INDIANA BYC'ers HERE!

[HelloChickies]

Okay, I just had to share with y'all this precious picture of my 12 week old Blue Cochin pullet, Cazzie, today.

Look at this face!!

Oh my gosh- funny face! What a cutie pie she is!

lol

 

[Leahs Mom]

Need some advice/thoughts re: COCKEREL BEHAVIOR

I'm curious to hear folk's experience adding younger chicks into the ranging flock.

I have 5 SFH that are apx 18 week old. 2 of them are cockerels. These 2 boys are from very different lines.

I have some 13 week old Buckeyes that are "VERY LAID-BACK". They have a completely different personality than the SFH. My older birds that aren't sfh are treating the Buckeyes fine. Normal "this-is-my-territory" type stuff/. The 2yo SFH are a little more aggressive and the 18 week olds more yet.

I dare not let the cockerels around the little Buckeyes. One of the boys (the nicest looking one) went after one of the Buckeye kids like an eagle - legs out front, landed on and started to attack.

None of the other breeds have ever shown that kind of behavior toward younger birds. Yes...the normal "get out of my territory" stuff, but never a full-on aggression-with-intent-to-kill type attack.

So here are my questions:
I'd like to hear other's experience with this. Would that kind of behavior be reason to be done with that cockerel? I know he's young and needs time to learn his manners. Do I expect him to grow out of that behavior...or is that unrealistic? How much time should I give it?

Since the weather is going to be so hot the next few days I'm actually going to pen the 2 cockerels so they're not running after any of the girls to the point of heat exhaustion. So they'll have a bit of a break from them.

The Buckeyes are in the barn pen during the day until I'm there to let them out and observe after work.

 

[Leahs Mom]

My original plan was going to be to let each of the 2 sfh cockerels rotate in with the girls so that I could observe their behavior and decide which to keep. But with the little Buckeyes coming up I think it might be too dangerous for them!

There are 3 Buckeye cockerels in that group for sure. All the Buckeyes are really, really, really gentle little souls. These are the first Buckeyes I've had but the experience so far is great. I just don't like to have herds of birds that all look alike!!!

If I keep both SFH until they mature a bit...I could pen those 2 boys in a dog kennel right where all the birds free-range and keep them in a separate pen in the barn at night. OR I have a little chicken shed with an outdoor kennel/run that is across a fence from the barn and they could house completely away from the others. They could still see each other even if they are in the little house. They'd just be a bit farther away.

Will it drive them totally nuts to be housed in close proximity in the current area? Will they be so aggressive when they get out that they would just "go nuts" on the girls?

 

[Chaneys Ranch]

Okay, I just had to share with y'all this precious picture of my 12 week old Blue Cochin pullet, Cazzie, today.

Look at this face!!

What a sweet face, she looks precious.

Need some advice/thoughts re: COCKEREL BEHAVIOR

I'm curious to hear folk's experience adding younger chicks into the ranging flock.

I have 5 SFH that are apx 18 week old. 2 of them are cockerels. These 2 boys are from very different lines.

I have some 13 week old Buckeyes that are "VERY LAID-BACK". They have a completely different personality than the SFH. My older birds that aren't sfh are treating the Buckeyes fine. Normal "this-is-my-territory" type stuff/. The 2yo SFH are a little more aggressive and the 18 week olds more yet.

I dare not let the cockerels around the little Buckeyes. One of the boys (the nicest looking one) went after one of the Buckeye kids like an eagle - legs out front, landed on and started to attack.

None of the other breeds have ever shown that kind of behavior toward younger birds. Yes...the normal "get out of my territory" stuff, but never a full-on aggression-with-intent-to-kill type attack.

So here are my questions:
I'd like to hear other's experience with this. Would that kind of behavior be reason to be done with that cockerel? I know he's young and needs time to learn his manners. Do I expect him to grow out of that behavior...or is that unrealistic? How much time should I give it?

Since the weather is going to be so hot the next few days I'm actually going to pen the 2 cockerels so they're not running after any of the girls to the point of heat exhaustion. So they'll have a bit of a break from them.

The Buckeyes are in the barn pen during the day until I'm there to let them out and observe after work.

My original plan was going to be to let each of the 2 sfh cockerels rotate in with the girls so that I could observe their behavior and decide which to keep. But with the little Buckeyes coming up I think it might be too dangerous for them!

