My Old Lady Orps' New Rooster...Meet Xander

[speckledhen]

It wasn't exactly planned. Didn't know where to put him. He was bought as companion to another hatchling along with another hatchery chick who failed to thrive (why am I even surprised by that anymore, sheesh). His best buddy pullet went to live in KY with a friend, which was the plan all along, and he was left alone. We were becoming attached to him, but could have rehomed him, I suppose, BUT, we found a spot for this stud muffin. He's defective as heck, side sprigs, vulture hocks and all, but he's adorable, sweet, has an awesome crow and can watch the skies and find treats for his ladies as well as the next rooster. No, there won't be any chicks from that pen and it isn't due to the age of the hens, even though the oldest is going on 7 years old now (she does still lay, believe it or not).

Meet 17 week old Xander and you'll see why no chicks will come from this pen, even with a new young rooster.










***Trust me, I wouldn't breed birds with side sprigs, but as you can see, Xander is vertically challenged so the point is moot, lol.

 

[sumi]

He's adorable! I'd have kept him too. Enjoy him

 

[gryeyes]

Speckledhen, Xander is adorable!

 

[speckledhen]

Thanks, we think so, too. He's such a sweetie and only the second bantam Cochin I've ever had. We lost Shadow, our lavender hen, last year and miss her little voice. His crow is quite soulful for a small rooster, nowhere near as shrill as the D'Anvers'. The Orps lost their wonderful big blue man in September and that pen seemed so empty without Suede.

 

[theoldchick]

Aw! All good roosters are worth keeping even if they are not physically perfect. You reckon his ladies are wondering if he's gonna grow?

 

[speckledhen]

Haha, they probably think I saddled them with a chick to babysit!

A few days ago, Meg, the big redheaded Orp (RIR/Buff Orp x) had what I believe to be a stroke, not unexpected for her advanced age. She was down, open mouth breathing, feet stretched out to the side, looking dazed and confused. Xander was right by her head, concerned and seemed to be urging her to get up. Good boy.

 

[Cetawin]

There is the handsome little man. I told you he would love those gals and be good for them....and to them.

 

[speckledhen]

Update to this story:

This may not be the perfect solution to Xander's odd-man-out situation after all. Everything was fine until today. He's been living with the four LF Orpington hens splendidly. Meg, the oldest at over 6 1/2 years, has had two strokes, which knocked her off her feet, panting and disoriented. Xander skittered around her head, talking to her, very concerned about his head hen, both times. He reacted perfectly to a downed hen, standing guard over her until one of us rushed to her side and picked her up. He has a wonderful crow, is very alert, won't go inside until all the hens are in the coop, etc. But, today was different.

Xander is now in his prime, but has not made any overtly amorous overtures to the huge women of his that we've seen, until this morning. I looked over to find Xander and my 5 year old Buff Orp, Nugget, embroiled in a battle. They were fighting, hackles flared. I soon realized that he was trying to mate her, but she refused to submit to the pint sized suitor. The problem is that Nugget has been going steadily downhill for awhile, with symptoms of cessation of laying (no eggs in over a year) and her color turning very purple-dark when she lays down or is stressed. The last two days, she has had trouble getting off the roost shelf, which is only about 20" off the floor.

As the battle with Xander continued, her color had turned dark and she was tiring rapidly, couldn't catch her breath. She finally ran and stuck her head in a corner between an oak tree and the back fence but Xander would not give up. He kept trying to jump on her back and was ripping out her feathers every time he slid off. Meg was doing her best to break it up, too, and I was worried for Meg as well, considering her two recent episodes. She got between them, pushed Nugget in one direction, then turned to Xander and backed him off, but he skirted around her and went after Nugget again.

I called for my husband to grab Xander, whose poor earlobes and wattles were now bleeding from several wounds inflicted by Nugget. One of them wasn't going to make it out alive if we had not intervened. Either Nugget or Meg would have dropped dead of a heart attack or Xander would have been squashed by one of his hefty hens.

We put him in a separate pen for the rest of the day, but it has no coop, being only an extension of the old ladies pen next to Xander's, so he cannot stay there. I have nowhere to house him other than with Meg and Nugget's group-right now, they are locked in for the night and Xander is back with them, but they don't have room to chase around in that coop so should be okay until tomorrow.

The bantam coop is full of D'Anver teenagers, adult hens and their two adult roosters, who would pound slow moving Xander into the ground in a fight, so he cannot live with them. The other group of elderly hens has my hens with severe arthritis, crop issues, etc. In other words, they do not need to be stressed any more than Nugget does. They have earned their rest here.I may have to rehome him. I don't want to, but I have nowhere else for him. I really hate this because I've very fond of Xander! He is sweet and so handsome, even with his few flaws. His color is gorgeous, his cushion is nice, his foot feathering seems awesome for a hatchery Cochin, his crow is deep for a small rooster, and though his comb has side sprigs, his overall head and bearing are very pleasing to look at. I'm quite fond of Xander, but it pains me that he has no small hens and I cannot give him any.

Here are some pictures I took of him in his temporary pen this afternoon. Those black marks on his earlobes and wattles are from Nugget. He has filled out beautifully from the first pictures in this thread. Now, 25 weeks old, he's quite studly, isn't he?

 

[gryeyes]

I wish I was closer - he's gorgeous! I'd love to give Xander a forever home once escrow closes in less than 30 days and I got a coop and run built at the new property.

 

[speckledhen]

I wish you were, too, Linda. I also think Xander is super handsome whether or not he fits the SOP for bantam Cochins. It's why I kept him. He is a real sweetie and I feel so bad for him, that he has no little women. If I could sell off the Belgian D'Anver roosters, even though I'm rather fond of Spike, the younger one, I'd put him in with the D'Anver hens, who are absolutely adorable and cuddly, and he'd be in heaven. For that matter, if I even had another small coop, I could take some of the teenage D'Anver pullets for Xander, but I honestly do not want so many groups to care for in different locations. I'd love to even merge the two old lady groups, but my late Suede's women (they're always referred to as Suede's girls, though he's been gone almost a year) and the other old hens don't get along, Meg being very dominant and Caroline, the Buff Brahma in the other group, also just as unwilling to give an inch. Meg and Caroline were brooded together as chicks, though Caroline is a hatchery hen and Meg comes from exhibition stock-two old crochety women who just won't ever be roommates, lol.