Big Bad Mareks

[2ndTink]

Good point, @TwoCrows and thanks for pointing that out. Luckily I've never had that happen with Strutter.. and unfortunately that is 'usually' the safest way to carry that bird because otherwise you are going to get bit and sometimes cut by him if you carry him in your arms.

But the laying on the back works well with the bantam boys. They seldom challenge me though.

@2ndTink, take care that he doesn't catch you with a spur. I've had that happen and it takes them forever to heal not to mention the pain and the threat of infection.

Fiz usually favors doing kung fu kicks using his right leg, so he's always breaking that spur off, he's scratched me a little but never that bad. He did stick my hubby though, got him to the bone on his shin, it swelled up really bad for a few days, the doc outlined it and said "if the red and swelling goes past this line, call me"

I can't say Fiz has ever bitten me, he's definitely a flogger I have a hen who is a biter though, and occasional flogger, she's a hoot. Mean old bird but I really love her

I'll keep laying the silkies on their backs and seeing if that is enough to show them I'm the biggest rooster on the farm! Between the shot Saturday and getting inverted today, I should be making quite the impression

 

[2ndTink]

As I need to ensure all the eggs I incubate hatch really closely together, I'll be researching on BYC for how to ensure this which I'm sure having different breeds isn't going to help. If you have suggestions let me know! Like, should I set the LF eggs in the morning and the silkie eggs that same evening to try and get them all hatching at once?

 

[2ndTink]

@TwoCrows @microchick I felt a little more confident after reading the rooster articles. I went to feed Fiz this morning and he came over to about 3 feet from me, so I shook the food cup to remind him why I was there and just stood still until he took a step back, then I'd take a small step toward his food spot. He'd look down at my feet so I'd rattle the cup again so he'd look up, wait for him to take a step... and repeat. I was pretty happy with the progress, but... we got one step away from where I feed him and he attacked. Of course I had to say yesterday he mostly kicks with the one leg with the broken off spur, nope, not this morning. He went full on flog mode, kicked the heck out of my ankle (usually he attacks higher and hit the shins), got his pointy spur stuck through the neoprene side of my muck boot, so there he is, spur stuck in my boot going between flailing my ankle and trying to get away but he couldn't because he was stuck he finally got free and ran back a few feet and was staring at me. About that time the dog showed up but too late. I dumped his feed and stood there and waited, he came back over and after some long consideration decided it was better to just eat than attack me. The dog was laying there about 6 feet away zeroed in on him. She's super intense and will battle Fiz off if he attacks me in front of her.

So anyway, I now have a spur poke from the initial stick then scratches from once he was stuck and flailing about. All is good, but it does sting... doggone rooster. I think in 6 weeks we'll cross him with our EEs and part ways with his beautiful mean self.

Not Mareks related, but, he is 3 years old and still kicking, literally I still have no signs of sickness in any other non-silkie birds other than the potential of some dying of random things younger than they should. Which I thought was just normal, but likely isn't.

 

[TwoCrows]

@TwoCrows @microchick I felt a little more confident after reading the rooster articles. I went to feed Fiz this morning and he came over to about 3 feet from me, so I shook the food cup to remind him why I was there and just stood still until he took a step back, then I'd take a small step toward his food spot. He'd look down at my feet so I'd rattle the cup again so he'd look up, wait for him to take a step... and repeat. I was pretty happy with the progress, but... we got one step away from where I feed him and he attacked. Of course I had to say yesterday he mostly kicks with the one leg with the broken off spur, nope, not this morning. He went full on flog mode, kicked the heck out of my ankle (usually he attacks higher and hit the shins), got his pointy spur stuck through the neoprene side of my muck boot, so there he is, spur stuck in my boot going between flailing my ankle and trying to get away but he couldn't because he was stuck he finally got free and ran back a few feet and was staring at me. About that time the dog showed up but too late. I dumped his feed and stood there and waited, he came back over and after some long consideration decided it was better to just eat than attack me. The dog was laying there about 6 feet away zeroed in on him. She's super intense and will battle Fiz off if he attacks me in front of her.

So anyway, I now have a spur poke from the initial stick then scratches from once he was stuck and flailing about. All is good, but it does sting... doggone rooster. I think in 6 weeks we'll cross him with our EEs and part ways with his beautiful mean self.

Not Mareks related, but, he is 3 years old and still kicking, literally I still have no signs of sickness in any other non-silkie birds other than the potential of some dying of random things younger than they should. Which I thought was just normal, but likely isn't.

This is a good start with the feed can! Keep his attention with his head up, not looking down at your feet. You want to keep the stare down going when he is in attack mode only, otherwise don't look long at him. I have had wonderful luck carrying a broom around. Keep the broom end in between you and him at all times. When he attacks, use the broom to block him. He won't like that you have extended parts of your body that can magically move and get in his way, its disturbing to his methods. Eventually he will learn that when you carry that broom, his attacks may be interrupted. The broom will also protect you from being spurred. Use one of those corn fiber brooms, the broom fiber area is big and soft, more scary than the standard plastic modern broom.

I hope your leg is ok!

