It sounds like a seamless transition, I figured it would be, he is a good boy and the way you introduced him was ideal. My flock splits up like that as well. My flock is the same way, if you have birds rhat werent all raised together, that's usually what happens. I have even seen it with birds that were all hatch mates. Some of the hens prefer one roo over another, or prefer the company of certain other birds. Chickens have friends too! One of my Fav hens prefers to hang with the older birds, and all the others are always together by themselves. She even roosts with the others, when her hatch mates mostly huddle on the floor or use the low roost. I have noticed, too that when you raise chicks with the older birds like I do, that when the pullets come of age particularly when they start laying, they will leave the chick group and join the older hens and the roo.
anyasmifya, I think the purple you are seeing in your roo is just because of hormonesFrostbite turns the skin black, there tends to be swelling and bleeding as well, depending on the severity of it. As time goes by the black will shrivel into a scab and seperate from the living tissue, like a scab. Humidity in the coop is the key to frostbite too. Keeping the litter good and dry and having lots of ventilation is more important than insulation. I have had them get frostbite on the sides of their comb, directly in line above their nostrils, because of the vapor rising from their breathing, and none on the tips. Thats why putting petrolium jelly on the comb helps, it prevents the moisture from their skin and protects from frostbite the same way it protects a baby's skin from diaper rash.
Went outside this morning at 530 to feed the horses. Had my trusty flashlight and when I turned to look over at the coop I could see a pair of eyes shining right next to the coop. First thought was that it was the cat. I took a couple steps towards it an it ran off. The coop is about 200 feet away from the horses' corral. Went back to the horses and when I turned around again the eyes were back. So I went to the car and flipped the headlights on. The animal moved off again. Second thought raccoon but it moved a bit too fast. Then I went in the house and turned on the floodlight that is on the coop side of the house. It takes a few minutes for it to come on full. At that point I grabbed a flake of hay for the goats and a scoop of food for the chickens and started over to the coop. The eyes were back but as soon as I got within 150 feet they took off. This time I saw the tail. Mr. or Mrs. fox was back scouting the area.. Good news is that everyone was present and accounted for this afternoon when I got home from work. But I did lose my Welsh Harlequin drake yesterday. Found him dead in the pen. Don't know if the fox had been harassing them causing the death or something else happened.
