New to SW Tennessee from NW Illinois

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RyseRyse

RyseRyse

Hatching
Feb 17, 2015
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SW Tennessee
We had free-range chickens on our acreage in NW Illinois but the winters were just too long and cold and we made the mistake of thinking we could grow and sell organic chickens and eggs. Well, if we had been close to the Chicago area, that would have been possible but not in the middle of nowhere where no one cares if a chicken or egg is organic or free range. So we sold them. Now, we would love to have chickens again just for our own use and enjoyment.

We are checking out coop plans and want to build something on wheels so it can easily be moved around the land and gardens for fertility. We have electric fencing to fence off large areas when needed but we want them to free-range. We are thinking we want around 10 hens and a roo for protection - BUT, I want a rooster that is docile. I actually never had docile roosters but maybe we just had the wrong breeds. They were scary dudes!!!

We are retired and would love to get to know chicken people near us. We are north of Adamsville.
 
Problem is even aggressive roosters aren't much good at protecting their flock from predators. At most they will sound the alarm - but, they usually run away. Even if they stood their ground - a predator would make short work of a roo and go after the flock anyway. Welcome to Backyard Chickens, maybe people on the predator thread can give you some tips in keeping the baddies away from your flock.
 
Welcome!
welcome-byc.gif
I'm glad you joined the BYC "flock".

To meet up with people near you, you should take a look at these Tennessee chicken keeper threads:

The Middle Tennessee Thread
Eastern Tennessee Thread
Tennessee
West Tennessee Thread

If you want a docile rooster, I suggest avoiding Rhode Island Reds in particular, as they can be mean (though certainly, not all RIR are mean). You'll want to pick from the usually gentle breeds, such as Australorps, Orpingtons, and Wyandottes.
 
welcome-byc.gif
I'm glad you joined us!

If you haven't already, I'd be sure to check out the Coops section of BYC: Chicken Coop Designs Also, feel free to ask any questions that you have! We'll be happy to help as much as we can.
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Aggressive roosters are certainly no fun. Any bird, regardless of breed, can turn out not being very friendly. However, some generally docile breeds (which are still large enough to provide a little protection) include Wyandottes, Easter Eggers, Cochins, Orpingtons, and Brahmas.
 
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RyseRyse said:
We had free-range chickens on our acreage in NW Illinois but the winters were just too long and cold and we made the mistake of thinking we could grow and sell organic chickens and eggs.  Well, if we had been close to the Chicago area, that would have been possible but not in the middle of nowhere where no one cares if a chicken or egg is organic or free range.   So we sold them.  Now, we would love to have chickens again just for our own use and enjoyment.

We are checking out coop plans and want to build something on wheels so it can easily be moved around the land and gardens for fertility.  We have electric fencing to fence off large areas when needed but we want them to free-range.  We are thinking we want around 10 hens and a roo for protection - BUT, I want a rooster that is docile.  I actually never had docile roosters but maybe we just had the wrong breeds.   They were scary dudes!!!

We are retired and would love to get to know chicken people near us.   We are north of Adamsville.
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Hello and welcome
Draw up your master plan.
Now double it.
As far as chicken tractors there is a place on this site that has fixed vs tractor plus and minus of both. I have had both. Now it is Fort Chix all the way for me.
 
Welcome to BYC! Please make yourself at home and we are here to help.

The above members have given you good advice.

Good luck with your rooster!
 
Welcome to BYC. Glad you decided to our flock. The most docile roosters usually come from breeds that have a reputation for being calm and gentle (potential lap pets) such as Australorps, Orpingtons, Brahmas, Cochins, Sussex, and Faverolles. Of course there can always be an exception with any breed. Please feel free to ask any questions you may have. We are here to help in any way we can. Good luck in getting a docile rooster.
 

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