'll separate him - from the girls for a week and see if that helps. Will keep you posted!
  5. Siyabonga Mama

    My rooster is mean to one of my hens

    Yes, thanks, I think that's the consensus. I'll try ... I can put him back in the summer run for a week and see if his attitude is any different after that. Stupid creature!
  6. Siyabonga Mama

    My rooster is mean to one of my hens

    Well, they used to get on in the past ... and no, she doesn't look like a male. She's bigger than the other hens but much smaller than he is.
  7. Siyabonga Mama

    My rooster is mean to one of my hens

    The roo is two or three years old, and has been good with the flock up to now. He grew up with them. With it being fall they're laying less - also, they're just coming out of moult. But everyone seems to be laying regularly. None of my hens is especially dominant, and the Buff Orpington has...
  8. Siyabonga Mama

    My rooster is mean to one of my hens

    She's not a dominant hen, and she's becoming increasingly timid. He's not a young roo; he's been with the flock for a couple years. They've been fine in the past; this is new. My flock has shrunk considerably over the past year - some just died for no clear reason - I've learned that Gold Comets...
  9. Siyabonga Mama

    My rooster is mean to one of my hens

    Hi there! I have a problem that I hoped would resolve itself, but instead it seems to be getting worse. I have a roo who I think is an Austrolorp, six Gold Comet hens aged 2-3 years, and an older Buff Orpington hen - around 4-6 years old. The Buff Orpington seems healthy - I've looked her over...
  10. Siyabonga Mama

    Cannibalistic Australorp hens

    I love this idea! I have 12 hens (one older buff orpington and 11 2-3yo gold comets, aka gold sex links) and a beautiful black australorp roo. I have no idea who is eating the eggs but suspect more than one, because I didn't get onto it right away - assumed it was crows - and I know they learn...
  11. Siyabonga Mama

    Anyone have Golden comets?

    I have golden sex links ... I think they're the same thing. Mine are very sweet - come running for treats; not crazy about being picked up but will tolerate it. What particularly appeals to me is that, unlike the Rhode Island Reds I had before, they don't beat up on chicks that are introduced to...
  12. Siyabonga Mama

    Aspirin and Nutri-Drench together?

    I have a Golden Sex-Link hen, three or four years old, who for the past couple days has looked a bit droopy. She's still eating and she keeps up with the rest of the flock, but she can't jump the low barrier into the compost area where they like to scratch. She's also walking with a bit of a...
  13. Siyabonga Mama

    My hens are dying and I don't know why

    Thank you for the words of encouragement. If I lose another one I'll definitely have a necropsy done ... but in any case, I have no intention of giving up on chicken keeping. I love my girls and Mr Roo!
  14. Siyabonga Mama

    My hens are dying and I don't know why

    I'm so sorry. It's a horrible thing to happen, and whether they're your first flock or your tenth, there's no getting used to the sudden death of a young, healthy bird. I hope it was a once-off and not the start of something. So far I've lost only the two. I hope that's the end of it.
  15. Siyabonga Mama

    My hens are dying and I don't know why

    Thanks for the suggestion. I'd assumed a necropsy would be unaffordable, but maybe not. I'll make inquiries, and that's what I'll do IF there's another one.
  16. Siyabonga Mama

    My hens are dying and I don't know why

    Dang. Thank you ... I think. I should probably do better at keeping track of where they come from ... I don't even know whether these two girls were from the same source. That information would be helpful, based on your comment...
  17. Siyabonga Mama

    My hens are dying and I don't know why

    Thank you - It helps to know this is "normal".
  18. Siyabonga Mama

    My hens are dying and I don't know why

    Yeah ... I wasn't overly concerned about the rhubarb. Even after the one died a few years ago, I wasn't sure that it was the rhubarb, but I knew one of them was really munching it down and I figured she'd just overdone it. When the rest of them didn't seem interested in it I assumed the problem...
  19. Siyabonga Mama

    My hens are dying and I don't know why

    I googled botulism - https://nt.gov.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0010/233569/botulism-in-chickens-ducks-and-others.pdf It looks like that's something we need to guard against. I'll start turning it more often and will also add manure more frequently to ensure it's breaking down properly, as...
  20. Siyabonga Mama

    My hens are dying and I don't know why

    Thanks for responding, Aart. ** The first died maybe a month ago, the second was this morning. ** I'm as sure as I can be there was no predator involved. The dogs are allowed in there only under supervision, and anyway are pretty good with the chickens. Her feathers weren't mussed or spit on at...
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