Do Rhode Island/Barred Rock sex link cockrels kill Silkies?

[Rarabri89]

I came home and found a two month old silkie down in the middle of my coop, with it's head off.

I left my hen out last night...

I left home right around sunrise, and didn't notice anything...

Is that something a three month old cockrel would do?

Tonight I put my hen with them, in case a rat killed the Silkie while I was sleeping; but should I seperate the Silkies from my cockrel tomorrow?

I'm raising the rooster to guard my little birds.

I'd hate to kick my cockrel out with my hen, because I'm not sure he's big enough to deal with my cats; but if he's killing Silkies, I'll have to chance it...

I had a lot of trouble with my RIR/BR roosters. One was insanely aggressive, and they seem to grow massive. Pretty strong too! Sorry about your loss. Hope it's all working out.

 

[Alo]

Even where you are there are predators without a secure roof and walls your birds are not truly safe

We have rats and mongoose in Hawaii. Rats can go anywhere! They can even chew through metal pipes, and get inside your house through the toilet.

But no mongoose near my house.

Chickens can peck just as hard in the dark.

As long as I have my hen in with them, my chicks have been safe in a wire dog kennel with 1" wire wrapped around it so chicks can't fit through it, and 3 pieces of tin roof over it, 10 feet from my house.

I raised chicks in my yard before. They only got eaten when grew big enough to leave my yard.

My hen is over 2 years old, and she's been safe in or out.

When the chicks get big enough, I'll probably let the hen sleep where she lays her eggs, outside.

And I'd rather not have all my birds locked in a small room if a predator attacks them.

If a dog knocks over a freestanding wire enclosure, some birds are more likely to escape...

I have a few cats that eat rats, and a yard full of dogs to keep the neighbor's cat's away.

Large scale chicken farms in Hawaii usually consist of 3 foot tall A frames for the roosters, and circles of wire with sheet metal on top as roofs for the hens and chicks.

 

[Alo]

My hen likes to stay in a 50 square foot section of my yard by my house, on the backside; and she never walked around to my front door.

It doesn't have a fence, but it's pretty much surrounded by bushes and trees.

Before haoles brought the mongoose, cats, and dogs, to Hawaii, chickens were wild in Hawaii, and close to the top of the food-chain.

Hawaii nei, home of the Red Jungle Fowl.

 

[Alo]

I had a lot of trouble with my RIR/BR roosters. One was insanely aggressive, and they seem to grow massive. Pretty strong too! Sorry about your loss. Hope it's all working out.

Thank you.

My rooster's been fine.

I'm positive the scenario I considered with a rat was right.

 

[Alo]

I got home late tonight, and found one chick outside with my hen, and one chick trapped between the big wire and the small wire, exactly where I said my chick probably got killed the other night.

My little rooster didn't hurt anything! Yay!

 

[cmom]

I would be putting a game camera up and see what is lurking.

 

[varidgerunner]

Silkies are not the birds you are looking for. Get some games, they will do what you are trying to do. They can raise chicks completely unprotected and free ranged. You will lose a few, but only the slow and the weak. Asils and other oriental games actually have better night vision than most chickens. Have gone out at night and rescued poor defenseless possums, coons and skunks from the wrath of an asil hen many times. Have found dead rats in their pens. The advice given is good advice, when dealing with Silkies and other soft breeds. The birds you are probably seeing raised in relatively unprotected setups are most likely games or game derivatives that still retain enough instincts to perform effectively without much human intervention.

 

[Alo]

I don't need a game camera, If I keep the Silkies from being off the ground alone, and with my old, mixed breed, egg a day, laying hen...

She's a great foster mom!

I've been keeping the Silkies in protective custody.

I'm planning on getting Liege Fighters...

Will they work?

 

[Alo]

I went out the other night to catch a fighting hen, while she was sitting on eggs by the road side...

It took me two tries and a makeshift net to get her home. lol





Are Asils good for hatching eggs?

I had 5 Asil hens and a rooster running my yard in Hilo, but I never saw an Asil egg.

 

[Alo]

I read that the temperature of the incubator can determine the sex of your chicks.