California - Northern

[debs_flock]

Yes folks , that's ding dong's ( me) bator with a few to many drops of food coloring in trough #1!!! I hope it's fine cause "too late now" . makes me question how sterile the foam is though . I spray them down with biokleen after hatching... But the dye went ALL the way through. Maybe I should start saving for that nifty $$$ bator with the humidity pump!?!

I hatched hundreds of chicks in my three "styrobators" over the course of about a year and a half. I then upgraded to the a $$$bator with a humidity pump, but still use the sytrobators as hatchers. That way I only have to sterilize the cabinet about every two months instead of every 21 days!

It'll be fine, I never saw the point in the food coloring, once the water tray is stained it would be difficult to see the difference anyway. I just always monitored the humidity and squirted more water through the vent hole with a syringe. I use a large bore syringe with no needle, about half full will raise the humidity about 10% (for me). If that's not enough, I just squirt in more and point the squirt in multiple directions.

 

[MossyoakLane]

I need some affirmation. I just culled Gary. Many of you recall who he is. Only the neatest rooster ever...gone mean on me. I never did anything to him but over the months it's escalated. The more I chased him off, or put him in penned up time out...the more he seemed determined to stalk me. He only sometimes went after my 9 year old son but completely left my 11, 6 and 4 year olds alone. He also did not go after my hubby or mil. It was getting so bad we were penning him up daily just so I could go outside (we free range). Culling him has my 6 year old messed up and my 11 year old is being fake stoic - he ADORED that rooster. Like...loved him. I feel like a horrible person for doing it. I feel like a horrible person that I can even do it. Who can do that?? Me. No one else in my house. Not husband, not mother in law...nope just Amy. And it's not fun, I don't enjoy and I want to barf. Killing for the table is one thing...this was not that. I just feel rotten. But I know I could not give him away- he could be mean to someone else. I couldn't keep him- he was growing spurs. I wouldn't have a purpose for him- can't breed him, can't let him be with the others (or he'd get me). I swear when I was holding him he knew. He kept staring at my face. It was SO weird. Can I just skip to bedtime? I still have to teach Wednesday church to a room full of toddlers. So not feeling it- probably be good for me though. Thanks for listening. <3

{{hugs}} You did the right thing.
It could have been your kids next......

 

[debs_flock]

I need some affirmation. I just culled Gary. Many of you recall who he is. Only the neatest rooster ever...gone mean on me. I never did anything to him but over the months it's escalated. The more I chased him off, or put him in penned up time out...the more he seemed determined to stalk me. He only sometimes went after my 9 year old son but completely left my 11, 6 and 4 year olds alone. He also did not go after my hubby or mil. It was getting so bad we were penning him up daily just so I could go outside (we free range). Culling him has my 6 year old messed up and my 11 year old is being fake stoic - he ADORED that rooster. Like...loved him. I feel like a horrible person for doing it. I feel like a horrible person that I can even do it. Who can do that?? Me. No one else in my house. Not husband, not mother in law...nope just Amy. And it's not fun, I don't enjoy and I want to barf. Killing for the table is one thing...this was not that. I just feel rotten. But I know I could not give him away- he could be mean to someone else. I couldn't keep him- he was growing spurs. I wouldn't have a purpose for him- can't breed him, can't let him be with the others (or he'd get me). I swear when I was holding him he knew. He kept staring at my face. It was SO weird. Can I just skip to bedtime? I still have to teach Wednesday church to a room full of toddlers. So not feeling it- probably be good for me though. Thanks for listening. <3

You made the difficult and right choice. There are too many nice roos that need flocks of their own to deal with one that has no manners. A mean roo can cause a lot of damage. It could have easily escalated to spurring your little one in the face. I think you'd have felt much worse with your child losing an eye or being permanently scarred.

Hang in there.

 

[Chickengirl1304]

I need some affirmation. I just culled Gary. Many of you recall who he is. Only the neatest rooster ever...gone mean on me. I never did anything to him but over the months it's escalated. The more I chased him off, or put him in penned up time out...the more he seemed determined to stalk me. He only sometimes went after my 9 year old son but completely left my 11, 6 and 4 year olds alone. He also did not go after my hubby or mil. It was getting so bad we were penning him up daily just so I could go outside (we free range). Culling him has my 6 year old messed up and my 11 year old is being fake stoic - he ADORED that rooster. Like...loved him. I feel like a horrible person for doing it. I feel like a horrible person that I can even do it. Who can do that?? Me. No one else in my house. Not husband, not mother in law...nope just Amy. And it's not fun, I don't enjoy and I want to barf. Killing for the table is one thing...this was not that. I just feel rotten. But I know I could not give him away- he could be mean to someone else. I couldn't keep him- he was growing spurs. I wouldn't have a purpose for him- can't breed him, can't let him be with the others (or he'd get me). I swear when I was holding him he knew. He kept staring at my face. It was SO weird. Can I just skip to bedtime? I still have to teach Wednesday church to a room full of toddlers. So not feeling it- probably be good for me though. Thanks for listening. <3

