Maine

[buckabucka]

Darn fox, if they weren't just so beautiful.  Do you have a live trap or access to one?  Surely where there is one fox, there are more, and the word is out amongst them.  Plus once they make a kill, they'll be back for more, it is a free fox buffet after all.  But you know all this already.  And yes, do be careful, rabies are out there, and the fox tend to hunt during the day.  Maybe scattering your free range times will help confuse them a bit, that seemed to help us, eventually they gave up, but not before they had taken about 10, that was in spring tho when they have their litters, and it was consistently every other day, at the same time, between 11AM and 1PM.  We left the chickens in the pen for about a week (broke my heart) and it stopped altogether.  Have seen a fox run right thru property with a big chicken in its jaws from a neighbor's place a couple miles away, but he's got well over 100 free rangers and he doesn't seem to mind too much if one or two go missing.  Wish I had that attitude, but we're down to 10 right now and can't afford a loss.   Trapping/hunting fox season starts Oct 15, but if you have a nuisance animal on your property, it's a different story.  Hopefully we'll have a hard winter and get the population down a bit.  Also, if you know a trapper, he/she would probably love to trap for you, fur prices are at an all time high.

I did let the chickens out between noon and 5 p.m. They don't exactly free-range, so much as roam around in a fenced off area that is not fox-proof. We don't let them out unless we are home, but we certainly aren't right out there with them, so we take a chance.
If we start losing them, I'll stop letting them out, I suppose. If it comes to that, we can always move the hoop house more frequently, although moving it is a big project. There is hardware cloth all around the outside, weighted with rocks and secured with earth staples, so all that must be taken up, and then we have a system of putting rollers underneath and pulling with the tractor. The tractor is actually gone for major repairs at the moment.

I haven't seen my neighbor's chicken pen, but I kind of doubt they are as high-security as we are. Plus they are likely to shoot or trap predators, so that may help us. We've had great luck here so far (no losses), but I know that can't continue forever.

 

[hoppy]

I usually keep several roosters over the winter. if something tries to take one of the chickens, for me, it's been the roosters that go first (protecting the flock I'd hope). I usually keep one more then I really want to keep just for this reason. i lost 2 of my 3 roos last winter so I'm glad I kept an extra 2. I have yet to have a mean wyandotte and they have short combs so good in the winter as far as freezing. i have several young roos that need homes. one black americauna, 1 black orp and one black wyandotte (see the theme I have going?) the last 2 are bonded at the hip so you know how that goes.

I think I'd like a Rooster.....

I've got my 10 ladies, and everything is dandy, they all get along, but I wonder if something is missing...

I'm not 100% on this yet, I'm like 90%. If I decide the girls need a guy, I'd like a really nice guy- I don't want to screw up the harmony that is currently happening in the backyard-

Opinions? please?

 

[buckabucka]

I usually keep several roosters over the winter. if something tries to take one of the chickens, for me, it's been the roosters that go first (protecting the flock I'd hope). I usually keep one more then I really want to keep just for this reason. i lost 2 of my 3 roos last winter so I'm glad I kept an extra 2.  I have yet to have a mean wyandotte and they have short combs so good in the winter as far as freezing. i have several young roos that need homes. one black americauna, 1 black orp and one black wyandotte (see the theme I have going?) the last 2 are bonded at the hip so you know how that goes. 

I think I'd like a Rooster.....

I've got my 10 ladies, and everything is dandy, they all get along, but I wonder if something is missing...

I'm not 100% on this yet, I'm like 90%. If I decide the girls need a guy, I'd like a really nice guy- I don't want to screw up the harmony that is currently happening in the backyard-

Opinions? please?

I have more roosters than I need also.

My original intention was to not have a rooster, but I got one with my first batch of chicks. I must say, I love having a rooster with the flock. I love watching them communicate with the hens. They climb into the nest box to show them where to lay an egg, offer them bits of food, and scream warnings when a hawk is overhead. I know the hens can handle all these things by themselves, but roosters have so much personality and many are quite showy. I also like being able to hatch eggs from my own flock.

The downside is that some can be nasty. But roosters are so plentiful, you can just try again with a different one. Also, they crow early in the morning. Personally, I like that, but not everyone does.

 

[Mainechick168]

I suppose I'm about 95% sure I need a rooster now I let them free range, and they do a good job being aware of hawks ( and bluejays and airplanes..) but I think I would feel a little better with one more line of defense. I also like the idea of possibly hatching some of my own. I wake up early, so crowing in the morning is not really a problem. I suppose it's time to be on the lookout for a friendly guy.

Also, speaking of roosters... I was at the common ground fair today and saw a few huuge boys. holy cow.

 

[tiki244]

So there are a few people on here close to Albion and Waterville. Best of luck with the fox problem. :/ I have a few huddle boxes for inside my coop for winter. Problem with my silkies is it seems to be a "sign" that they should go broody and if One goes broody they want to do a group effort thing.

 

[buckabucka]

I suppose I'm about 95% sure I need a rooster now I let them free range, and they do a good job being aware of hawks ( and bluejays and airplanes..) but I think I would feel a little better with one more line of defense. I also like the idea of possibly hatching some of my own. I wake up early, so crowing in the morning is not really a problem. I suppose it's time to be on the lookout for a friendly guy. 

  Also, speaking of roosters... I was at the common ground fair today and saw a few huuge boys. holy cow.

