Integrating a cockerel into a flock of mature hens

[islandgirl82]

Yes! I have more video as this went on for several minutes before we left the run but it's all just of her sitting/laying there watching them running around and eating. She's very curious about them but not in a predatory way. She just wants to be near them...and everyone. This is exactly what I caught her doing with the call ducks when she let herself out of the house...just laying in the grass with them and they weren't the least bit afraid of her. She'll even belly crawl to the cat so she doesn't scare her away.

 

[aart]

Awwww.....expotentialpuppycuteness!

 

[Sylvester017]

I got some video of this evening's feeding. Zero commands were given (please excuse the feather stuck to her chin):

Thanks for sharing! The introduction of pup and chicks is great. I was chuckling though as I watched the EE. Even though all the flock was normal and easy the EE in true skittish nature was figuring how to maneuver and not go anywhere near the puppy. EEs are such wary cautious alert personalities. Our Blue Wheaten Ameraucana was our gentlest bird but as with EEs they have such suspicious natures and it takes them 10x longer to trust a situation. Our flock learned to use the nipple valve waterers by the 2nd day -- 9 days later our girl finally got thirsty enough to trust the waterer. She NEVER learned to use the chicken treadle feeder and spooked all the other chickens if she got anywhere near it. Sweet gentle non-combative breed but too skittery for the rest of my calm docile flock.

 

[islandgirl82]

Oh that's Olive Oyl the OE. She was hatched in my son's kindergarten class a few years ago (along with my last cockerel who was an EE and an absolute terror), hasn't laid an egg past her first year but is my daughter's favorite hen. Despite being handled by and entire class of 5 year olds during her first week of life and handled regularly everyday since by us, you've hit the nail on the head with that description. She squats for my daughter and no one else.

My top hen is a clean-faced EE and is from my original flock which consisted four EEs; two bearded and two clean-faced. The bearded were far more skittish. I'm not sure if there's anything to that, temperament in relation to beard/muff vs. none. Luna was my favorite; clean-faced, white with a little bit of light grey in that pattern so common of EEs. She had slate legs and laid the bluest eggs of any EEs I've had. She was an escape artist and would meet me at the kitchen door every morning and then stand in front of me for me to pick her up and carry her back to the barn to let everyone else out. She was also the reason I had to close up the cat door as she figured out how to use it and would let herself into the house all the time.

 

[speckledhen]

Quote: This is a smart guy you have. When the stray cat who has become ours first arrived, Atlas, my BR rooster, was extremely leery of him. He'd get between me and the cat-and that was 2 years ago, when Atlas was only about 6 months old. One day, he lowered his head and charged the cat. As he realized it was not a threat to the birds, he relaxed and now, he'll take a mouse away from Finn if he can get to him. Poor kitty, LOL. He gets no respect anymore.

My friend Ladyhawk's Blue Orp has gotten between her and dogs and once, her and a strange man he apparently did not trust. She said the man was fairly creepy to her, too, so perhaps Lancelot picked up on that. At 15 lbs, he is pretty intimidating. And her younger rooster, Ragnar, grandson of my Delaware, Isaac, stepped between her and a growling pitbull a couple of months ago. She had picked up a tobacco stick and was ready to defend herself and the few hens who were out with the rooster when Ragnar came up behind her, then beside her, then when the dog stepped closer, Ragnar stepped in front of her and lowered his head. Her husband came running with his firearm before it could escalate and the dog ran off (recently while chasing her jeep and jumping at her driver's side window where she was leaning her elbow, he got a face full of Mace out the window, haha-maybe that cured the car-chasing, at least).

So, these guys, at least the more intelligent ones, do realize what and who is a threat and who isn't. It's amazing that occasionally, we see them step in to defend us as well as their hens. It's one reason I love my roosters so much, I guess, that valiant spirit that says "protect, defend" at any cost. I think your Ichabod is really a keeper. And so is that gorgeous pup, too!

 

[islandgirl82]

Quote:

This is a smart guy you have. When the stray cat who has become ours first arrived, Atlas, my BR rooster, was extremely leery of him. He'd get between me and the cat-and that was 2 years ago, when Atlas was only about 6 months old. One day, he lowered his head and charged the cat. As he realized it was not a threat to the birds, he relaxed and now, he'll take a mouse away from Finn if he can get to him. Poor kitty, LOL. He gets no respect anymore.

My friend Ladyhawk's Blue Orp has gotten between her and dogs and once, her and a strange man he apparently did not trust. She said the man was fairly creepy to her, too, so perhaps Lancelot picked up on that. At 15 lbs, he is pretty intimidating. And her younger rooster, Ragnar, grandson of my Delaware, Isaac, stepped between her and a growling pitbull a couple of months ago. She had picked up a tobacco stick and was ready to defend herself and the few hens who were out with the rooster when Ragnar came up behind her, then beside her, then when the dog stepped closer, Ragnar stepped in front of her and lowered his head. Her husband came running with his firearm before it could escalate and the dog ran off (recently while chasing her jeep and jumping at her driver's side window where she was leaning her elbow, he got a face full of Mace out the window, haha-maybe that cured the car-chasing, at least).