No no no. Don't feel that way! If one of my Roos tried to go after one of the kids, he would be gone. Maybe some of them have it in their nature but not at my house. I have one that will rear up at me once in a while and has gotten my husband many times with his spurs! But he's in a pen with only a few hens and not free. If he got out and got one of the kids he would be gone. Who knows if he would do it again or to one of your smaller kids! It's a chicken and that's the way it is. You have them for the table, enjoyment, eggs...etc. if we cull and they're too small to eat or whatever we take them to a place where we know there's a mama fox and she takes them from where we leave them I feel good about that

 

[zooweemama]

{{hugs}} You did the right thing.
It could have been your kids next......

You made the difficult and right choice. There are too many nice roos that need flocks of their own to deal with one that has no manners. A mean roo can cause a lot of damage. It could have easily escalated to spurring your little one in the face. I think you'd have felt much worse with your child losing an eye or being permanently scarred.

Hang in there.

Thanks. Part of me knows I did the right thing...but I still feel bad. Right doesn't always mean feels good lol. Love being a grown up.

 

[ronott1]

I need some affirmation. I just culled Gary. Many of you recall who he is. Only the neatest rooster ever...gone mean on me. I never did anything to him but over the months it's escalated. The more I chased him off, or put him in penned up time out...the more he seemed determined to stalk me. He only sometimes went after my 9 year old son but completely left my 11, 6 and 4 year olds alone. He also did not go after my hubby or mil. It was getting so bad we were penning him up daily just so I could go outside (we free range). Culling him has my 6 year old messed up and my 11 year old is being fake stoic - he ADORED that rooster. Like...loved him. I feel like a horrible person for doing it. I feel like a horrible person that I can even do it. Who can do that?? Me. No one else in my house. Not husband, not mother in law...nope just Amy. And it's not fun, I don't enjoy and I want to barf. Killing for the table is one thing...this was not that. I just feel rotten. But I know I could not give him away- he could be mean to someone else. I couldn't keep him- he was growing spurs. I wouldn't have a purpose for him- can't breed him, can't let him be with the others (or he'd get me). I swear when I was holding him he knew. He kept staring at my face. It was SO weird. Can I just skip to bedtime? I still have to teach Wednesday church to a room full of toddlers. So not feeling it- probably be good for me though. Thanks for listening. <3

You did the right thing! Gary had a good life and he was ethically culled before he left scars on someone.

The kids will be fine. They are tougher than given credit for. They also know that Mom will protect them from getting hurt.

A Barred Rock went after my little brother when he was about 5. Dad dispatched the Rooster with an arrow while mom heated up the scalding water.

He became chicken and dumplings......

 

[zooweemama]

No no no. Don't feel that way! If one of my Roos tried to go after one of the kids, he would be gone. Maybe some of them have it in their nature but not at my house. I have one that will rear up at me once in a while and has gotten my husband many times with his spurs! But he's in a pen with only a few hens and not free. If he got out and got one of the kids he would be gone. Who knows if he would do it again or to one of your smaller kids! It's a chicken and that's the way it is. You have them for the table, enjoyment, eggs...etc. if we cull and they're too small to eat or whatever we take them to a place where we know there's a mama fox and she takes them from where we leave them

I feel good about that

Thanks. You're right. And he didn't just chase me- he would jump on me. Head, back...I am not afraid of him but hot dog that would scare the crap out of me. He weighed like 8 pounds! I became good at listening for him running at me, walking with a stick to push him away...but I shouldn't have to do that.

 

[Ali707]

Yes folks , that's ding dong's ( me) bator with a few to many drops of food coloring in trough #1!!! I hope it's fine cause "too late now" . makes me question how sterile the foam is though . I spray them down with biokleen after hatching... But the dye went ALL the way through. Maybe I should start saving for that nifty $$$ bator with the humidity pump!?!