Some roosters are really huge! I prefer a medium sized rooster, I suppose because we had one once that attacked people.
None of my roosters are friendly, exactly. Two of them are afraid of me, and always keep a respectful distance. The other two, I had to teach to be respectful. One of them kicked me once, but I had inadvertently freaked out one of the hens and he was coming to her rescue. You may need to work with your rooster at times. If you get one that is always a jerk, then at my house, they go to the freezer.

 

[Mainechick168]

Some roosters are really huge! I prefer a medium sized rooster, I suppose because we had one once that attacked people.
None of my roosters are friendly, exactly. Two of them are afraid of me, and always keep a respectful distance. The other two, I had to teach to be respectful. One of them kicked me once, but I had inadvertently freaked out one of the hens and he was coming to her rescue. You may need to work with your rooster at times. If you get one that is always a jerk, then at my house, they go to the freezer.

I'd just assume look around for a real nice guy. I have no problems with eating one if I need to, but I'd like to try not to go that route at first! I'm curious about the "price" of roosters too... I have no problem paying a fee for a real nice one- I looked on craigslist just to get an idea of whats around, and they ranged from free to $20.... $20 is an awful lot if I end up eating it!!

 

[buckabucka]

Some roosters are really huge! I prefer a medium sized rooster, I suppose because we had one once that attacked people.

None of my roosters are friendly, exactly. Two of them are afraid of me, and always keep a respectful distance. The other two, I had to teach to be respectful. One of them kicked me once, but I had inadvertently freaked out one of the hens and he was coming to her rescue. You may need to work with your rooster at times. If you get one that is always a jerk, then at my house, they go to the freezer.

I'd just assume look around for a real nice guy. I have no problems with eating one if I need to, but I'd like to try not to go that route at first!  I'm curious about the "price" of roosters too... I have no problem paying a fee for a real nice one- I looked on craigslist just to get an idea of whats around, and they ranged from free to $20.... $20 is an awful lot if I end up eating it!!

I guess,what I'm trying to say is that they are unpredictable. People talk about their sweet rooster that their young daughter could carry around in her arms suddenly turning nasty. I think this is more likely to happen when the rooster gets to maturity and starts mating, if you were to get a younger rooster. It can also happen if the rooster was living with other roosters but was not the dominant one. Sometimes, when they step up to top dog, they are just as sweet as ever, and sometimes they become more aggressive.

Of course, you should look for a nice guy. While a nice guy might turn nasty, I've never heard of a nasty rooster turning nice! . I would not want to pay $20 for a rooster unless it was a specific breed that I had an interest in. I realize that someone had to feed and raise the rooster, but there seem to be so many excess roosters out there, you could probably find a free one.

I just noticed the link to your blog. I love your photography!

 

[Mainechick168]

I guess,what I'm trying to say is that they are unpredictable. People talk about their sweet rooster that their young daughter could carry around in her arms suddenly turning nasty. I think this is more likely to happen when the rooster gets to maturity and starts mating, if you were to get a younger rooster. It can also happen if the rooster was living with other roosters but was not the dominant one. Sometimes, when they step up to top dog, they are just as sweet as ever, and sometimes they become more aggressive.
Of course, you should look for a nice guy. While a nice guy might turn nasty, I've never heard of a nasty rooster turning nice!

. I would not want to pay $20 for a rooster unless it was a specific breed that I had an interest in. I realize that someone had to feed and raise the rooster, but there seem to be so many excess roosters out there, you could probably find a free one.
I just noticed the link to your blog. I love your photography!

This is my feeling as well ( about rooster personality..) they are not like dogs I know! I'm just going to stay away from roosters that people say are mean and agressive up front.
and thanks for the compliment about the pictures- I've been trying to get it together enough to show in a few more places around here.

 

[gracejr]

Love the pictures Kelly - those cucumbers are making my mouth water!

Congrats on the new ducks hoppy!

As for roosters - We didn't plan on getting them either. Then one of the females my son picked out turned into a boy. And then I saw Krista giving away a gorgeous Orp cockerel. Now we've got two, both orps (one english, one hatchery). They aren't affectionate, but they are friendly, pretty docile as far as roosters go. And get along with each other, though only one crows??? Actually, I haven't heard him crowing lately either... Maybe because he's settled in? Why would a rooster stop crowing? Or never start in the case of Spartacus?


We're spending our afternoon rearranging the panels for the chicken run. They will have more space, and I will have less I need to shovel come winter. Win win! I am so glad we went with chain link panels (think dog kennel). So easy to change it around, and easy to find cheap on CL so I can eventually fence off the whole yard. We're on a smidge less than an acre, oh how I wish we had a farm!! Get some pigs, maybe a couple meat cows, a giant garden... I grew up without even a backyard, and here I am wanting to be a farmer mama.


I do have a question... Does anyone know a source I could find GMO free chicken feed? Soy free would be a plus. Had a DUH moment yesterday... I avoid eating GMOs, yet, here I am feeding it to these birds I plan on eventually eating! (BTW, layer feed is fine for a flock with roosters yes?) I can't buy large quantities in bulk, so I'm not sure what sort of options there are? I can't imagine ever getting more than 200-250lbs at a time. Assuming it was bagged anyway, I don't have anywhere to store loose grain. Where should I look? I'm assuming that all of the easily available stuff in stores has GMOs.