 

[2ndTink]

This is a good start with the feed can! Keep his attention with his head up, not looking down at your feet. You want to keep the stare down going when he is in attack mode only, otherwise don't look long at him. I have had wonderful luck carrying a broom around. Keep the broom end in between you and him at all times. When he attacks, use the broom to block him. He won't like that you have extended parts of your body that can magically move and get in his way, its disturbing to his methods. Eventually he will learn that when you carry that broom, his attacks may be interrupted. The broom will also protect you from being spurred. Use one of those corn fiber brooms, the broom fiber area is big and soft, more scary than the standard plastic modern broom.

I hope your leg is ok!

I used to always carry a shovel but my hubby thought that might be making him worse, he took over feeding him as he attacks him much less. Fiz sees me across the yard and will start running toward me. And he's the chick my hubby and I saved when we brought them home. We of course had paid extra for pullets, this one wasn't looking good when we got it home, we gave it Nutri-drench several times and got it to pull through, then surprise, it's a mean Fiz Bang

I'll start carrying something again, 6 weeks to go...

 

[Debbie292d]

Since we're on this topic, I have one beautiful mauve silky rooster who has been flogging my border collie, Josie who just keeps side-stepping to get away, and then walks off. Yesterday, the roo ran quite a distance when he saw Josie who stood there and took it. I stepped between them and yelled at the rooster throwing the snow shovel after him. Last night I went and got him out of the coop and made him look Josie square in the eye. I don't know if that does anything. I don't want to be too aggressive toward him as he's pretty docile otherwise. I noticed he doesn't have any spurs. He's about 10 months old.

The old fart rooster stands behind Josie when she's barking at something in the woods, keeping watch and warning the hens who are all at the coop door. That's a good rooster!

Josie would never hurt a chicken, but this I can see leading to her snipping at this rooster if it doesn't stop this.

Has anyone ever had a rooster versus dog issue?

 

[2ndTink]

Since we're on this topic, I have one beautiful mauve silky rooster who has been flogging my border collie, Josie who just keeps side-stepping to get away, and then walks off. Yesterday, the roo ran quite a distance when he saw Josie who stood there and took it. I stepped between them and yelled at the rooster throwing the snow shovel after him. Last night I went and got him out of the coop and made him look Josie square in the eye. I don't know if that does anything. I don't want to be too aggressive toward him as he's pretty docile otherwise. I noticed he doesn't have any spurs. He's about 10 months old.

The old fart rooster stands behind Josie when she's barking at something in the woods, keeping watch and warning the hens who are all at the coop door. That's a good rooster!

Josie would never hurt a chicken, but this I can see leading to her snipping at this rooster if it doesn't stop this.

Has anyone ever had a rooster versus dog issue?

Fiz has gone after our dog and the dog has ignored him. But once she keys in on him, it's over and she chases him. I'm not sure how to get a rooster to stop bugging a dog if the dog just takes it. Maybe someone else will have an idea. My only thought is to use a water pistol, but that wouldn't work in the winter.

 

[2ndTink]

Trying to keep this as simple as possible, what groups can mix, and when?

Group A - feed store layers
Group B - silkies, vaccinated at 5 mo, Mareks losses in this group
Group C - silkies bought in Dec from breeder, vaccinated at 8 weeks
Group D - chicks hatched in December, vaccinated at 1 to 2 weeks old
Group E - chicks to be hatched this spring and immediately vaccinated

 

[TwoCrows]

@2ndTink is everybody doing ok over there, birds feeling ok? Are you feeling ok? ❤

 

[2ndTink]

@2ndTink is everybody doing ok over there, birds feeling ok? Are you feeling ok? ❤

So far I've dodged the hubbys flu, he's been down for a week, no clue how I haven't gotten sick, but super thankful I still seem ok!

All the chicks are doing great, still just the one chocolate frizzle with symptoms but she is coping. I'm on the fence every day about putter her down. She's still able to get around to the food and water, so as long as she is alert and up and about my hubby doesn't want to put her down. We will learn more I'm sure about the right time to put a bird down or give it a chance. She's definitely doing better than when we put the other two down.

Everyday I watch them and am worried I'll see another with symptoms. This cold weather is making it hard, as all three symptomatic birds looked cold (had their feathers fluffed more) compared to the other ones, so it's hard to tell if they are actually cold, or sick. But no others are off balance at all. It seems the pattern has been, looking cold for a few days, then slightly off-balance, progressing to leg paralysis or lack of leg control.

I may set the incubator and brooders up in the basement for my next hatch to be sure it's as clean of an environment as possible.

The Wilkies and Star got their ABA legbands on today. Star has thick legs and big feet (oh no, another cockere??? it's too early to know for sure, but this little one is stout) I almost couldn't get the ABA band on and it's o ly 3 weeks old, they say 4 to 6 weeks if I remember right for getting them on. The Wilkies are young to band but those big 4th and 5th toes are keeping them on, except for Candy Cane, she has small 4th and 5th toes and it keeps falling off, I'll try hers again next week. She also has a single comb. As does Noel the SLW x silkie cross, im assuming she came from Spike's egg as Spike is my onlt single combed SLW.. I didn't band any of the silkie crosses as I'm sure their legs will grow too large for the bantam sized bands.

Hungry Jaq came out to hang for a bit today, I'm not sure on gender yet, this little thing can EAT. It's absolutely ravenous It doesn't look much different than two of the other silkies I hatched and turned out to be pullets with less of a crest, so there is still hope that Jaq is short for Jacqueline and not Jacques