FormidableFlock
In the Brooder
- Nov 22, 2016
- 11
- 1
- 17
My new house that we just purchased is out in the country and has three acres. We saw all of the chickens and were excited at the idea of having our own eggs and meat birds until we saw the state of the flock that the house came with. There seem to be around 50 chickens and about 30 peafowl. I'll just focus on chicken troubles here though if anyone has suggestions for the peafowl problem, please feel free to respond.
First - we have way too many roosters. The previous owners have never culled nor have any attempts been made to prevent breeding and with that old 50/50 rule we now have easily half the flock male. Some are okay but some of the males are aggressive and need to go.
Second - We've been here about 2 months and still no eggs. I know it's November but this is in Arizona where it's in the 80's. Starting to think without culling, most of the flock is just too old.
Third - The flock is everywhere and refuse to be wrangled. My hopes of a manageable flock were dashed when I started to meet the neighbors and found that THEY don't have backyard chickens. They have our chickens that have migrated to their yards. My coop sits barren still after I've cleaned it out and placed nice nesting grasses and feeders / waterers in there. Two have warmed up to us and come when they see us but the rest are just feral.
Lastly - The previous owners didn't seem to know how to keep chickens either and it looks like they started with a hobby that got out of hand. No medical care or even basic nutrition seemed to have been even offered to these guys. They were feeding them junk from the food bank (tortillas, bread, cookies, veggies) but they were brought over in bulk and just left out for them in boxes in the elements for weeks.
I am saddened and disgusted by the state of this unruly flock but don't know where to even start. I've cleaned the coop and started feeding them actual feed. I know we should cull the roosters but my biggest concern is what to do with the carcasses. I just don't feel safe eating them. With the hens not laying I worry about even being able to salvage them (they still might lay when they're not stressed and if I get them trapped in the coop). I want to have chickens, but is this flock worth trying to salvage?
First - we have way too many roosters. The previous owners have never culled nor have any attempts been made to prevent breeding and with that old 50/50 rule we now have easily half the flock male. Some are okay but some of the males are aggressive and need to go.
Second - We've been here about 2 months and still no eggs. I know it's November but this is in Arizona where it's in the 80's. Starting to think without culling, most of the flock is just too old.
Third - The flock is everywhere and refuse to be wrangled. My hopes of a manageable flock were dashed when I started to meet the neighbors and found that THEY don't have backyard chickens. They have our chickens that have migrated to their yards. My coop sits barren still after I've cleaned it out and placed nice nesting grasses and feeders / waterers in there. Two have warmed up to us and come when they see us but the rest are just feral.
Lastly - The previous owners didn't seem to know how to keep chickens either and it looks like they started with a hobby that got out of hand. No medical care or even basic nutrition seemed to have been even offered to these guys. They were feeding them junk from the food bank (tortillas, bread, cookies, veggies) but they were brought over in bulk and just left out for them in boxes in the elements for weeks.
I am saddened and disgusted by the state of this unruly flock but don't know where to even start. I've cleaned the coop and started feeding them actual feed. I know we should cull the roosters but my biggest concern is what to do with the carcasses. I just don't feel safe eating them. With the hens not laying I worry about even being able to salvage them (they still might lay when they're not stressed and if I get them trapped in the coop). I want to have chickens, but is this flock worth trying to salvage?