Food Agression

[bobbi-j]

I'm brainstorming and eaten by people who are willing to slaughter them is where I am headed since I want to keep 2 of the prettier and mellower males and not leave natural selection to chance that the meanest will come out on top. I have no intention of craigslisting them so they can be used for the sport of fighting or bait critters for someones fighting cock. If I was unclear there my apologies. I have plenty of neighbors who will eat them as 50% of this neighborhood raises them for meat/eggs. This is one of the poorest counties in Texas. Free meat should be an easy sale and I know to whom the roos will be going now that I have gotten feedback/assistance with brainstorming a solution. As I had mentioned previously this is my first experience with the practice of culling and my first ever flock. I went into this unprepared for the subtraction aspect of chicken math.

Sorry for jumping on you. I have read of others who are actually willing to leave their chickens out to be eaten by predators. I don't understand it.

I think it's great you're willing to find a family or two that can use the extra meat, and avoiding craigslist as cock fighting is something that happens where you live.

Yeah, the need for subtraction can kind of sneak up on us.

 

[AllenK RGV]

BTW back to the OP. Food Aggression, seems segregation or culling is the correct answer to solving chicken behavioral issues provided a shortage of food is not the reason?

 

[AllenK RGV]

Sorry for jumping on you. I have read of others who are actually willing to leave their chickens out to be eaten by predators. I don't understand it.

I think it's great you're willing to find a family or two that can use the extra meat, and avoiding craigslist as cock fighting is something that happens where you live.

Yeah, the need for subtraction can kind of sneak up on us.

I'm going to upset my wife no matter what decision I make regarding subtraction. I just want my ducks in a row for my rational and was hoping I could keep all of my original fowl. Obviously that is not realistic with my current flock. I need to order more hens and want to keep the two guys that just follow me around and rely on me to keep em safe when we are in the yard ranging. I do enjoy my chicken therapy over a cup of coffee. After I lose 5 cocks to folks who will eat them I will be catching "heck" when I tell her I'm ordering more hens but in hopes of clearing out the scorpions food sources I think I will be ok with her. It is quite disconcerting going out at night and blacklighting 25 scorps in a night, especially when most of them are around the pool(water source). I have tried nightly scorp stomping raids for about a month straight and gotten their numbers down to maybe 8 per night but that just became too tiring and tedious. My fingers are crossed that chicken can accomplish what I couldn't. Right now I seriously have 1000's of inchworm caterpillars in my driveway alone that the chicken love to eat out in the yard. I'm sure the scorpions love em too so need some serious pesticide free pest control.

 

[centrarchid]

I'm brainstorming and eaten by people who are willing to slaughter them is where I am headed since I want to keep 2 of the prettier and mellower males and not leave natural selection to chance that the meanest will come out on top. I have no intention of craigslisting them so they can be used for the sport of fighting or bait critters for someones fighting cock. If I was unclear there my apologies. I have plenty of neighbors who will eat them as 50% of this neighborhood raises them for meat/eggs. This is one of the poorest counties in Texas. Free meat should be an easy sale and I know to whom the roos will be going now that I have gotten feedback/assistance with brainstorming a solution. As I had mentioned previously this is my first experience with the practice of culling and my first ever flock. I went into this unprepared for the subtraction aspect of chicken math.

I avoided responding to thread as waiting for response from OP. Thread to a turn that is a bit uncoupled from reality and is perpetuating. Bold / underlined statement above got traction based on responses further down into thread. That statement is not based based on reality. The breed in question as it occurs in the US is no longer considered to be game. Males will not be used for fighting.

We committing the oft repeated assumption that old accounts for chicken breeds from many years to decades back are accurate. In many cases, like this one, they are not accurate and it fuels a witch hunt.

 

[AllenK RGV]

I avoided responding to thread as waiting for response from OP. Thread to a turn that is a bit uncoupled from reality and is perpetuating. Bold / underlined statement above got traction based on responses further down into thread. That statement is not based based on reality. The breed in question as it occurs in the US is no longer considered to be game. Males will not be used for fighting.

We committing the oft repeated assumption that old accounts for chicken breeds from many years to decades back are accurate. In many cases, like this one, they are not accurate and it fuels a witch hunt.

If you only lived here you would understand it isn't uncoupled from reality. People's dogs are frequently stolen from their yards to be used as bait for fighting dogs. I had had a chewed up looking pit bull roam onto my property when the lawn guy was here the dog was sweet but emaciated. After one week of food and vet care with treatment for all of her worms and coccididia she felt she was once again in fighting shape and got hold of one one of my gals. My wife and I managed to get her off my dog and you couldn't imagine how fast that animal transitioned into a killing machine it took me 25 minutes of tugging it by its harness to get it across the yard to secure it. There are neighborhoods notorious for people finding multiple trash bags of dead dogs with mouths taped over. If you can explain why this is other than those animals were bait animals please inform me. I can't imagine it would be otherwise with young cockrel I am not saying they are useful for fighting but useful as BAIT.

 

[Chickassan]

I think your wife will come to love your choice of more hens, less boys, and way less scorpions. If she knew how ugly it could get she would hug you for doing it. Besides,nothing on earth nicer than sitting having a cup of coffee watching a happy flock of chickens.

 

[AllenK RGV]

I think your wife will come to love your choice of more hens, less boys, and way less scorpions. If she knew how ugly it could get she would hug you for doing it. Besides,nothing on earth nicer than sitting having a cup of coffee watching a happy flock of chickens.

Shame to find out I am too late in the season to get a new clutch of hens ordered. I did find out that Ideal hatcheries is only a 5 hour drive away in Cameron, Tx I live in Cameron County but their nursery is north of Austin. They are telling me Jan-Feb is about the earliest they expect to hatch out any Sumatras. So after culling down to 2 cocks and 3 hen's its going to be a while before I can get some new stock.Good news is my wife and I are now in agreement which 2 cockrels are the keepers she surprised me with that over chicken watching coffee this AM, guess she needed to sleep on it. My only other hope is a private party near Corpus Christy, TX(for additional stock) hopefully they will answer the pm I sent with positive news, but to be honest I don't know if a private party would immunize for Maerks(sp?) as a hatchery would guess that is something I will ask.


NOW back to the OP's Food aggression I'm getting the idea that I was correct in asking, but now am stating "segregation or cull for behavioral issues" is the preferred resolution.

 

[lazy gardener]

If you only lived here you would understand it isn't uncoupled from reality.

Responding to above post, but couldn't bring myself to quote the entire thing. I am overcome by such a post. The depravity of human nature is written all over this post. It absolutely sickens me. Praying for the day when such evil ceases.

 

[Chickassan]

Yes you are correct in that statement. Food agression isn't tolerable in roos except in cases of starvation and even then the behavior is rare since roos are hardwired to provide. Nobody really just itches to cull but chickens don't respond to reason or even heart to heart talks. Some things can be changed with modification to feed,routine,living conditions but some things are just really set in stone

 

[aart]

NOW back to the OP's Food aggression I'm getting the idea that I was correct in asking, but now am stating "segregation or cull for behavioral issues" is the preferred resolution.

I wouldn't worry too much about the OP....they never came back to even read the responses to their question, it happens often.
They can jump back in, no problem, if they do return.