A Journey Through a Different Way - Funny Story Pg. 69

[lovemychicks9]

Oh Ruth , you have Marans, I am so jealous. I so want some. Can not seem to find them at the hatcheries. I guess everyone wants some of those pretty chocolate brown eggs. Good luck with all those new babies and keep us updated. How is that sweet, beautiful pup doing with her training? Talk to you soon. Trudy

 

[ruth]

Thanks Jean and Trudy for your kind words and encouragement to post updates. I've been so busy adding new "babies" (Marans, peachicks, goats) that I haven't had time to post much.

Here's an overall update.

Newest arrivals - our Nigerian Dwarf Dairy Goats. Bella is 18 months old; there is a set of twin does (Goldy & Gazelle - 5 months old); and there is Bitsy (5 months old). They are warming up to me and will eat out of bucket while I hold it and let me touch/pet them (finally). There is another, Confetti, who is being bred for me and will join these others in about a month, hopefully preggy, and we will have a baby in Dec. or Jan. and start learning how to milk them.

Next newest arrivals - the Marans and Peachicks arrived same time. The Marans came from Black Copper King here on BYC. They got to go out in an outside cage today, filled with dirt, so they could have dirt baths. They had so much fun.

I've built a "Bachelor Pen" for my juvenile delinquent roos, especially Cousin It who was tearing up my hens, especially the older ones who would have nothing to do with him and actually fought him. Once got her throat slashed in two places by him. She's healed up and he's locked up. May change his name to Stew Pot.

It's been really hot here, near 100, so the girls like to stand in the shallow water pans I have for them.

This BSL is the one that was so bloated with water (Ascites) that I had to drain her with needles. She was like a huge water balloon and could not walk. She was so bloated her skin started ripping open. I don't know what caused it but she's the same one that had to have the bumble foot surgery and the vent probing to remove egg bound egg (see other threads for more info). Today she is doing great. Here she is being courted my head roo who is actually nice to them - he does his little wing dance.

The ducks are all doing well and growing fast. Looks like I have half males and half females. They are also starting to fly and are flying out of fence and then panicking to get back in. Many of the chickens fly over the fence into the duck yard and stay there all day, especially the three Araucanas. Ruth stays there as well and waits for me to come get her at end of day and carry her into coop and lift her back onto roost - because if she shows her pretty face every rooster (and there's 10) will come from nowhere and jump on her. Poor girl - I tell her it's cause "she's so purty".

Rex, as always, is still on guard. He has taken a special liking to the goats and now says he can hold his head up high at the next Shepherd Convention because he's finally been promoted from Chicken Guard to Goat Guard. However he seems to want them to stay in the shed or to all stay together and when one wanders even a few feet he herds it back into place. He also likes to get one alone in shed and give her a real tongue bath. Not sure why they are going along with this but it seems to work for both of them.

Scarlett is getting big but because she is still such a hyper puppy she has to be watched at all times around the chickens. She takes to and obeys "no" but I can't trust her alone with them and won't till she's grown. She caught one of the Buffs the other day, I heard it screaming and ran out. She had soaked it's back feathers, but though shaken the hen was o.k. I can't seem to teach the chickens to stop jumping the fence and Scarlett is in the fenced yard so I have to keep her inside most of the time.

Well those are my updates. With everyone, except the goats and ducks running free you can imagine it's quite the zoo some days. However, everyone gets along which is great.

Thanks to all who PM and say they enjoy this thread and how it has inspired them to let go a little.

 

[speckledhen]

It all looks great! I always enjoy your pictures and "Reports from Tara", LOL.

 

[Zookeeper9000]

Ruth thanks so much for the update as I was really wondering about you, I am so glad to read that it was because you are busy. I can relate to that one. Sometime in Sept I will be forced to slow down for a few weeks but until then I will just keep going. Congrats on the new editions I can't wait to read about your goat milking experiances LOL.

Thanks again for the update.

 

[basicliving]

Hi Ruth - I always enjoy your updates and look forward to reading them. I have a quick question for you - have you considered trimming Cousin It's spurs? Or is he hurting them some other way? My roosters don't even have spurs yet, but I've been thinking I'll trim them if they prove to tear up the hen's backs. Is there some reason you don't think this is a good idea? I'm still learning about these types of things and just very curious about your thoughts.

