California - Northern

[Nikon]

Yes, that was the right thing to do.

Rooster to hen is a bit trickier as young cockerels don't have the best manners. They will mate a pullet that is squawking and fighting if they can. With my adult roosters, the hens don't put up a fight, they will submi willingly for them.

The only behavior I will never allow in my flock is gang mating. Thankfully, I've never experienced it in my flocks. If you see multiple cockerels pinning down 1 pullet, this is really bad behavior and they can injure/kill the pullet.

It's also a requirement in my flocks that the roosters are good with babies. I have babies most of the year, and I don't want any issues. I caught my blue barnevelder rooster bringing a grape leaf to one of my broody hens, so she could feed it too her babies. It was so sweet. My roosters will guard the babies, or broodies and their babies, so others don't bother them.

Awe! I want roosters sweet enough to bring treats to chicks and broodies! That's awesome!

Mostly our three guys just chase the pullets ( the EE in particular is everyone's fave which is awkward for the Orpington Roo cuz she's tiny and he's this great feathered beach ball.... worry about that) but there are trying to mate a lot mostly unsuccesfully. Our EE roo is quiet and doesn't even crow and only tries to mate with the pullets when the others are preoccupied.

The OE rooster is the most active in his pursuits, but both him and the Orp grab the girl's necks sometimes and then they squawk and try and run away. Lots of chasing at our place lately. Two of the hens are squatting.

From my understanding (still a total newb

) this is all pretty normal behavior? I want to keep our girls safe, but I also don't want to see the grandma trying to punish the roosters for being roosters.

 

[Happy Chooks]

Yes, that is normal for young cockerels. Their hormones are raging, just like a teenage boy.

 

[lawatt]

Have you caught her yet? She might still be in shock.

oh yes, she came out from under the house yesterday, and i didn't see any obvious injuries so i put her back in the henhouse. she was still inside there this morning, but this afternoon she's out in the run, so she was able to get down the ramp okay... but definitely still seems to be in a daze. i'm just not sure if there's something ELSE wrong with her, too.

 

[Happy Chooks]

Do bears eat chickens?

Absolutely. And they do a lot of damage when they go after them.

 

[Nikon]

home again, and have gotten my Rcom set up for incubating -- took a photo of the isbar eggs first in their carton, so here they are:


the eggs are a bit on the small side, but a really lovely range of mossy green, minty green, and a light turquoise.

and Maggie the survivor-of-the-bobcat basque is still alive, standing and walking around verrrrrry sllllloowwwwwly -- and seems to be breathing through her mouth, in quiet not-quite-gasps-or-gulps, but not normal. not sure what might be causing that. still not sure she will make it, but alive 48 hours later is an accomplishment.

LOVE the eggs! We have OE's from Isbars and Marans. Super pretty birds.

Hope your basque makes it through!

 

[lawatt]

LOVE the eggs! We have OE's from Isbars and Marans. Super pretty birds.

Hope your basque makes it through!

are your OEs from Miss Molly? i have two of those crosses (one black, one blue, both from Molly's flock) remaining, after the bobcat ate one -- and unfortunately it also ate my only two pure isbar pullets, so these eggs are needed!

edit: i also put the last remaining Daisy egg in the incubator with the isbars -- it's a week old now, but thought i'd see if i could hatch one more SFH/australorp cross, since Daisy was such a sweetheart)

 

[Nikon]

Yes, that is normal for young cockerels. Their hormones are raging, just like a teenage boy.

That's what I figured. Thank you so much! I will try and gently educate a certain family member and ask her to please not leave my rooster anywhere without food or water for any amount of time. Good grief, Orpington roosters are supposed to be some of the more docile/tame roosters from what I've read. Poor thing being accused of being a meany.

 

[Chickengirl1304]

Absolutely. And they do a lot of damage when they go after them.

Well my aunt is missing 2 roosters and a hen and one of their heads was left

 

[Nikon]

are your OEs from Miss Molly? i have two of those crosses (one black, one blue, both from Molly's flock) remaining, after the bobcat ate one -- and unfortunately it also ate my only two pure isbar pullets, so these eggs are needed!

They sure are

We have one splash rooster from her and one pullet. We had a blue with lemon colored neck and red wings but we gave him to a co-worker where he inherited a harem of 16 pullets. He was absolutely gorgeous!

Dang, that sucks. Too bad bobcat isn't good eating.

 

[debs_flock]

Do bears eat chickens?

Yes, I used to live a couple of thousand feet further up the hill. A bear came and took out the neighbors entire pen and all of their chickens and waterfowl. They put up an electric wire and it wasn't even phased in the least.