➡I accidentally bought Balut eggs: 2 live ducks! Now a Chat Thread!

[CrazyCrttr75]

Ya know.... it was literally yesterday when Prairie asked "how are the boys doing?" and I replied, "oh they're doing fine, no more fighting".

Today:
Elvis before he got washed off

After when I was blowdrying him dry

Bowie

Now they are cuddled up beside one another in their coop, resting for the night. I don't know if I can emotionally handle having these 2 boys. My hubby likens it to growing up with brothers. Kind of, only these are animals with instincts and not humans with emotions. Sometimes you just have to fight it out, get over it and move on. I am attached to both but I want them to have a good quality life as well. They have plenty of room. It's hormones. I am going to get more girls. But it's hormones that they are dealing with in the here and now. It is a situation of my own making. It doesn't make it any easier tho.

 

[Conan]

Ya know.... it was literally yesterday when Prairie asked "how are the boys doing?" and I replied, "oh they're doing fine, no more fighting".

Today:
Elvis before he got washed off
View attachment 1653259
After when I was blowdrying him dry
View attachment 1653256 View attachment 1653258
Bowie

Now they are cuddled up beside one another in their coop, resting for the night. I don't know if I can emotionally handle having these 2 boys. My hubby likens it to growing up with brothers. Kind of, only these are animals with instincts and not humans with emotions. Sometimes you just have to fight it out, get over it and move on. I am attached to both but I want them to have a good quality life as well. They have plenty of room. It's hormones. I am going to get more girls. But it's hormones that they are dealing with in the here and now. It is a situation of my own making. It doesn't make it any easier tho.

I don't envy you. How many hens do you have? I know you've posted that information, but I'm too lazy to find it.

 

[Molpet]

Ya know.... it was literally yesterday when Prairie asked "how are the boys doing?" and I replied, "oh they're doing fine, no more fighting".

Today:
Elvis before he got washed off
View attachment 1653259
After when I was blowdrying him dry
View attachment 1653256 View attachment 1653258
Bowie

Now they are cuddled up beside one another in their coop, resting for the night. I don't know if I can emotionally handle having these 2 boys. My hubby likens it to growing up with brothers. Kind of, only these are animals with instincts and not humans with emotions. Sometimes you just have to fight it out, get over it and move on. I am attached to both but I want them to have a good quality life as well. They have plenty of room. It's hormones. I am going to get more girls. But it's hormones that they are dealing with in the here and now. It is a situation of my own making. It doesn't make it any easier tho.

they fight, they work it out .. gets worse when spring comes...so long as there is enough hens 6-10 per boy usually works

 

[littleprairieheartsfarm]

Ya know.... it was literally yesterday when Prairie asked "how are the boys doing?" and I replied, "oh they're doing fine, no more fighting".

Today:
Elvis before he got washed off
View attachment 1653259
After when I was blowdrying him dry
View attachment 1653256 View attachment 1653258
Bowie

Now they are cuddled up beside one another in their coop, resting for the night. I don't know if I can emotionally handle having these 2 boys. My hubby likens it to growing up with brothers. Kind of, only these are animals with instincts and not humans with emotions. Sometimes you just have to fight it out, get over it and move on. I am attached to both but I want them to have a good quality life as well. They have plenty of room. It's hormones. I am going to get more girls. But it's hormones that they are dealing with in the here and now. It is a situation of my own making. It doesn't make it any easier tho.

Gosh darn it boys, don’t do this again. Now I feel like I jinxed it. Grrrr.

I don’t know if more girls will do much. Have you moved them into the big coop permanently? I think they need to be beat up by the big hens to learn that they aren’t all that.

 

[CrazyCrttr75]

I don't envy you. How many hens do you have? I know you've posted that information, but I'm too lazy to find it.

they fight, they work it out .. gets worse when spring comes...so long as there is enough hens 6-10 per boy usually works

We have 8 girls right now. Bowie is the only one that I have seen mating and it is only with a couple of the girls. The rest ignore the boys and they get nowhere. I have not seen Elvis try as of yet. I want to get 7-8 more girls. That's why I have been scouring various hatchery sites and pinpointing down which breeds I want. That doesn't help me NOW, but that was my intention. I have 3 options. If I want to be selfish, I may have to try and separate the 2 males with a makeshift fence. Or I can just deal with it as long as everything stays as superficial in regards of battle wounds until the new chicks get old enough once I get them. Or I need to think about rehoming one. PFFT!

 

[CrazyCrttr75]

Gosh darn it boys, don’t do this again. Now I feel like I jinxed it. Grrrr.

I don’t know if more girls will do much. Have you moved them into the big coop permanently? I think they need to be beat up by the big hens to learn that they aren’t all that.

They are all together but the 4 littles still sleep in their coop and the older girls in the bigger coop. They visit the big coop and hang out in there during the day. They just haven't tried sleeping there. I think I would probably have to physically move them over at night myself to get them starting to sleep in it. I just haven't bothered. Honestly, I am worried that Bowie will get pooped all over because he won't roost like the others but he'd still want to be near them. Which would be UNDER them.

 

[Animals45]

 

[CrazyCrttr75]

I will say, I have laughed my butt off at Bowie trying to mate with one of the older girls. He is not very graceful. He'll get this one to squat and he TRIES to hop on. Finally makes it. Tries to do his thing while keeping his balance. Fails miserably and often falls off head first over the girls head. Almost like a somersault. So he tries to hop back on and the girl is like, nope and walks away. He chases her like get back here I wasn't finished. She's like, yes you are. The end. It's hilarious!

 

[NanaKat]

White faced
https://www.backyardchickens.com/th...onship-dec-2018.1288055/page-13#post-20900044

Yes and he looks devilish. Don's WFBS rooster really messed up his arm. He had to have stitches.

 

[littleprairieheartsfarm]

I will say, I have laughed my butt off at Bowie trying to mate with one of the older girls. He is not very graceful. He'll get this one to squat and he TRIES to hop on. Finally makes it. Tries to do his thing while keeping his balance. Fails miserably and often falls off head first over the girls head. Almost like a somersault. So he tries to hop back on and the girl is like, nope and walks away. He chases her like get back here I wasn't finished. She's like, yes you are. The end. It's hilarious!

Negan is the opposite. He’s so big and he pins the hens down and wants to break their legs in the process. Today he chased, grabbed, and pinned down one of the tiny 18 week old pullets who isn’t even remotely close to laying and I about took his head off with the shovel I had. I’ve lost my patience with him, his nonstop crowing, and his aggressiveness towards the hens.