Just saying Hi to everyone

IshyBabe

In the Brooder
Sep 26, 2017
13
7
26
Ola1 Chaps,

Yes we are new to chooks.

We have a 12 acre lifestyle block in the North of the North Island in New Zealand. We retired 18 months ago and were working on our road frontage planting trees. We were watering them in and turned round to find 4 roosters drinking from the water puddles forming. It had been a very hot and dry autumn. They looked rather thin and scrawny. We filled up a couple of baking trays with water which they lapped up and we gave them some wild bird seed that was left from our bird feeders. The next day, we purchased some chook food and put that out for them. From then on, we “had been adopted”. It’s not their fault that they were born male and apparently there is a very hefty fine if you are caught dumping roosters at the road side, however as we are 25 kms from the town, nobody would notice it in the middle of the night.

The plan had been, fatten them up and then put them in the pot. I know, not really very nice. However, “The Naughty Boys” won us over. They were called this because initially they would come into our porch and onto our deck and poop everywhere. The occasional well flung Flip-Flop as a deterrent put a stop to that.

They are called 1,2,3 & 4 based on their original pecking order (and we hadn’t wanted to become attached to them because of “the pot thing”, though this order has changed over time. As for breed, well, I have no idea. I have added a picture below, so if anyone can tell me what we have, that would be great.

We built them a large coop to roost in, but they still go over the road each night to roost in the Tea tree despite the wind and the rain !!!! They do come over every morning and free range round the acre and half round the house. They have a Chookateria and water bell in the coop that they use, as well as foraging around the orchard for bugs.

Hobbies wise, we are heavily into DIY, craft, killing Gorse – a long term battle on our land, and trying to lay down the start of a proper Lifestyle Block. There is only the two of us, no pets as yet, though a dog may be planned sometime in the future. As well as The Naughty Boys, we have a couple of Pheasants who join us as well as a large family of about 40 odd Californian Quail who appear to like wombling around our orchard.

I spotted your website as I am trying to research how to stop 2 previously fairly amicable roosters from knocking ten bells out of each other.

As our intention will be to get our own flock later I reckon I needed to join a support group.
 

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Congratulations on your retirement and welcome to BYC. That's a handsome group of roosters that have adopted you.
I just wish that 4, who is currently in the coop which is being used as The Sin Bin, wasn't trying to knock ten bells out of 2. If I thought it was just rough and tumble I wouldn't mind, but he is one real bad tempered dude at the moment. As Shrek would say, "Someone is heading for a smacked botty" and right know I am willing to give him one.
 

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