In a quandry.

[Ditsydaisy]

I am based in Scotland and I have got 4 silkies who were all hatched by me and all live together happily. 2 males and 2 females, they are 6 mths old and they all stay together and move as one. If one does randomly walk away the others will follow or they will run back to join the others when they get the chance to free range. They all snuggle together at night time and you can see the bond between them all.
Unfortunately my rare blue/black mottled roo is very vocal for lots of times during the day.
My neighbours have complained to my local council and I have had visits from them regarding the noise. They gave me some suggestions as to what I could do and apart from the cockeral collar. I have done all they suggested. It has made some difference but not much.
I am trying to find a new home for us all somewhere more rural with no neighbours but its a slow process as not much available in my price range.
I really do not want to rehome both my cockerals as I love them so dearly and they are so sweet but the council may end up enforcing me to do so.

My quandary is if I have to give them up or rehome them. Would it be better to just rehome the roos or shoukd I rehome all four due to their special bond and closeness.
I'm devasted at the thought of it coming to that and am hoping it won't.
I did think bout having them as indoor chickens but I can't as I have 3 dogs 2 with high prey drives due to their breeds.

Can anyone give me any advice?
Would the 2 girls cope with being separated from the roos?
Would adding a couple of other hens help with the separation or should I just rehome them together, if I have to.
I'm so stressed about this and feel like I'm under surveillance all the time now and being judged every time any of my animals make any noise.
Many thanks in advance.

 

[Ridgerunner]

Chickens hate change but are very adaptable. I'd expect them to be upset for a day or two but then adapt and do OK.

Think about it this way. Chickens were originally prey animals, about everything likes to eat chicken. When feral, chickens form tight flocks with a pecking order. When one dies, say from a predator, the others will have to adjust the pecking order and will expect to see them show back up, but within a couple of days the pecking order has been adjusted and they have moved on. Each chicken is an individual and each has its own unique personality so you don't get guarantees with individual chickens but for the majority they quickly move on.

Adding more hens means you will have to go through an integration. That might be a bit disruptive. But once you are through the integration they should become a flock. It sounds like yours may still be pretty young, not fully adults yet. Once they are laying it is usually not a big problem as they are "mature". But if some are still immature it can make integration harder.

 

[Mrs. K]

Try it! I would imagine that you have a dog crate, so put put both roosters in it, see what happens. Or put a single rooster and see what happens with the flock.

However, I think you really might be happiest, if you gave the foursome away. You would feel better about them being together, and it would be quiet in your neighborhood, peace with your neighbors. Dramatic stress reduction.

Thing is, if you give up these birds, that does not mean you can never have chickens again. When you get a different place, then get some. Sometimes trying to force something, really is more stressful than just accepting that something is not working and doing something.

Mrs K

 

[Debbie292d]

I am based in Scotland and I have got 4 silkies who were all hatched by me and all live together happily. 2 males and 2 females, they are 6 mths old and they all stay together and move as one. If one does randomly walk away the others will follow or they will run back to join the others when they get the chance to free range. They all snuggle together at night time and you can see the bond between them all.
Unfortunately my rare blue/black mottled roo is very vocal for lots of times during the day.
My neighbours have complained to my local council and I have had visits from them regarding the noise. They gave me some suggestions as to what I could do and apart from the cockeral collar. I have done all they suggested. It has made some difference but not much.
I am trying to find a new home for us all somewhere more rural with no neighbours but its a slow process as not much available in my price range.
I really do not want to rehome both my cockerals as I love them so dearly and they are so sweet but the council may end up enforcing me to do so.

My quandary is if I have to give them up or rehome them. Would it be better to just rehome the roos or shoukd I rehome all four due to their special bond and closeness.
I'm devasted at the thought of it coming to that and am hoping it won't.
I did think bout having them as indoor chickens but I can't as I have 3 dogs 2 with high prey drives due to their breeds.

Can anyone give me any advice?
Would the 2 girls cope with being separated from the roos?
Would adding a couple of other hens help with the separation or should I just rehome them together, if I have to.
I'm so stressed about this and feel like I'm under surveillance all the time now and being judged every time any of my animals make any noise.
Many thanks in advance.

I know what you mean about the bonding, but give them a few more weeks or even a month or two, and they won't be quite that close-seeming as they turn into adults. Silkies mature much more slowly than regular breeds, so yours are still juveniles. They'll still hang together, but not much of a bond really exists as now they'll see each other as males and females and not just buddies.