There are 3 Buckeye cockerels in that group for sure. All the Buckeyes are really, really, really gentle little souls. These are the first Buckeyes I've had but the experience so far is great. I just don't like to have herds of birds that all look alike!!!

If I keep both SFH until they mature a bit...I could pen those 2 boys in a dog kennel right where all the birds free-range and keep them in a separate pen in the barn at night. OR I have a little chicken shed with an outdoor kennel/run that is across a fence from the barn and they could house completely away from the others. They could still see each other even if they are in the little house. They'd just be a bit farther away.

Will it drive them totally nuts to be housed in close proximity in the current area? Will they be so aggressive when they get out that they would just "go nuts" on the girls?

I think I would pick the farther away option. Being in with the flocks will diminish the buckeyes even with the older cockerels penned up. I say that assuming you plan for the buckeye to join the main flock eventually. I have only seen the type of aggression in one breed of rooster, my original Wyandottes a few years back. Once I started hatching, the young rooster was terribly aggressive towards younger birds, especially the cockerels. His offspring were just as bad, and the hens were too! That's what made me finally steer away from them.
I added Wyandotte again late last year, and this rooster is a big pet. Calm docile rooster, very good to his hens. That told me it was the line of birds I had, but not the breed itself. One important note, are either of the roosters from the same breeder as any of the SFH? If you continue to see any issues with that cockerel, watch the hens too if they are from the same line.

 

[Leahs Mom]

Interestingly....

In this group of sfh there are 2 distinct groups. The breeder had chicks from her own flock and from another flock that had German parentage.

Three of the birds are from her flock. All have a decent disposition. The 2 adult sfh hens I have are also from her flock with decent disposition.



The cockerel in question had a German line mother.

There is a pullet that is mean as snakes. She bites rather than pecks. Very aggressive toward ME. I can be minding my own business doing something like opening a clasp on a pen and she will come over and bite my hand. She'll stand up tall and "complain" at me face to face. If I try to touch her she will BITE. Never had a pullet act this way. She had a GERMAN LINE Father.

So, yes, I see a line connection potentially.

Edited to fix...pullet had german line father not mother.

@jchny2000

 

[Leahs Mom]

@jchny2000
The Wyandotte roo you described that you currently have - did he come as a chick or as an adult?

 

[Chaneys Ranch]

Interestingly....

In this group of sfh there are 2 distinct groups. The breeder had chicks from her own flock and from another flock that had German parentage.

Three of the birds are from her flock. All have a decent disposition. The 2 adult sfh hens I have are also from her flock with decent disposition.



The cockerel in question had a German line mother.

There is a pullet that is mean as snakes. She bites rather than pecks. Very aggressive toward ME. I can be minding my own business doing something like opening a clasp on a pen and she will come over and bite my hand. She'll stand up tall and "complain" at me face to face. If I try to touch her she will BITE. Never had a pullet act this way. She had a GERMAN LINE MOTHER.

So, yes, I see a line connection potentially.

@jchny2000

Ok, then I think I would carefully reconsider those 2 birds for breeding purposes. That's telling me there is a behavior problem with the German line, or at least the crossover with the other line.

 

[Leahs Mom]

Do you think I should give the boy a chance or just be done with him?

The girl...I really don't think I want that disposition around. Never seen anything like it. I could ignore her and just not hatch any of her eggs. But she is sure unpleasant to be around. I can't even pick her up if needed without fear of being bitten.

 

[Chaneys Ranch]

@jchny2000
The Wyandotte roo you described that you currently have - did he come as a chick or as an adult?

He was a young adult bird. Just had a natural social behavior from the day I got him. Am pretty sure he was from @SallyinIndiana and may have been earlier last year than I realized, thinking back. He is a blue laced red.

 

[Chaneys Ranch]

Do you think I should give the boy a chance or just be done with him?

The girl...I really don't think I want that disposition around. Never seen anything like it. I could ignore her and just not hatch any of her eggs. But she is sure unpleasant to be around. I can't even pick her up if needed without fear of being bitten.

How does the cockerel act towards you? Agreed with the hen, thats just not a good situation. I have learned if something tells me there's an issue with a bird, good chance my gut feeling is right.