Fluffy Butt Acres: Stories of our flock

[Shadrach]

There is some coming of age point in a cockerels life in the eyes of the tribe that I don't really understand. I can think of a number of fairly obvious motivations on the part of the cockerel for this behaviour but how it is arranged within the tribe is a mystery.
What happens here and in my Finnish friends free range tribes, is as the tribe reproduces, the most junior cockerel does at some point become eligible for escort duties. Until recently for Tribe 1 this role has fallen to Treacle. This has changed over the past couple of days. Now it is Tyle, Mel's son who goes with the hens to known nest sites when they want to lay an egg.
Treacle may check from time to time but he isn't the default escort anymore.
Of course, Tyle being the most junior rooster in the tribe, the hens won't stop giving the escort call until either Treacle or Cillin show up. Any attempts by Tyle to mate with the hens is met by the hens with aggression or flight and attacks from Cillin and Treacle if they are in the locality.
Anyway, here is Tyle on escort duty.

 

[BY Bob]

Going to need chicken diapers or to replace that carpet with a more chicken poop friendly alternative...

We're are planning to replace it with tile, not because the chickens come in but because we want tile.

Not that the temptation won't grow.

 

[Kris5902]

you could have a gold mine there, maybe you should sell

I have to second this... they look much nicer than the others I’ve seen online! I also love the paper towel insert idea. Less washing is good (I’m going to have to switch Mrs Marans daughter’s hen saddle out again for just this reason!)

 

[BY Bob]

Lilly is laying an egg!

That would be her second one this year!

 

[Kris5902]

There is some coming of age point in a cockerels life in the eyes of the tribe that I don't really understand. I can think of a number of fairly obvious motivations on the part of the cockerel for this behaviour but how it is arranged within the tribe is a mystery.
What happens here and in my Finnish friends free range tribes, is as the tribe reproduces, the most junior cockerel does at some point become eligible for escort duties. Until recently for Tribe 1 this role has fallen to Treacle. This has changed over the past couple of days. Now it is Tyle, Mel's son who goes with the hens to known nest sites when they want to lay an egg.
Treacle may check from time to time but he isn't the default escort anymore.
Of course, Tyle being the most junior rooster in the tribe, the hens won't stop giving the escort call until either Treacle or Cillin show up. Any attempts by Tyle to mate with the hens is met by the hens with aggression or flight and attacks from Cillin and Treacle if they are in the locality.
Anyway, here is Tyle on escort duty.
View attachment 2015339

I’m looking into this multiple rooster sort of arrangement as well... In with Sammy, I have two cockerels that didn’t take the one way trip to freezer camp. I said 15 birds, so when the owl dropped the number of older boys by two I let two of the more aggressive boys from the second hatch go in their stead. Leaving me with just the two “extra boys” I really like my roosters though, so if they can grow up and have a more natural tribe like arrangement then that may be an option. I worry a little as Sammy has a slight wheeze from an altercation when he was younger, whenever he exerts himself too much (not a respiratory infection or such). So his flock consists of Sammy 1 year 3 months, Mrs B and Croppy 2ish, Hoppy 3 or more years, and two cockerels, and 6 pullets just approaching POL. I have to get them outside and free Ranging again for this to be a viable option though.

 

[Shadrach]

We're are planning to replace it with tile, not because the chickens come in but because we want tile.

Not that the temptation won't grow.

Come on Bob You don't really expect us to believe that do you?

 

[BY Bob]

Ta Da!

Just like that!

 

[BY Bob]

Come on Bob You don't really expect us to believe that do you?

If there is ever a nest in my house it is your fault!with what has happened my wife has mentioned it several times.

 

[Shadrach]

I’m looking into this multiple rooster sort of arrangement as well... In with Sammy, I have two cockerels that didn’t take the one way trip to freezer camp. I said 15 birds, so when the owl dropped the number of older boys by two I let two of the more aggressive boys from the second hatch go in their stead. Leaving me with just the two “extra boys” I really like my roosters though, so if they can grow up and have a more natural tribe like arrangement then that may be an option. I worry a little as Sammy has a slight wheeze from an altercation when he was younger, whenever he exerts himself too much (not a respiratory infection or such). So his flock consists of Sammy 1 year 3 months, Mrs B and Croppy 2ish, Hoppy 3 or more years, and two cockerels, and 6 pullets just approaching POL. I have to get them outside and free Ranging again for this to be a viable option though.

Yup, the cockerel business is a hard road. I've read that the Jungle Fowl (all four varieties) have up to 3 acre territories. Here it's about an acre per tribe.
One of the problems with the tribe arrangement, apart from working best free range, is each tribe needs seperate housing even if that's a partitioned coop. It's a lot easier with coops some distance apart. You get less fights at morning and dusk and it's easier for the hens to lay her egg in whatever coop she chooses.

 

[micstrachan]

Ta Da!
View attachment 2015354

Just like that!

WOOOHOOOOO!!!!