Australia - Six states..and that funny little island.

[Teila]

Hey folks .. I really need your help/support!

I am sitting here with industrial strength ear plugs in, trying very hard to work and drown out the distracting KiKi crow like honks .. imagine a peacock screeching on your shoulder. I am this close to placing an ad on Gumtree and hubby keeps trying to talk me out of it because he knows it is not what I want to do but I do not know how much more I can take .. I feel like such a bad chicken parent in that I am thinking of rehoming her and I am so scared of where she will end up

I am so conflicted, I know that Blondie would be happy to see her go because she picks on Blondie a lot but the thought of handing her over to someone is very upsetting .. however, if I can find her somewhere nice and after the deed is done, things here would be more peaceful; it is just the parting with her I can not bear.

I have rechecked with the two neighbours whose opinion I value and they say they can not hear her but I can and it is really starting to annoy me also. She starts early in the morning and can continue all day if the mood strikes her. Sometimes she is only responding to Dusty whinging but Dusty whinges very quietly and can hardly be heard.

Thinking of sending her off, all alone makes me tear up ... but if she does not shush, I might just go out there and throttle her myself

I do not know what to do. She has started doing it even if they are free ranging so I do not think it is the run etc, just her communicating.

I know I have mentioned this before and there were lots of helpful hints to keep her quiet in the morning so she does not wake my son, but we are talking about during the day now also

 

[Fancychooklady]

Teila some decision are hard to make but if she is ruining your peace and quiet, perhaps it is time. I've had birds over the years that I have grown attached to but when the numbers are getting too high and I have to sell some out they will go to the best of homes only.
Have you considered taking her to a family members place for a few days to see if your conscience can survive ?

 

[Teila]

Teila some decision are hard to make but if she is ruining your peace and quiet, perhaps it is time.

I've had birds over the years that I have grown attached to but when the numbers are getting too high and I have to sell some out they will go to the best of homes only.
Have you considered taking her to a family members place for a few days to see if your conscience can survive ?

Hey Fancy you have hit the nail right on the head, it is probably my conscience that is causing the conflict and if I did not care about her, she would have been gone months ago.

May be if I leave it for a couple more months, she will have driven me to the point that I will be happy to see her go and it would not be so hard .. kidding!

Sadly, no family here in Brisbane.

I have some serious pondering to do.

Edited to Add: So, I have drafted the ad and saved it .. I can not bring myself to post it .. I am hopeless

 

[User395221]

I have drafted the ad and saved it .. I can not bring myself to post it .. I am hopeless

Can I suggest that your reluctance is from a misguided view that most of everybody "out there" are evil miscreants. They're not. Some might be, but others are people like us looking to adopt/rehome/start a chook family. You just need to make the decision. If you're to keep her, your ONLY remaining option is to come to accept her yelling and not let it bother you. If that's not gonna happen, you need to post the ad.

There are people with bigger yards/rural/semi-rural outfits who would LOVE to take on such a pretty little lady and would have no issues at all with her being a belter.

You're under no obligation to give her to any applicant, let alone the first that comes along. Pick someone. She'll be fine in another home.

The good thing with having teeny girls is that nobody will apply who wants to have her for dinner like they might with a big meaty bird.

 

[Teila]

Can I suggest that your reluctance is from a misguided view that most of everybody "out there" are evil miscreants. They're not. Some might be, but others are people like us looking to adopt/rehome/start a chook family. You just need to make the decision. If you're to keep her, your ONLY remaining option is to come to accept her yelling and not let it bother you. If that's not gonna happen, you need to post the ad.

There are people with bigger yards/rural/semi-rural outfits who would LOVE to take on such a pretty little lady and would have no issues at all with her being a belter.

You're under no obligation to give her to any applicant, let alone the first that comes along. Pick someone. She'll be fine in another home.

The good thing with having teeny girls is that nobody will apply who wants to have her for dinner like they might with a big meaty bird.

Thank you potato chip .. you are right to a certain degree .. I do worry about where she will end up but hope that I do not think everybody is evil. I kind of read that the problem is Me and that is right .. I either need to accept her noise or suck it up and post the ad .. she is not going to change and if I can explain it properly, I think that is why I am having such a hard time with it .. I feel mean parting with her because I have a problem with her noise .. bad chicken mum

Your words have helped though .. I guess it would not hurt to see if there is someone looking for a pretty girl who likes to vocalise and yes, I do not have to give her to just anyone

Thanks again .. still pondering

 

[User395221]

I feel mean parting with her because I have a problem with her noise .. bad chicken mum

It doesn't mean that at all. We all know you are a superior chicken mum (superior to me, anyway LOL). It's just that you have different needs. She needs to yell her head off, and you need peace and quiet. You just aren't a good "fit".

I used to work with a woman who had adopted a cat and it was destroying her house. It was peeing everywhere and wrecking stuff and she was in the same boat, thinking she was "bad" because she didn't like this cat's behaviour. I said to her that there were a lot of other orphan cats sitting in the orphanage without a home and one of those could be a nice quiet, non-wrecking type that would suit her household better. The cat orphanage lets you take back ones who aren't working out and she got a different orphan who fit into her household without doing the things she didn't like.

There will be homes where noise won't be an issue. Finding her a home where she fits in and isn't considered a nuisance isn't "bad mumship" it's getting her the best care in the best place to suit her abilities.

 

[Teila]

Thanks again potato chip

I got hubby to read your post also as it did make me feel better that she could end up somewhere as loving, if not moreso, than here and he agreed but then he also said "but she is your favourite" .. I did not think I had a favourite but apparently he thinks I do and then I started crying .. again, HOPELESS!!

Looks like I have to learn to block it out .. I do not want to or think I can part with her so I have to accept the noise.

I did read that they like music .. I might try a radio.

 

[Fizzybelle]

Teila, I totally empathize. It's the fear that no-one will love and care for them the way you do. But there are lots of good chicken people out there if it does come to that

I emailed the hatchery owner asking how Iris got on, and she told me his new family loved him, which cheered me up a lot. He's such a beautiful boy, inside and out, how could they not? Here's a pic I took the day before I gave him up ( I spent the day running after him with a camera). He was sitting on the back of my chair as he liked to do, with Esme. They were bff's. Esme's doing ok though, I was worried she'd be depressed from missing him, but she has Agnes and Bea, and is happily going about her usual routine, so I think she's ok.




And in other news Agnes is no longer broody! I found a milk crate, and a combination of her being locked out of the nest boxes during the day, and sleeping in the crate at night did the trick. I had humoured her and let her brood for a bit, but no, it had to stop. Now I know what works for her (and me) I'll handle it better next time. Dear god, please don't let anyone go broody any time soon though >_< And Mabel is feathering out more now, she's getting cheek tufts! so cute!

 

[MyHaven]

I've been doing quite a bit of research on this as once I can my backyard flock to start producing close to one of the types I want, I intend to spend the money to setup a proper breeding program and try and get some people interested in trying to stabilize and standardize the breed features I want. With the current breeds in Australia I need to pull features from at least 4 and maybe 8 breeds to get the bird I want.

Sounds huge. Keep us informed and good Luck with it.

 

[MyHaven]

Grrrr .... I do not subscribe to following the U.S. for this kind of thing ( or anything much else for that matter ).   Just look at the Ameraucana vs. Araucana uproar.   Both birds have their origins from South America, but the U.S. has 'announced' that the only bird viable for good judging and breeding is their own Ameraucana bird.   Nothing else matters, be it from the U.K, Europe, or here.   

Good on you, that's why I say clucky and not broody. Clucky is Australian - I never heard the term broody when I was growing up.