Got Flogged by A rooster tonight

[RoseMarie1]

Rose, that is happening right now with my flock too, so it's just a stage, time of year, etc...you know how to fix that? Feed even less. Tonight my older flock got next to nothing to eat and the younger birds were full from free ranging...but not the older flock. They camped out by the back door all day long waiting to be fed. They've been doing that for the past two weeks and only a few are actually going out on free range...so rations are getting cut drastically until all are out hunting for their provender again.

They actually don't need any food at all if they have excellent free range...and mine do. So, time to get those fat girls back to hunting again. The only ones that foraged today were Little Red, The Wild Bunch and the Foster Mom and Barbara Ann, one of my BRs. The rest sat around waiting for supper...ALL DAY LONG. I have chicken poop on both porches and that DID it!

Time to play rough...no more than one cup total~for all 14 birds~of FF each evening until I see some foraging by all birds. If that doesn't do it, NO FOOD.

oh noooo same here! I have poo on my patio every day for the past few days. They're just camping out here and around their pen. Now some of them are really getting out and free ranging BUT when they see the others come running here they come to. Shoooo I was afraid I was doing something else wrong. So glad it's not something I'm doing making them do this. I guess with fall being so close on us they have raving hungers or something. That cockerel that was pulling out feathers is still at it to. He grabs a wad and runs off and eats them and in 5 minutes he's at it again. He did it to one of the other cockerels and he went after him but he's quick. I checked them again tonight for any eggs or lice or mites can't keep it straight which is which. Lice gets on the legs right? Mites get near the vent and other places? Anyway saw pretty skin not red or irritated and no eggs or critters. Watched a video on you tube showing you how to check them and what to look for but I can't keep the critters straight. I didn't know when you turned them over on their backs they would get calm. That is too cool! And it worked to!

They gettin' lazy on us Bee. Tough love I guess. That's going to be hard but if you can do it I can to.

 

[Beekissed]

That's the spirit! It is time of year, it seems, though the bug life is really hopping out there...who knows why these chickens are doing this and some are not, but they will soon get hungry enough to go find their own foods.

Lice are on the skin and you can find them and their eggs most often around the vent. They live there all the time and their whole life cycle is on the bird.

There are two kinds of mites..those you can see and those you will never see. The ones you can see are skin mites, or northern fowl mites~there are two kinds, red and white~and they will be found around the vent area as well..and all over their bodies, but you can see them best around the vent where the feathers are less. They lay eggs on the base of the feathers and they come out at night to feed on the birds, but will return to the wood of the coop during the day. Treating the roosts and the wood near the roosts will keep them from traveling onto your birds at night.

The scale mites you will never see...you'll just see the scales raised and feet looking inflamed. These live on the body at all times.

 

[RoseMarie1]

That's the spirit! It is time of year, it seems, though the bug life is really hopping out there...who knows why these chickens are doing this and some are not, but they will soon get hungry enough to go find their own foods.

Lice are on the skin and you can find them and their eggs most often around the vent. They live there all the time and their whole life cycle is on the bird.

There are two kinds of mites..those you can see and those you will never see. The ones you can see are skin mites, or northern fowl mites~there are two kinds, red and white~and they will be found around the vent area as well..and all over their bodies, but you can see them best around the vent where the feathers are less. They lay eggs on the base of the feathers and they come out at night to feed on the birds, but will return to the wood of the coop during the day. Treating the roosts and the wood near the roosts will keep them from traveling onto your birds at night.

The scale mites you will never see...you'll just see the scales raised and feet looking inflamed. These live on the body at all times.

OHHH so the scale mites is what your Gnarly bunch had when you got them back? That's why to dip their feet into the mineral oil right? So they live on the BODY as well as the feet? Now I'm itching....lol Which one is it that lays their eggs every 11 days?
Thank you Bee going to cut and paste this one to so I can remember and refer back to it.

 

[Beekissed]

OHHH so the scale mites is what your Gnarly bunch had when you got them back? That's why to dip their feet into the mineral oil right? So they live on the BODY as well as the feet? Now I'm itching....lol Which one is it that lays their eggs every 11 days?
Thank you Bee going to cut and paste this one to so I can remember and refer back to it.

