Can I jump right in with a question?

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eelarol

eelarol

Hatching
7 Years
Jun 28, 2012
9
2
7
We got our first chickens on June 6th, less than a month. They were baby chicks, very darling and so fun to watch. Some I know what breed they are, some I don't. Two weeks later I ran into a friend who was moving and gave me 5 of her grown hens. I love them too. Several friends who keep chickens have been talking about how much they love their roosters, they watch out for the flock, take care of the hens, etc. so when I met someone looking to find a new home for a rooster that just started crowing, we adopted him too. We put him in with the big girls, with some separation for them to get used to one another. With some mild pecking, they settled in, or seemed to, but yesterday he started flying over the fence of their enclosure every time we put him back. The girls just stay put unless they get startled. I decided to let him be, he'd come back when he was hungry and thirsty, but this afternoon I went out to bring more water, and he was between our little garden sheds looking totally wiped. His wings spread out, neck stretched, beak open, panting! I quickly brought him water and food. As I was coaxing him to drink, I noticed an egg there beside him. Slightly smaller than the others, and lighter in color. I think he may be a girl after all. The strangled crow could be a very loud cluck? He also looked like he was trying to mount my buff orpington. Just pecking order stuff? Do I have a boy or a girl here? Did one of the hens get out some time when I wasn't looking and lay that egg and Keesha/Cogburn just happened to be found near it, exhausted from the heat and not from laying her first egg at all?
 
Unless one of the hens made it over the fence, left the egg there and then went back to the run, I'd say you have a girl. If you can post a pic of the bird in question we can give you a better idea.

To keep him/her in, you might try clipping the wing feathers on one wing (perhaps look up YouTube to learn how to do this if you've never done it before) because it is going to cause a serious issue if he/she is out and has no access to water in the heat. The wings spread and panting is their normal way of cooling themselves in the heat so are not in themselves things to be worried about. It is when they start to look listless, or you hear them making a honking sound when they breathe, that they are in distress. If you do find one in distress, dunk the feet in cool water for a few minutes and that will help them to cool down more quickly.

Oh, and
welcome-byc.gif
 
Last edited:
welcome-byc.gif
from New Mexico!

Sounds like you have your hands full! X2 on that last post. That bird needs to be kept grounded. Good luck with your new chicken adventures!
 
eelarol said:
We got our first chickens on June 6th, less than a month. They were baby chicks, very darling and so fun to watch. Some I know what breed they are, some I don't. Two weeks later I ran into a friend who was moving and gave me 5 of her grown hens. I love them too. Several friends who keep chickens have been talking about how much they love their roosters, they watch out for the flock, take care of the hens, etc. so when I met someone looking to find a new home for a rooster that just started crowing, we adopted him too. We put him in with the big girls, with some separation for them to get used to one another. With some mild pecking, they settled in, or seemed to, but yesterday he started flying over the fence of their enclosure every time we put him back. The girls just stay put unless they get startled. I decided to let him be, he'd come back when he was hungry and thirsty, but this afternoon I went out to bring more water, and he was between our little garden sheds looking totally wiped. His wings spread out, neck stretched, beak open, panting! I quickly brought him water and food. As I was coaxing him to drink, I noticed an egg there beside him. Slightly smaller than the others, and lighter in color. I think he may be a girl after all. The strangled crow could be a very loud cluck? He also looked like he was trying to mount my buff orpington. Just pecking order stuff? Do I have a boy or a girl here? Did one of the hens get out some time when I wasn't looking and lay that egg and Keesha/Cogburn just happened to be found near it, exhausted from the heat and not from laying her first egg at all?
Click to expand...
yuckyuck.gif
 
Thanks for the good info! I will figure out how to post pics of our darling mystery bird so perhaps you can help me identify. He/she is an Americauna blend of some kind. The egg I found was very light, almost pink. Also more oblong in shape than the others have been.

We are in the process of building a couple of chicken tractors. Almost done in fact. The temporary enclosure they have now is just pvc and chicken wire held together with zip ties and a couple of stakes. The girls can fly out of it, they just have not chosen to do so. Keesha/Cogburn (she was named Keesha by the family who raised her, when they figured she was a rooster and brought him to us, we named him Cogburn) can get in and out at will. Last night I went out to put the chickens to bed and couldn't find K/C, who had been roaming around free range all day, until I looked inside his/her bed box. He was already there.

It's amazing how fun and relaxing it is to watch the chickens!
 

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