Cayman Wild Chicken
Hatching
- Jun 5, 2017
- 1
- 0
- 9
Hello Peeps,
Hailing from the Cayman Islands where we are known for our feral chickens! I have recently decided to intervene with nature and take in 4 chicks whose mother valiantly defended her chicks and lost the battle, but her babies made it. Unfortunately, other chickens in the village are not the best caregivers and I was not going to witness these babes getting pecked to death.
Much to my husbands dismay he was presented with: 1) we take care of them or 2) they are put down. I was not willing to watch them suffer in the wild flock that I feed.
I have to say, we have some beautiful chickens here! All are some kind of mix of something, but Rhode Island Reds, Aracunas, Red Layers and White Broilers are a major influence.
Watching chickens in the wild gives you a different perspective, they still like routine, pecking order, and their favorite roosts, which are in trees! Unfortunately, our Roosters are 'rapists', so don't get to witness proper courting. That said, I have witnessed nice roosters. It is not uncommon to see a rooster in a family unit or have a harem, or bachelor groups. Our downside here is that roosters crow at all hours (street lights?) so if you ever visit our lovely Islands, prepare for that!
I built a little run for the chicks in the day and put them in a crate at night. Hubby and I will be building our little coop this weekend, so have been researching all the wonderful ideas. The chicks are so cute and it is amazing how quick they get use to routine. I do hope I will have hens, although I think the biggest will be a rooster, already named Del-Boy as the husband has been binging on 'Only Fools and Horses' a British sitcom.
Any clues on how to sex chicks when young will be appreciated (barring scientific tests, I will just wait otherwise ).
Glad to be here and learn and share!
Maggie
Hailing from the Cayman Islands where we are known for our feral chickens! I have recently decided to intervene with nature and take in 4 chicks whose mother valiantly defended her chicks and lost the battle, but her babies made it. Unfortunately, other chickens in the village are not the best caregivers and I was not going to witness these babes getting pecked to death.
Much to my husbands dismay he was presented with: 1) we take care of them or 2) they are put down. I was not willing to watch them suffer in the wild flock that I feed.
I have to say, we have some beautiful chickens here! All are some kind of mix of something, but Rhode Island Reds, Aracunas, Red Layers and White Broilers are a major influence.
Watching chickens in the wild gives you a different perspective, they still like routine, pecking order, and their favorite roosts, which are in trees! Unfortunately, our Roosters are 'rapists', so don't get to witness proper courting. That said, I have witnessed nice roosters. It is not uncommon to see a rooster in a family unit or have a harem, or bachelor groups. Our downside here is that roosters crow at all hours (street lights?) so if you ever visit our lovely Islands, prepare for that!
I built a little run for the chicks in the day and put them in a crate at night. Hubby and I will be building our little coop this weekend, so have been researching all the wonderful ideas. The chicks are so cute and it is amazing how quick they get use to routine. I do hope I will have hens, although I think the biggest will be a rooster, already named Del-Boy as the husband has been binging on 'Only Fools and Horses' a British sitcom.
Any clues on how to sex chicks when young will be appreciated (barring scientific tests, I will just wait otherwise ).
Glad to be here and learn and share!
Maggie