I've never used mineral oil on them but I have used the NuStock and castor oil on them. They had lice, skin mites and scale mites when I got them back...not sure which one lays their eggs when because this was the first time I'd had to deal with all that on such a scale. I just knew they had to die and so started throwing everything I had at them until they were clear of them...it took quite some time to get them ALL cleared up.

 

[RoseMarie1]

I've never used mineral oil on them but I have used the NuStock and castor oil on them. They had lice, skin mites and scale mites when I got them back...not sure which one lays their eggs when because this was the first time I'd had to deal with all that on such a scale. I just knew they had to die and so started throwing everything I had at them until they were clear of them...it took quite some time to get them ALL cleared up.

castor oil not mineral oil. UGHH my memory is sooo bad right now. Yeah I remember the NuStock was what you were really talking about then. Man its a good thing you didn't have 30 plus birds at the time. Man that would have been a mess!

 

[Beekissed]

Yep...one other time, when I did have 30 birds, I took in some "free" chickens someone kept wanting me to take...and took in their scale mites too, though their legs looked fine at the time. I tried all kinds of things on my bird's feet and nothing worked, but the NuStock worked on the first time and I didn't have to retreat them. That was some years ago...and some of these same birds were just a year old or so.

That was my very first time in dealing with any kind of external parasites in my flocks on all my years...it was a little strange to go that long and then BOOM, scale mites.

 

[RoseMarie1]

Yep...one other time, when I did have 30 birds, I took in some "free" chickens someone kept wanting me to take...and took in their scale mites too, though their legs looked fine at the time. I tried all kinds of things on my bird's feet and nothing worked, but the NuStock worked on the first time and I didn't have to retreat them. That was some years ago...and some of these same birds were just a year old or so.

That was my very first time in dealing with any kind of external parasites in my flocks on all my years...it was a little strange to go that long and then BOOM, scale mites.

Oh I bet it was and so glad it ONLY took one treatment cause that can get expensive with a huge flock like that. I've sold 3 of my cockerels so far but still have like 11-12 maybe even 13 left. lol

 

[Beekissed]

You know that little feather grabber? I'd cull that little fart...he seems like he isn't going to get over this eating of feathers. I've never seen such a thing before in a chicken flock and it's just not normal to keep doing it past a few feathers here and there. Could be that he is just suffering from a congenital defect that results in a nutritional deficit? Not sure, but he is certainly not worth feeding...could you sell him next or just eat him?

 

[RoseMarie1]

You know that little feather grabber? I'd cull that little fart...he seems like he isn't going to get over this eating of feathers. I've never seen such a thing before in a chicken flock and it's just not normal to keep doing it past a few feathers here and there. Could be that he is just suffering from a congenital defect that results in a nutritional deficit? Not sure, but he is certainly not worth feeding...could you sell him next or just eat him?

same thing I was thinking except I'd have to tell them he's doing this unless they were going to eat him. Then I also thought maybe this is what it's suppose to be so I can eat him myself. lol I really did actually think of that if hubby could kill it I think I might could eat it. I KNOW I could clean it because I was raised doing all that stuff. It's just been a little while but that doesn't bother me. I just don't want to see it flopping around or anything. chills...... But this thing pulls the feathers and takes off with them and eats them and comes back in 5 minutes or less for some more. Those poor hens and cockerels I feel so sorry for them when he pulls a wad of them out because the sounds they make I know it's hurting them.

I put him in a pen to himself yesterday evening because he was even doing this when they were out free ranging and to make him stop because it was horrible how he was going at it. 3x with hubby and I sitting there on the swing. I'd go after him every time he'd do it. I watched what he was doing and how he was acting and at one point he was fixing to try it again and I hollered at him one time and jumped up heading toward him and he ran the other way. I was about ready to drop kick him! ARG He keeps it up and I just might be able to kill him myself! lol

 

[Beekissed]

I think I would too!! I've never seen something like that in all my chickeny days! I've seen a bird pick out a molting feather from another bird and eat it...sort of like one of us going, "Hey! You have a hair.....just let me get that..."

Sorry if I gave you the wrong advice on the little brat! Just goes to show you how I don't know what I think I know.....

I'd wring his little neck in a heartbeat...or if you have a dog that needs training, I'd use him for that first..and THEN eat him.