I've had chickens for about a year now. Dec 2015 I heard of two hens that needed rescuing from their mean coop-mates, so we got birds in the winter. Since then, we've had a fluctuating headcount. Got 2 Buff Os in February, got 2 Icelandics in March, and got 3 Marans in June. Lost one Buff O to a hawk in March and a second Buff O to a smart raccoon with opposable thumbs in early June.
Since then, my little broody (one of the two original hens) went broody for the third time so I stuck some fertile eggs under her (from friends.) Told them both to give me 2 eggs and both gave me 5! Then she laid one and was a little hen spread out over 11 eggs!
Naturally, only one hatched, and again, naturally, it was a rooster.
He worked out OK but was kind of dumb (probably because he is young.) He would call them over for tidbits and then peck them since the tidbits were obviously only for him.
In the past two weeks, two of our Marans died suddenly and I blame the rooster.
So yesterday, a friend came over and taught us how to get him ready for eating. ( I tried for months to rehome him and had NO LUCK.)
Then today, in the morning, the 5 ladies went out playing in the thin wooded area in our yard. This is normal, but I guess they had been relying on the rooster to watch for predators and had gotten out of the habit of doing it for themselves. When my dogs started going crazy, I looked out - saw a coyote - ran out and yelled and he ran away. After looking for a long time (just piles of feathers), I finally heard a chicken call and it was one of my original 2 birds. (Unfortunately, not my little broody. She was an Excellent Mother.) We looked all day and no one else showed up.
So please advise me, wise people - how soon can I get more birds? I am in Wisconsin and although it was a balmy 40 today, it often gets below 0. So doing some kind of quarantine thing would be very problematic. I feel so sorry for her and I know she is lonely.
I'm thinking maybe I should only get 2 or 3 more, so that I can leave them in their 8 X 16 run (with various "play equipment" since the coyotes will surely be back for the rest if I let them out now.
I guess i should have kept them inside after they "lost" the rooster, until their predator-watching instincts returned?
Thanks for any thoughts and advice you have for me. Sorry if I was long-winded.
Since then, my little broody (one of the two original hens) went broody for the third time so I stuck some fertile eggs under her (from friends.) Told them both to give me 2 eggs and both gave me 5! Then she laid one and was a little hen spread out over 11 eggs!
Naturally, only one hatched, and again, naturally, it was a rooster.
He worked out OK but was kind of dumb (probably because he is young.) He would call them over for tidbits and then peck them since the tidbits were obviously only for him.
In the past two weeks, two of our Marans died suddenly and I blame the rooster.
So yesterday, a friend came over and taught us how to get him ready for eating. ( I tried for months to rehome him and had NO LUCK.)
Then today, in the morning, the 5 ladies went out playing in the thin wooded area in our yard. This is normal, but I guess they had been relying on the rooster to watch for predators and had gotten out of the habit of doing it for themselves. When my dogs started going crazy, I looked out - saw a coyote - ran out and yelled and he ran away. After looking for a long time (just piles of feathers), I finally heard a chicken call and it was one of my original 2 birds. (Unfortunately, not my little broody. She was an Excellent Mother.) We looked all day and no one else showed up.
So please advise me, wise people - how soon can I get more birds? I am in Wisconsin and although it was a balmy 40 today, it often gets below 0. So doing some kind of quarantine thing would be very problematic. I feel so sorry for her and I know she is lonely.
I'm thinking maybe I should only get 2 or 3 more, so that I can leave them in their 8 X 16 run (with various "play equipment" since the coyotes will surely be back for the rest if I let them out now.
I guess i should have kept them inside after they "lost" the rooster, until their predator-watching instincts returned?
Thanks for any thoughts and advice you have for me. Sorry if I was long-winded.