Yeah I used Blue food coloring as well this time and it was a little easier to see the water level, but I didn't add it beyond the first bit of water. I did a drier hatch this time and water was not needed as much until lock down. My styrofoam didn't leak like that but I also didn't put more than the water wells would hold, HOWEVER, when I went to pick it up to clean it after the hatch, some of that pretty blue water gone nasty spilled out the vent holes and onto my beige area rug.

I don't think I will use the food coloring again!

I need some affirmation. I just culled Gary. Many of you recall who he is. Only the neatest rooster ever...gone mean on me. I never did anything to him but over the months it's escalated. The more I chased him off, or put him in penned up time out...the more he seemed determined to stalk me. He only sometimes went after my 9 year old son but completely left my 11, 6 and 4 year olds alone. He also did not go after my hubby or mil. It was getting so bad we were penning him up daily just so I could go outside (we free range). Culling him has my 6 year old messed up and my 11 year old is being fake stoic - he ADORED that rooster. Like...loved him. I feel like a horrible person for doing it. I feel like a horrible person that I can even do it. Who can do that?? Me. No one else in my house. Not husband, not mother in law...nope just Amy. And it's not fun, I don't enjoy and I want to barf. Killing for the table is one thing...this was not that. I just feel rotten. But I know I could not give him away- he could be mean to someone else. I couldn't keep him- he was growing spurs. I wouldn't have a purpose for him- can't breed him, can't let him be with the others (or he'd get me). I swear when I was holding him he knew. He kept staring at my face. It was SO weird. Can I just skip to bedtime? I still have to teach Wednesday church to a room full of toddlers. So not feeling it- probably be good for me though. Thanks for listening. <3

Wow! That is a hard decision to make but it is the right one. You cannot take the chance that Gary Gone Wild would have hurt your child. You being an adult could have taken the risk (although probably not a good decision) but it wasn't just you. You are the mom, the parent, and the protector. You have to make the tough choices. The other kids hopefully will understand and it is a tough life lesson, but family, especially the human part of the family comes above all else. It would never be an easy choice, but you just couldn't take the risk. Also, you could never be sure that he eventually wouldn't turn on the eleven year old and that would have been bad because they would not be expecting it and most likely get seriously injured because their guard was down.

Being a grown up tends to suck sometimes. I have been whining about that a lot lately.

 

[zooweemama]

You did the right thing! Gary had a good life and he was ethically culled before he left scars on someone.

The kids will be fine. They are tougher than given credit for. They also know that Mom will protect them from getting hurt.

A Barred Rock went after my little brother when he was about 5. Dad dispatched the Rooster with an arrow while mom heated up the scalding water.

He became chicken and dumplings......

haha Your stories always make me feel a little better. My 9 year old did have to watch his back just in case and I didn't like that he had to. He shouldn't have to. I think I need to talk with them a little more so they knew it was bigger than him attacking me- because it was. I see out top roo - the banty guy- who is amazing. Sweet to his girls, talks to us and walks with us and never ever attacks or rears up and he has INSANE spurs. They look like hypodermic needles. He never used them on the ladies or people. To me that is a good rooster. I could not imagine my 8 pound Marans roo having spurs like that. I would be terrified then and even more terrified of him puncturing my kids since nothing ever really seemed to set him off. He could be across the yard and I or my son minding our business not even with the other chickens. That's crazy sauce!

 

[zooweemama]

Yeah I used Blue food coloring as well this time and it was a little easier to see the water level, but I didn't add it beyond the first bit of water. I did a drier hatch this time and water was not needed as much until lock down. My styrofoam didn't leak like that but I also didn't put more than the water wells would hold, HOWEVER, when I went to pick it up to clean it after the hatch, some of that pretty blue water gone nasty spilled out the vent holes and onto my beige area rug.

I don't think I will use the food coloring again!

Wow! That is a hard decision to make but it is the right one. You cannot take the chance that Gary Gone Wild would have hurt your child. You being an adult could have taken the risk (although probably not a good decision) but it wasn't just you. You are the mom, the parent, and the protector. You have to make the tough choices. The other kids hopefully will understand and it is a tough life lesson, but family, especially the human part of the family comes above all else. It would never be an easy choice, but you just couldn't take the risk. Also, you could never be sure that he eventually wouldn't turn on the eleven year old and that would have been bad because they would not be expecting it and most likely get seriously injured because their guard was down.

Being a grown up tends to suck sometimes. I have been whining about that a lot lately.

Thanks. I sound like my parents now when I say to MY kids...don't be in a hurry to grow up. Oh goodness. LOL