Thanks,
Penny

 

[ruth]

Quote:
Hi Penny - Cousin It and the other roos don't have spurs yet. They are only 4-5 months old. He's tearing up the hens because they actually fight him. I watched the Buff once and it was like the Matrix movie - she was jumping up - slo mo - kicking him in face with her claws. Next thing you know they are rolling on ground each trying to take out the throat of the other with their beaks. The fight I watched and broke up, she got the better of him but the next day I found her a bloody mess. The back of her neck had two huge open gashes in it. I doctored her up and she's o.k., she was also missing a part of her comb. He's locked up.

The BR roo I'm leaving out is very gentle with the girls and they are actually following him around now and forming a little flock. They even get next to him when he roosts. I've tried letting Cousin It out from time to time but it's always the same - he goes for every girls he sees. Most of the younger ones will tolerate his mating but the older ones just fight him.

It's also kind of funny. When he gets after one of the older ones, the two BSLs come to their defense and fight him.

He's just a problem child and I'm hoping as he matures he'll outgrow it but I just don't think that's going to happen. Besides he's a mutt and I won't use him for breeding purposes so eating purposes might be in order at this point.

 

[speckledhen]

Again, the Barred Rock rooster comes through for someone. I love my Barred Rocks. I used to call Hawkeye a "benevolent ruler". I watched him casually and even gently break up fights between hens on several occasions. He'd just calmly walk between them, lower his head and look one of them in the eye. It's was amazing to see. Hope yours is a great rooster for years to come. Yep, I would be thinking about other "arrangements" for Cousin It, too, LOL.

 

[basicliving]

Ahhh, for some reason using spurs was the only thing I could think of to cut the neck. Wow - they really get into some knock-down-drag-outs, don't they? Cousin It is sure sounding like Chicken Noodle Soup to me.......

One of the agreements I had to make with my husband in order for him to give in and decide to live with roosters was that if any rooster (or hen, for that matter) ends up being mean, we will eat him/her. I remind my flock of that daily. So far, other than the typical chest bumping and posturing, none are mean to each other or to me. I am just praying it stays that way. But if it doesn't, I actually agree with my husband. I don't intend to tolerate mean chickens. I told him I wasn't sure I could "do the deed" and he told me "I'll take care of that part. You just learn how to make the noodles."

Take care,
Penny

 

[ruth]

Hi Penny- yes, I have the same understanding with my roos - if you fight me, the hens, cause problems, spur someone - you're history. Hubby is already saying daily "Cousin It needs to lose his head" and I agree but just can't seem to bring myself to say "O.K". But I can only imagine how dangerous he will be when he gets his spurs if he does not calm down.

Hi Cyn - you're right. My two BR roos are the best. I have the second one in pen with Cousin It to keep him company and to cut down on the number of roos running around. It was already obvious that BR Roo #1 was establishing dominance and I watch them all day long and the hens were following him. He seems to be stepping into a leadership role and they seem to be falling in line. It's fun to watch him do his little dance around them. Now that the other two roos are locked up, he is really coming into his own as flock leader.

I also have several younger roos but they don't go anywhere near Head Roo #1.

I'm hoping to keep at least one roo, if not two, of each breed and build breeder pens so that I can still breed purebred BR; RIR; Ameraucana, etc. But right now they are all running around lose. They range from three months to five months old so I'll need to do something soon because all the roos are now seeking out female companionship - even the youngest ones. Maybe it's from watching the older ones - maybe it's a result of free-ranging their whole life so they mature faster.

 

[pbjmaker]

I have read bits and pieces of this thread and seem to be on the same page with you. Our three week olds spend all day outside with just a short (2ft?) fence "keeping" them in my butterfly garden and the 2 11 week olds out. (They can all get over the fence but it just seems to make a nice mental boundry for them) The big chicks like to come up to the fence and just watch the little ones. Only one time did I see them peck at my EE who is the leader of the babies. We are hoping this will make a smooth transition down the road.

Thanks for this thread - it is great!