Commander Toggles

[centrarchid]

I had a sick chick, the only survivor of his brood due coccidiosis. He is well on to the road to recovery from very near death so he is a very tough little dude. He went through about a week where he had trouble thermal regulating. I took him from his mother at about six weeks post-hatch and have kept him with me or in the cab of my truck since. He has figured out how to keep cool in the truck even when on hot days. He is smart. Currently he sleeps in 5-gallon bucket next to by head in the bed. He is better than an alarm clock as when he awakes he goes straight to my face and stands on it. I'll be making him a roost soon.

He follows me everywhere so I'm going to intensify his training regimen. Currently he follows me when I walk pasture and ponds. Today he is going to go with me as I lecture to my aquaculture students about pond design. Even when at deaths door he captivated the students and he will be much better now. I'm going to document his maturation and training. He is going to be a house chicken although he will not be allowed to approach mirrors or shiny trashcans. I gave him the name Toggles as starts with T and is easy to say. He will be expected to come when called by name.

Picture of his mother in 2022 when she was 2 years old.

Picture of his great grandfather. Toggles will look much like when mature.

His uncle as a stag with blue legs like Toggles.

Same uncle as a bullstag.

 

[Callender Girl]

What a wonderful post to start my day! Hurray for tough little Toggles and for you, taking such incredible care of that boy!

Many people seem to believe that a single house chicken cannot have a happy life. I am not one of those people. My Dottie (long story why) has lived in my house for four years this month. She is healthy, happy and safe.

Here's to a long and happy friendship between you and Toggles! BTW, the pictured chickens are lovely.

 

[centrarchid]

What a wonderful post to start my day! Hurray for tough little Toggles and for you, taking such incredible care of that boy!

Many people seem to believe that a single house chicken cannot have a happy life. I am not one of those people. My Dottie (long story why) has lived in my house for four years this month. She is healthy, happy and safe.

Here's to a long and happy friendship between you and Toggles! BTW, the pictured chickens are lovely.

Toggle will have opportunities, likely daily to interact with other chickens. At some point he'll be moved outside at least while I'm at work. Most of the time he will be house alone although I may make so he has a girlfriend once he is in adult feather. Otherwise, if like prior birds I have worked with in a sort of similar manner, he will consider me to be his fellow flock member. A cool part of all this is he is not imprinted on me as his mother, rather, I'm a friend.

Our close association will likely delay his behaving like an adult rooster. He will not crow as much and could produce sounds like an immature bird well past a year.

 

[Callender Girl]

That sounds great!

Dottie, because of an experience before she lived with me, is terrified of other chickens. She enjoys field trips outdoors, but she stays on the "other" side of the yard, far away from the scary hens, separated by a fence. Weird thing: ducks and geese don't frighten her at all.

 

[centrarchid]

Commander Toggle

 

[centrarchid]

Bug hunt. We walked doorways around lights looking for insect drift attracted by night lights that settled low to ground as sun came up. Most of what Toggles found were moths, mayflies, and crickets although we did find an adult green phase female Carolina Mantid. She proved tasty. Toggles did not want to share such booty even with his best friend, me.

 

[centrarchid]

Toggles has gotten insistent about roosting on me under my shirt. He is a cuddler!

 

[Perris]

 

[centrarchid]

Toggle has found something good he can do in the home. Eating brown recluse spiders. We have a bunch in some boxes, and he got down to business. Not enough fill his crop to even a measurable degree, yet he saved me trouble of using the vacuum cleaner on them.

 

[centrarchid]

Toggles in deep sleep mode. Note head tucked.