Landrace/adaptive breeding discussion

[kattabelly]

they may be as picky about flies as about grasses - there are lots of different species of fly!

Mine are picky about slugs but never seen them ignore a fly or spit one out after catching it. The reaction when a tiny chick catches a huge bluebottle - or a bigger chicken gets the angle and timing a bit too perfect and a bluebottle more or less flies straight down their oesophagus - is hilarious

They ignore bumblebees but I've not noticed what they do about other bee species. Midges seem to be mostly too small to bother with, unless they spot one that looks particularly juicy or easy to catch. Only the younger chicks tend to go for the little black millipedes that are everywhere here.

I use smashed up woody stems from old dockens, nettles and hogweed as something in between straw and woodchip. The young clipshears/earwigs they find in the bases of docken stems are a great delicacy, apparently.

 

[BlindLemonChicken]

Ok my free range chicken friends I have a rooster question: right now I have one cockerel and 9 pullets/hens. One of the hens is still in charge. She is getting them out into the world a bit but he is really too small to be helpful and also he’s a BCM so if he did decide to run at anything it would probably have a good laugh before it ate him. Would it be a bad idea to get a second rooster? Or another cockerel? One that is more…uh…predator savvy? Everyone gets along right now so I don’t want to cause a disturbance in the force. Would another cockerel wreck everything?

 

[Mother of Chaos]

Ok my free range chicken friends I have a rooster question: right now I have one cockerel and 9 pullets/hens. One of the hens is still in charge. She is getting them out into the world a bit but he is really too small to be helpful and also he’s a BCM so if he did decide to run at anything it would probably have a good laugh before it ate him. Would it be a bad idea to get a second rooster? Or another cockerel? One that is more…uh…predator savvy? Everyone gets along right now so I don’t want to cause a disturbance in the force. Would another cockerel wreck everything?

How old are the pullets? It’s great that you have a head hen.

Would things be better overall if you waited until next year/next generation for a second roo? Maybe your guy just needs to grow into his role a bit.

 

[LaurenRitz]

It really depends on the birds, and there's no way to tell how they would react in advance. I've introduced both older and younger birds. All except the first were introduced see-no-touch, and that one I still thought the young cockerel was a pullet.

If you choose to go in this direction, maybe consider getting one the same age as your existing cocketel?

 

[Perris]

I have a rooster question: right now I have one cockerel and 9 pullets/hens. One of the hens is still in charge.

he is really too small to be helpful and also he’s a BCM

He's not yet fully grown. They really fill out as they get to first birthday. BCM is a traditional breed so he should have the genetics for the task when he's ready.

Everyone gets along right now

That's worth preserving imo. I would just be patient and see how he turns out once he's taken over the boss role from the matriarch and things have settled down again: it is bound to be a bit fractious during the take over, as she will resist any premature attempts at a coup by him; wait till everyone's new place is settled, then assess.