So, these guys, at least the more intelligent ones, do realize what and who is a threat and who isn't. It's amazing that occasionally, we see them step in to defend us as well as their hens. It's one reason I love my roosters so much, I guess, that valiant spirit that says "protect, defend" at any cost. I think your Ichabod is really a keeper. And so is that gorgeous pup, too!

I think roosters like these need more recognition. Maybe there's an article on here that's already been written but I've yet to find one that describes even just the typical behavior from newly hatched cockerel to mature rooster. Perhaps fewer people will write them off if they have a better understanding of them and it may also help those who are growing out multples to decide who to keep and who to cull.

I have to agree with you; both Ichabod and the puppy are great to have around. They've blended into the mix here beautifully.

 

[Sylvester017]

She was an escape artist and would meet me at the kitchen door every morning and then stand in front of me for me to pick her up and carry her back to the barn to let everyone else out. She was also the reason I had to close up the cat door as she figured out how to use it and would let herself into the house all the time.

So, these guys, at least the more intelligent ones, do realize what and who is a threat and who isn't. It's amazing that occasionally, we see them step in to defend us as well as their hens. It's one reason I love my roosters so much, I guess, that valiant spirit that says "protect, defend" at any cost. I think your Ichabod is really a keeper. And so is that gorgeous pup, too!

I think roosters like these need more recognition. Maybe there's an article on here that's already been written but I've yet to find one that describes even just the typical behavior from newly hatched cockerel to mature rooster. Perhaps fewer people will write them off if they have a better understanding of them and it may also help those who are growing out multples to decide who to keep and who to cull.

Chickens are just brainless "chickens" to most who've never had or bred them. I get so incensed when I hear of the mistreatment of animals, but most especially chickens in particular who no one can imagine have instinct, personality, or "brains." I love giving a cuddly Silkie to one of my frightened visitors to hold to find how gentle, sweet, and calm they can be and that chickens are not all eye-pecking attacking monsters and have the ability to separate safe situations from dangerous ones! This little guy loved our flock so much he wants chickens of his own!

 

[islandgirl82]

My mother was afraid of chickens right up until Ichabod joined the flock and she saw how we can all walk right up to him and pick him up. She thinks they're beautiful and she likes watching them but she never wanted to get very close to one. I had her hold him and once she did, she's not afraid of them anymore and doesn't mind them running up to her. I still don't think she'd voluntarily pick one up but she's at least not so uneasy around them.

As much as I love Autumn, molting season is my least favorite time for the flock. Everyone is on edge and to make it worse, only the two trouble makers, the RSLs aren't going through it or at least not like the others and they're the only girls currently laying. The head mistress and Hola are going through it the worst and though their ranks haven't changed as a result, the RSLs have become Ichabod's favorite gals and they've become brutal, particularly towards the two bearded ladies. They don't just chase them away from EVERYTHING but they're actually instigating endless spars. Ichabod breaks them up but then guards those two girls from everyone else. These two have even gone as far as blocking access or picking on the others so much that several have taken to sleeping in the nest boxes. I'm debating whether to seek out a couple of replacement girls now so he's not without at least of couple of ladies who are still laying and we're not without eggs or to just cull them and hope that his attitude towards the rest change once they're gone. *Note: he's great with all of them, doesn't pick on anyone, he just favors those two.

I know I could put them in isolation for a while until everyone else is closer to being fully feathered again but I have my doubts that their attitudes will change much once they're reintroduced. I'm interested to know what others would do in this scenario.

 

[Leahs Mom]

That's a hard situation. I have been able to re-home some hens that were troublemakers into a different flock and it was so much more peaceful. But I just have "something" about processing layers for soup if they're still laying.

Not sure if processing is what you meant by culling. But removing a laying bird from the flock is always hard for me even if they are re-homed.

I have to say, however, that whenever I have removed one I always wondered why I didn't do it sooner after the change in flock peace. And, especially going into winter when they tend to want to say in closer quarters, it sure is a stress to have that kind of thing going on.

At one time I had 2 hatchery BRs that would stand on either side of the entrance to the pop door in the chicken shed. Like little sentries, they would harass any bird they didn't deem worthy of entering the shed. This was in the dead of winter in sub freezing temperatures. The younger or lower birds were forced to stay outside in weather that they should never have been in. And the shed was small enough that being closed in to those tight quarters wasn't optimal either. Very upsetting and disturbing.



Now the birds are in a larger pen inside the barn which gives them plenty of room inside when the weather doesn't allow them to be outside. But that awful experience with those 2 BR sentries made me decide that I would never put up with that again.

 

[islandgirl82]

That's exactly why their new coop will have two chicken doors. They're currently preventing the bearded ladies from even coming outside. I had to put them out and close the door. Since it's just the two bullies who are laying, I don't really feel bad about denying their access to the nesting boxes. I'm doing a big clean out this afternoon anyway and I always keep them out when I do.

They're still here because they're the most prolific layers in the flock but as for personalities, I've never cared for them. I would be rehoming them to a flock that can handle their attitudes. I just don't know if I should have replacement girls for Ichabod or not worry about it, rehome them and just wait for dom babies to hatch in the spring.