Faverolles Thread

[FVRM]

Anyone have any experience raising faverolles with silkies together? Do they get along ok?

If you raise them together since chicks all chickens will get along. I would be more worried about the faverolles roosters mounting the silkies, faverolles are heavy birds. if you don't have roosters i don't see a problem.

 

[stephward20]

If you raise them together since chicks all chickens will get along. I would be more worried about the faverolles roosters mounting the silkies, faverolles are heavy birds. if you don't have roosters i don't see a problem. 

I do have one faverolles rooster. I'll keep an eye on them and I have a pen where I can move my silkies if need be. At the moment all of my birds are less than a month old.

 

[Farmer Viola]

Can you Faverolles owners tell me about your Faverolles rooster's personality and behavior, with humans and with hens?

I think my Faverolles cockerel might have a screw loose. He's a very nervous type, and he has taken to biting me. I am trying to decide if it's something he can grow out of, is it breed related, or is he just damaged...

He isn't very good with the ladies, either. He doesn't wing dance, he just grabs necks and swings them round and round in circles. I do not think he has ever successfully mated because the hens hate him.

 

[keesmom]

Can you Faverolles owners tell me about your Faverolles rooster's personality and behavior, with humans and with hens?

I think my Faverolles cockerel might have a screw loose. He's a very nervous type, and he has taken to biting me. I am trying to decide if it's something he can grow out of, is it breed related, or is he just damaged...

He isn't very good with the ladies, either. He doesn't wing dance, he just grabs necks and swings them round and round in circles. I do not think he has ever successfully mated because the hens hate him.

How old is he?

 

[Farmer Viola]

How old is he?

6 months

 

[stephward20]

This is (in my opinion) my prettiest pullet. What does everyone else think. I'm kinda new at this.

 

[FVRM]

Can you Faverolles owners tell me about your Faverolles rooster's personality and behavior, with humans and with hens?

I think my Faverolles cockerel might have a screw loose. He's a very nervous type, and he has taken to biting me. I am trying to decide if it's something he can grow out of, is it breed related, or is he just damaged...

He isn't very good with the ladies, either. He doesn't wing dance, he just grabs necks and swings them round and round in circles. I do not think he has ever successfully mated because the hens hate him.

Does he attack you or just pecks at you? mean roosters should always be culled from the flock.

Usually young cockerels tend to be very rough with the hens from the lack of experience. If you have young pullets, they won't appreciate this kind of behavior and start to dislike the rooster. it would be better to pair him with older hens.

 

[FVRM]

This is (in my opinion) my prettiest pullet. What does everyone else think. I'm kinda new at this.

Yeah, she looks like a pullet. very nice

 

[Farmer Viola]

Does he attack you or just pecks at you? mean roosters should always be culled from the flock.

Usually young cockerels tend to be very rough with the hens from the lack of experience. If you have young pullets, they won't appreciate this kind of behavior and start to dislike the rooster. it would be better to pair him with older hens.

He does not outright attack or flog me, but he will circle around me incessantly with a shoulder slightly dropped any time I am in the yard. He will eat scratch out of my hand with the hens, then suddenly spazz out (realizes it is my hand?), squawk and peck my hand and run away but I did not move at all.
edit: he has also bitten me on the inside of my arm near the elbow where it's soft and drew blood

Sometimes he will bite my hand as it's moving, picking something up or whatever. When he bites me, I discipline him by calmly but forcefully pinning him to the ground (and his head to the ground) until he is calm and just lays there / submits. I have also head tapped him using 1 finger, like a chicken would peck him, but not hard at all. This might be why he is afraid of my hand now, but honestly it's not warranted for how I have used it on him..


I have adult hens and pullets not yet in lay in with them. The adult hens are the only ones being bred right now, but the Fav (as far as I know) has never bred, even though he is the oldest male in the flock and I think the dominant one.
edit: I saw a pullet squat the other day, so hopefully they will be included soon.

I have other cockerels of similar age but a different breed (wyandotte) and their behavior is extremely different, especially as they reach this hormonal age. The wy's are 4mos and the Fav is 6mos. The hens are a year, and the pullets are 4mos and 6mos. The wyandottes show no aggression or fear, they're almost stoic they're so calm. they dance circles around the hens, who usually blow them off, but I like that they "ask" instead of swinging them around by their head.

Even though they do have little cockerel fights, necks flare and they work it out without too much violence. the Faverolles guy is a little more psycho about it all, screeching and losing his mind over it. I wonder if his muffs and beard limits his vision and makes him more paranoid?

 

[keesmom]

At that age it is tough to say whether or not he will cam down as he matures. I keep my teenage cockerels separated from the pullets to avoid harassment. Is he your only Fav cockerel?