Integrating a cockerel into a flock of mature hens

[Sylvester017]

@Sylvester017 ..it's Egg Yolk Peritonitis

@Bogtown Chick and @Speckled Hen was the EYP confirmed by necrospy?
Any specific thread that shows what it looks like inside after death?
Is it related to and/or caused by internal laying?

For specific details I did a search on the internet and there is more info than anyone could ever need to know, including outward symptoms which are similar to so many other chicken maladies that only a necropsy could diagnose for certain. Apparently EYP can be contagious from what I could understand in my research. I suppose just about anything viral or bacterial can be infectious in a flock. And that one problem can incite a secondary problem with different symptoms. Poor chickens -- they have so much going against them healthwise!

 

[islandgirl82]

Not to worry about any hi-jacking.

Everyone was out ranging today and they're roaming quite far with the goodies become more scarce. I currently have a dozen hens here and they were in 3 groups of 4 and each group was no where near another and I couldn't find Ichabod anywhere which gave me a near anxiety attack. Whenever I called, all the girls came rushing (including the pullets) but he didn't. I wandered all over, knocking on neighbors' doors asking if they'd seen him, looking for feathers....no signs. I finally found him, buried in the compost (where I'd already checked a half dozen times), picking through a few loaves of freezer burned bread that has enough seeds in it to be considered bird food anyway. He was so excited about it that he didn't even talk back to me when he heard me calling and he never misses out on chattering to me!

The two RSLs have decided to be a couple of last minute molters and since changing the pullets' feed to something higher in protein, the disruption in their diet has them off laying too for the time being so he's not sticking with any of them so closely now. He even ditched them all yesterday to help me with my final garden clean up for the year although one of the girls caught on to the fact that he was getting special treats and joined in.


Just before jumping up onto my lap for a neck rub

@speckledhen , he is looking a little more mature every day but his attitude hasn't changed one bit.

 

[Bogtown Chick]

Oh he's such a good boy. You can tell. Despite dereliction of his duties.

He sounds so much like Junior. Good boy but not up to speed on where his hens are always.

 

[aart]

That is one wild comb!....Reminds me of a soap dish with those nubbins.

 

[islandgirl82]

He'd been great about keeping them all in the same general area even in their divided groups but the past two days he has been slacking in that department. I'm used to keeping track of the girls myself and not having a rooster around to fill that role so my expectations aren't very high. I'm sure once they've begun laying again, he'll be keeping better track of them. He also wasn't able to get out to forage much over the weekend so I'm sure that has a bit to do with his negligence.

 

[islandgirl82]

That is one wild comb!....Reminds me of a soap dish with those nubbins.

Hahaha! Poor guy lost a couple of those nubs to that pullet. She's singing a much different tune now that they're able to range at least part of every day though.

 

[Bogtown Chick]

He's very pretty. I'm looking at the pictures again of him. The barring is really nice on him.

 

[islandgirl82]

With all the girls on a break from laying, Ichabod is becoming less and less interested in being a part of the flock and more interested in helping me with Autumn clean up, posing for photos and pecking at the kitchen door whenever I'm not outside. He's even bringing the goodies he finds to me instead of sharing them with the hens and he won't share his favorite dirt bathing spot with any of them like he used to but at least there's no bickering or bullying going on.

 

[Leahs Mom]

There are some things that just motivate a man to share....and when they don't come into play well, what's the use?

 

[islandgirl82]

haha My thoughts exactly.

However, when one of the lowest girls finds something extra tasty and a few of the middle to higher ups give chase to take it, he will still intervene giving the less popular girls time to eat their goodies in peace so chivalry isn't completely dead.