Colorado

[uzisuzuki]

Has anyone here had experience with the excelsior nesting box pads? Yay or Nay?  If not, what do you use?

I use Beechwood & Herbs Nesting Box Blend. It's helped keep the flies down this summer & it smells nice!

 

[rf12345]

Has anyone heard of Fulenwider Farms in Wheat Ridge? Supposedly Wardle's sells only their poultry. Wondered how they handle returned roosters. Well, maybe I don't, but I want to know if anyone has had dealings with them.

roosters end up as meat birds... so...

 

[rf12345]

Are you on the Colorado Chicken facebook page? There have been several posts about people willing to take roosters.

there are. Ker Tao will take them always for community for human food

 

[rf12345]

I have another newbie rooster question. What does a rooster who is 'good' with the hens look like versus one who is too 'rough'?

My roo and oldest gals are just shy of five months; the younger girls are about 18 weeks. The older ones look routinely fed up with him and the younger are often downright terrified. He'll chase them across the yard until he catches them. Then he looks offended that they don't like him lol.

I realize it's normal for things to be a little awkward until everyone matures, and that he's probably a little hormonal right now, but this has been going on for weeks.

Chicken love doesn't really seem gentle, lol, but what does a 'gentlemanly' rooster look like?

There is always one top rooster. only one. next in line will challenge to take his place. So you see sort of preventative measures

 

[rf12345]

Thanks, everyone. I guess having an easy Year One did me no favours in preparing for reality! It turned out that it was a pair of huge skunks that got them, so I can go back to liking raccoons (for now) and go to not being a big fan of skunks (for now). However, my dad did notice that it looked like at least one fox has been sneaking around so that might be an issue pretty soon.

I got the small coop Memnoch and Mercury were sleeping in divided up so that one side is for them and the other side is for the remaining younglings. It went well last night since I waited until it was getting dark to move the younger birds in. Fingers crossed for no fighting tonight. They don't have to share for too much longer. I'm hoping that this incident will make it easier for me to get help with finishing up coop setups and securing the pens better.

Hugs. We dialed with the skunk in my chicken house just the other week. Thankfully was a small one and offloaded it seemed... I managed to close chicken door when the critter was out. No damages. It was just at dawn... they not used to be out that early... Then we did drive him out of the pen. Lights on chicken run will go up soon... Xmass lights and hawk laser flush alarm keeps most of the things out at night... not counting my house and run is a fox fortnox terriers tested ...
What we did is fished rebar at the bottom and skirted narrow roll of chicken wire. that is punned with good landscape pins. There is landscape company some place near Holly & 104 that sells big and strong ones for 10c a pin. At the joint we have logs or rocks (boulders). no critter can lift that and dog under

 

[rf12345]

I am wondering what kind of floor you are all using for your runs?

I have read about deep litter and sand and honestly neither appeals much to me. I am worried about the smell of deep litter and worried that the sand will clump all winter long.

I just saw a post where someone used wood chips. Our city is having a free mulching event on the 17th and I could easily fill up my run!

I am going to have to add some fill dirt to my run area as it is below the fence line on that side anyhow. We had a ton of rocks back there that I wanted gone and then I never filled it back in. I also will have grass clipping and leaves and other stuff on occasion. I am giddy at the thought of all that compost for my garden!

Anyhow, has anyone used wood chips for their run in CO and how was it?

Thanks!

we use wood chips. works just fine. I rake it pit once in a while and put old stuff around my trees and new stuff goes it. Do it every several month. Mine free range, so do not do it very often as they like to run about...

 

[rf12345]

One of my roosters is preparing himself for rooster jail/freezer camp. Chasing kid or jumping me is a no-no thing kind of an offense... He is the head rooster. His brother turned out to be a no good with kids punk and heading for freezer camp in the other household most likely... Too bad they are both pure bred black copper marans from very good show line with very dark eggs (hatch of 12 had 3 roos, so I ended up with one show rooster this way).
That the only reason that punk of mine is alive today. Rant is done... Another reason - good with hens and good protector. They did drive off several Swanson hawk attacks. Not a single hen lost. Eats from my hands, but chasing kid... do not like that. Kid equipped with a stick and nice herding sticks are positioned all over the property for ease grab and use access. Rooster does not dare to challenge person with a herding stick... I gave him several swats on the bottom so he knows now that part of the herding stick use,.. he kind of earned that one jumping at me on my back, good I did wear jeans jacket and not a shirt. He also knows that pecking my rubber boots does earn him whole nothing.
Maran has all his leg feathers missing and bleeding a bit ...often... Not sure is it the other rooster goes for the legs or the top hen that does it.. did not see them in act yet. But he does not seem to be able to grow those feathers back, as soon as they start growing someone gets them... He is the only leg feathered bird in the flock. His supposed to be pure bread hen mate turned olive egger... I guess I'll be looking for another good maran pair... or not if that maran punk will do his not nice rooster behavior again. He is watched closely now... He challenged me 3 times already, all lost miserably.
I get it now why people eat roosters...

 

[Latestarter]

All you need to do is loose awareness once and his "challenge" could lead to your blood shed. I know from experience. I had a BA roo who I had beaten many times, so he knew what would happen if he tried anything "stupid". So one morning I went to scoop feed into their trough, and I checked, he was standing in a back corner, not threatening at all. I looked down to put the scoop of feed into the trough and was engulfed in beak, feathered wings, and spurs. Ended up bleeding pretty heavily from the beak hit to my forearm, and bruised and cut from the spurs on the forearm and upper arm. He died within the hour. I will no longer accept or put up with mean, aggressive animals of ANY breed. A little higher and he could have taken one of my eyes.

 

[oshun55555]

All you need to do is loose awareness once and his "challenge" could lead to your blood shed. I know from experience. I had a BA roo who I had beaten many times, so he knew what would happen if he tried anything "stupid". So one morning I went to scoop feed into their trough, and I checked, he was standing in a back corner, not threatening at all. I looked down to put the scoop of feed into the trough and was engulfed in beak, feathered wings, and spurs. Ended up bleeding pretty heavily from the beak hit to my forearm, and bruised and cut from the spurs on the forearm and upper arm. He died within the hour. I will no longer accept or put up with mean, aggressive animals of ANY breed. A little higher and he could have taken one of my eyes.

I never give a cock bird a second chance, one strike and your stew.

 

[Robilyn81]

There is always one top rooster. only one. next in line will challenge to take his place. So you see sort of preventative measures

He's the only rooster out there.

Still not that impressed with his behavior. I'm trying to wait him out past six months and see if he calms down some. After spending a week in rooster jail i let him out and initially he was much more polite to the hens. But, quickly went back to his grabby shenanigans.

At some point I suspect he grabbed my EE Whiskey too hard because she has a nasty wound right on the back of her head where he holds on. Not impressed! And he chases my poor little Welsummer mercilessly until he gets ahold of her.

So he's back in jail at least until Whiskey heals. He does a good job predator watching but he's just so rough with the girls. He hasn't hassled me much although he has flapped his wings and bluffed a couple times. He does like to chase the dog which makes free-ranging him tricky...

I guess I'm just waiting for that first really unacceptable action so I won't feel guilty about eating him!