Chickens for 10-20 years or more? Pull up a rockin' chair and lay some wisdom on us!

[Beekissed]

Boy, spend a couple of days hunting and when I come back, I have to check the thread title half a dozen times while trying to catch up just to make sure I'm in the right thread - all dogs and canning, nary a chicken in sight!

Well, I'll stay off topic for just another minute for a little brag.... 2 deer in the freezer, one hanging now, and one tag left to fill before sundown tomorrow - guess who is all tagged out?!?! I'll give you a hint - it AIN'T the hubby.

WOO-HOO! Got a nice little 4pt buck and a real nice sized doe. The Mr. has a buck already and we are hoping he gets his doe - still plenty of time. I'm so happy - this means we'll have plenty of venison for the winter, and we will also be able to supply our 3 daughters' families with plenty of stew meat and burger for the winter as well.

Ok, back to chicken business!!

Question/request for the OTs: Talk to me about roosters - all about them and the correct/proper behavior among multiple roosters on one place, and about cockerels coming of age and how you expect them to act from day one thru maturity to tell you that you have a keeper in a rooster. I know all about the interaction that is acceptable and proper with humans - thanks again to AL for that marvelous thread that still makes me giggle when I think about it - but I want to know about rooster-to-rooster, mano-a-mano, and inter-flock behavior that is acceptable.

In other words, if your grandchild sat you down and said 'Papaw, (or Granny) tell me all about roosters!' what would you tell them?

Let's start with that and then I'll make questions more pointed towards the answers you give.

Just sit back, rub your chin, get that far away look, and tell me about roosters....

Thanks!!

I let roosters work everything out between themselves and may the best man win. I look for intelligence, heavy build, egg laying genetics in the breed, hardiness, good looks and feathering, mating vigor, flighty and wary behavior out on pasture, responsible behavior towards the hen's welfare. Anything less is eaten.

thanks again to AL for that marvelous thread that still makes me giggle when I think about it - but I want to know about rooster-to-rooster, mano-a-mano, and inter-flock behavior that is acceptable.
Where do I find this thread your talking about? I have an OEGB roo that has become unbearable to deal with. I have to put a bucket over him to get in the coop to do anything, he has flogged me 3 different times before I could get him covered up over the last 2 weeks. He's a tiny little prick too

https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/573517/got-flogged-by-a-rooster-tonight I'll tell you what I tell folks about disciplining children...who are much like roosters when you think about it. Always wanting to push your buttons. This is my motto "If they are still mad enough to talk back or act out after you have spanked them, you obviously did not do it hard enough....only hard enough to make them mad. Do it again, do it harder and they should only be able to cry and snub afterwards but if they can still talk coherently enough to get out some kind of retort, you have not succeeded in driving home the point." Now...translate that into roo behavior. If he still has any vague idea of being in your vicinity after you get done schooling him, you have not done it properly....go back and do it right next time.

Haven't started on the fermented feed yet, I want to do it shortly. One question- it's dropping below freezing at night here, and pretty soon it will get that way in the daytime. Is the FF damp? Will it freeze out in the run?

Mine is not freezing in the trough...but then I only feed once a day and they pretty much gobble most of it up when I feed and it's all gone by the end of the day.

there is a canning thread! Kinda fluffy too!

Most certainly...any further debate on canning can be done on the canning thread. Buy a Blue Ball Canning Book...found at most places that carry canning supplies, and just follow the instructions you find there if you need assistance. If you have never canned before it is best not to start out at a gallop...crawl before you walk, walk awhile before you run, then get out there and hit the ground runnin'.

 

[JulieNKC]

I'm bumping up my question...it got pre-empted by the discussion on canning and rooster selection...need to know if I treated the roo correctly and what should I look for.....

Sounds like ear mites, and vet rx is supposed to treat those. Vet rx is awesome stuff. If he stops shaking his head I'd say it worked.

 

[bobbi-j]

I let roosters work everything out between themselves and may the best man win. I'm getting a new rooster this week if everything works out. This is what I plan on doing after a few days of getting acquainted through the fence. Would you just put them together right away? I currently have a brahma, and am getting a buckeye. Actually, I think the Buckeye would still be considered a cockerel (only a few months old, I think) so maybe he'll be young enough that the brahma will teach him some respect right away, and it will stick. (It's nice in my world)

https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/573517/got-flogged-by-a-rooster-tonight I'll tell you what I tell folks about disciplining children...who are much like roosters when you think about it. Always wanting to push your buttons. I had to laugh at this. I work with a special-needs student who LOVES to push my buttons! Once they've got your number (kids in general, and roosters), it's all over until you figure it out and re-train them. This is my motto "If they are still mad enough to talk back or act out after you have spanked them, you obviously did not do it hard enough. All 3 of my sons, at one point or another after a swat or spanking said, "That didn't hurt!" They only said it once.... ...only hard enough to make them mad. Do it again, do it harder and they should only be able to cry and snub afterwards but if they can still talk coherently enough to get out some kind of retort, you have not succeeded in driving home the point." Now...translate that into roo behavior. If he still has any vague idea of being in your vicinity after you get done schooling him, you have not done it properly....go back and do it right next time.

