Integrating a cockerel into a flock of mature hens

[Birdydeb]

Integration got stuck on hold when I got a case of shingles. It has been a long uphill battle all summer trying to get the help I need. Then the heat and rain. I get soooo frustrated because I am just not physically capable of working on stuff in the heat. It wipes me out....totally. Made some headway last week when it cooled off and now this week the heat has returned. It has been in the 90's since Tuesday. I do however have a plan and if it cools off this week, it shouldn't be too hard to finally get everything in place. Maybe a plus is that with the delay I have come up with a much better plan. The small parallel run I have planned now will benefit not only the new girls but any future broody I may have. I will be sure and post a pic of the setup I am working on. Thanks for remembering and asking!

 

[speckledhen]

Integration got stuck on hold when I got a case of shingles. It has been a long uphill battle all summer trying to get the help I need. Then the heat and rain. I get soooo frustrated because I am just not physically capable of working on stuff in the heat. It wipes me out....totally. Made some headway last week when it cooled off and now this week the heat has returned. It has been in the 90's since Tuesday. I do however have a plan and if it cools off this week, it shouldn't be too hard to finally get everything in place. Maybe a plus is that with the delay I have come up with a much better plan. The small parallel run I have planned now will benefit not only the new girls but any future broody I may have. I will be sure and post a pic of the setup I am working on. Thanks for remembering and asking!

Best wishes for your recovery! I'm so sorry. The heat has gotten to me, too, this year. I'm SICK of heat! I want fall. The nights are cooler, of course, but it gets so hot by late afternoon.

 

[aart]

The heat kicks my @ss too...no AC here so I sit under the ceiling fan most the day,
any physical work has to be done very early in the day.

Now the mosquitoes are numerous and voracious, there has not been many all year until a couple weeks ago.
Am ready for that first frost.

 

[Leahs Mom]

The heat kicks my @ss too...no AC here so I sit under the ceiling fan most the day,
any physical work has to be done very early in the day.

Now the mosquitoes are numerous and voracious, there has not been many all year until a couple weeks ago.
Am ready for that first frost.

We're thinking of putting up bat houses with all the mosquitoes

 

[Birdydeb]

Thanks everyone.... I pretty much knew I had a lot of company as far as suffering through this summer. Ugh! I did EXACTLY what the doctor told me and took my anti-virals exactly as prescribed, rested and did not go out in the sun. It seems to be over, I hope so anyway. Early morning is the only time to get anything done for sure. I LOVE fall and always have but I don't think I have ever looked forward to it so much before. Who woulda thunk the mountains of WV could get so hot? I certainly didn't and thought when we moved here that I had left the heat and humidity of VA behind. Ha!

 

[Birdydeb]

We're thinking of putting up bat houses with all the mosquitoes

I think bat houses are always a good idea. I want to put one up too even though we don't seem to have so many mosquitos.

 

[limited25]

Hi, interested in hearing update on Ichabod. Does he still allow you and the hens to interact and hang out, or has he taken possession of the hens and keeps himself between you and them? Also, how old is he now?

 

[islandgirl82]

Hi! Ichabod is doing great and really filling out now. He's still very gentle, enjoys his daily chest, neck and wattle rubs. I haven't tried to hold him in a while but he's still non-reactive to me handling the hens. He does make a point to mount them in front of me but is still very kind to them. Most of the girls are now molting and he's being very respectful of that as well. His sickle feathers are finally beginning to grow back in - I'm not sure who but one of the girls had pulled them and/or broken them off. I'm eager to finally see him with a full tail.

Free ranging has been kept to a minimum due to the hawk and though I hadn't seen it around in a while, something got our new call duck drake just before bedtime a couple of evenings ago. It was the ducks' first time free ranging as they had finally warmed up to us after spending their first few months of life not being handled but spent their day waddling after me around the yard. Losing one so quickly is very discouraging and I'm not quite sure what to do with my lone female. She's much too small to keep in with the chickens I'm not having much luck finding anyone will available calls that's closer than a two hour drive but my search to get her a new mate will continue as she won't survive the winter alone.