 

[NanaKat]

Ear mites....thank you. Will get some nustock Tuesday in town and keep the VetRX on hand too. thank you...will post updates.

 

[Beekissed]

Quote:
Now, I don't know if your birds live confined or if they live on free range, so I can't tell you how they would react in your situation....but on free range, I just throw them together and let them sort things out. If it doesn't get sorted out pretty quickly I determine who has the problem and eliminate the problem.

For instance...had an extra rooster dumped on me a while back who simply would not learn his place in the flock, though he had been schooled by the cock of the walk. He kept harassing the hens and provoking violence from the oldster until I ended the drama. It's one thing to fight it out fair and square and to the victor go the spoils, while the second place winner retires into a corner with a few gals that seem to like how he shakes his wing.

It's quite another story if the cowardly fool keeps stalking the hens until they cannot forage properly and neither can the old guy because he has to keep repeating the lesson. I call that dumb and selfish, with no regard to the safety of the whole flock....of course, this bird had lived a life in a run, so he had no idea of the dangers of not paying attention out on range. For the good of all...and because he was not a breed of rooster that I would ever intentionally have on my place, he had to buy the farm.

 

[bobbi-j]

Now, I don't know if your birds live confined or if they live on free range, so I can't tell you how they would react in your situation....but on free range, I just throw them together and let them sort things out. If it doesn't get sorted out pretty quickly I determine who has the problem and eliminate the problem.

For instance...had an extra rooster dumped on me a while back who simply would not learn his place in the flock, though he had been schooled by the cock of the walk. He kept harassing the hens and provoking violence from the oldster until I ended the drama. It's one thing to fight it out fair and square and to the victor go the spoils, while the second place winner retires into a corner with a few gals that seem to like how he shakes his wing.

It's quite another story if the cowardly fool keeps stalking the hens until they cannot forage properly and neither can the old guy because he has to keep repeating the lesson. I call that dumb and selfish, with no regard to the safety of the whole flock....of course, this bird had lived a life in a run, so he had no idea of the dangers of not paying attention out on range. For the good of all...and because he was not a breed of rooster that I would ever intentionally have on my place, he had to buy the farm.

They're cooped at night, free range during the day. They would start out in separate coops for now, but the plan (at the moment, anyway) is for all of my chickens to share a coop this winter. If that doesn't work out, I will separate them again. I currently have two flocks - my old brahama roo, his old hens and one buckeye pullet; and all of the pullets I hatched out this spring. My goal is to have a flock of buckeyes, and my just-for-fun layer flock. The bucks will be for dual-purpose. In the spring I will separate the buckeyes for breeding. I have 6 pullets to go with this rooster (although I may leave the one with the brahma since they've bonded). I'm getting rid of about a dozen of this year's pullets this weekend, and will have maybe a dozen or so left (including the buckeyes). I know that's not a good rooster to hen ratio, so I'm going to have to see how it all plays out. Thankfully, I have the room to separate the two flocks if necessary.

 

[delisha]

all of your spring hatched pullets free range with the old group? If they do..just toss the cockerel in with them after his 30 day detention is over on a free range day. They can teach him where the food is, and the older rooster will make sure he minds his manners.

 

[Miss Lydia]

I finished the butchering..and the pumpkin cheesecake made a small one just for meeeeeeee. What a treat. I did not get much done in the cleaning department, but, the kitchen does sparkle. I made the homemade laundry detergent. What a saving proposition. I even used the pot to melt the flakes in the dishwasher to see if it cleaned the dishes. It sure smelled nice and fresh. I will check them all out tomorrow. This detergent is really thick, I wonder if I measured wrong. The DH is the one who graded the bar for me. Wonder if that is what makes the detergent so thick or if it is the washing soda.

Okay i missed the laundry detergent recipe anyone know where i can find it? thanks. sounds very interesting.

 

[delisha]

1/3 bar fels laundry soap... I used Zote white (grate and heat to melt) I added about 5 cups of water to help melt I think you need to cool this before you add the next two ingredient, I added them before it was cool and that might be why mine is so thick. I think the recipe is on the web site.
1/2 cup arm and hammer laundry soda
1/2 cup borax mule team
I shopped at the Pig and all of these were together on the top shelf
mix together

use two old laundry containers and fill 1/2 with water add the liquid to the water and shake
it will be pretty thick

 

[Miss Lydia]

1/3 bar fels laundry soap... I used Zote white (grate and heat to melt) I added about 5 cups of water to help melt I think you need to cool this before you add the next two ingredient, I added them before it was cool and that might be why mine is so thick. I think the recipe is on the web site.
1/2 cup arm and hammer laundry soda
1/2 cup borax mule team
I shopped at the Pig and all of these were together on the top shelf
mix together

use two old laundry containers and fill 1/2 with water add the liquid to the water and shake
it will be pretty thick

Are you talking about Bees blog? I typed it in but nothing came up, thanks for the ingredients list and info.