The Westie we had adopted mid-summer ended up going back to the rescue he came from as his aggressiveness became worse the longer he was here. He had not only taken to biting me any time he didn't get his way, to biting and snapping at my mother and growling at my children for giving him commands, he had begun attacking Willie for no apparent reasons, other than Willie's sheer existence. My anxiety levels have plummeted since his departure and Willie has ceased pulling out all his fur. I am an advocate for animal adoptions but had been torn after making the decision with my children to get a second dog, whether to adopt another adult (which I prefer) or start with a puppy that is a clean slate and pure potential but means teething and house training which are not my favorite behaviors to deal with. Given Willie's calm demeanor, I wanted him to have some influence over a new dog but wasn't sure whether he'd be up for having a pup around with him being 9 years old.

I was visiting with a friend and met her neighbor who had a litter with several puppies left at 10 weeks that they were looking to rehome. One of those pups chose us and though I was hesitant, the owner told me he was overwhelmed with them and just wanted them to have good homes so please take her and if it didn't work out, bring her back. So far, she blending in beautifully and as far as puppies go, she couldn't be easier to live with. Her mother was a Lab/Border Collie mix and her father was a Catahoula/Husky mix. Of course my biggest concern has been those Husky genes in regards to my flock but thankfully, her most prominent traits seem to be that of her mother's genes although I think she got the best traits of each breed. She's VERY trainable and extremely responsive to the softest corrections. It only takes one time of telling her "No" or to "Leave it" with something I don't want her to do or have and she responds immediately. She can however, climb a baby gate in a split second thanks to those Husky genes. Her herding instincts are impressive though she doesn't try with the birds, just the children when we go for our nature walks. She makes sure they don't get too far ahead. She also has Willie perking up and moving around more which I'm very pleased to see. He's growled at her twice for trying to take food from his mouth and once for continuously bouncing up in his face but his gentle warnings have been enough to teach her where his boundaries are.

Although Ichabod always placed himself between the Westie and me, he's not the least bit concerned with this pup and seeing as he would be more tuned in to potential threats than me, I think she'll do just fine. I've been having her accompany me during the daily chicken chores and though she's fascinated by them, she's more interested in eating their food than bothering with them. She was also out with the ducks and they weren't the least bit afraid of her nor were they bothered when she joined them in eating their breakfast, sharing their dish with them. She even managed to get the kitchen door open and let herself out and I caught her laying in the grass with them.




Edited to add: My daughter was just out with the flock and was holding Ichabod for quite some time without any issues.

 

[aart]

Puppy!!!
Was just gonna ask for pic but now I see her in the foreground...camouflaged!
Want to see her face tho......sounds like a very good start.
I often ask my 9 year old RascalRoyPoodleBoy if he wants me to get him a puppy, think I've told our foster story....sigh.

 

[islandgirl82]

Pictures you ask???






























Willie's always been great with babies but I wasn't sure if he'd reached an age when he wouldn't be so tolerant with a rambunctious puppy around so I was relieved when I told the guy why I was hesitant and he said to bring her back if it wasn't working. My friends I was visiting ended up with a sister of my pup and their personalities are like night and day but each fits into their new homes seamlessly and I don't think the sister would have been so well received by Willie or my cat. Ours seems to take after the mum and her sister takes after the father's breed traits.

I prefer to adopt older dogs but after all the non-sense with the Westie and his determination to dominate the entire house, having this little girl around is a relief to all of us. She's surprisingly calm but as any puppy, she does have her moments. She adores Willie and was determined from day one to win him over instead of ruling him.

You have told me your foster story. You did your best but as I too experienced, aggression isn't always something that can be trained out of an animal. I guess it would all depend on your dog's tolerance and energy levels and the type of personality a new pup would have and could contribute to your family. Poodles have a pretty high energy level and as I'm seeing, having a young one around is inspiring my big guy to be more active and can potentially contribute to the longevity of an adult dog and the adult in turn can help teach the young one "the ways".