Newbie re Buff Orpingtons&Black Astrolopes

[Chickie YumYum]

Are Black Astrolopes (and Buff Orpingtons) good with children, tolerant of dogs in household fenced back yard that coop sits in and how do I raise a rooster so it's nicer?.
Should have asked all these questions earlier re Buff Orpington's. Have option to buy older pullets of both offered. I Helped raise chickens with both grandmother's when I was younger but just starting by myself so I'm a newbie. Should have asked in earlier post but didn't know about the Astrolopes until today.

 

[DobieLover]

Black Astrolopes

Australorps are a wonderful breed. I love mine. She is the current head hen in my flock of 19 but you wouldn't know it until someone tries to give her grief or butt in. All she generally needs to do is stop and stare them down and they run off.

Buff Orpingtons) good with children

Buff Orpingtons are notoriously friendly birds and often associated with kids.

how do I raise a rooster so it's nicer?

You don't. A flock does. I would try to adopt a rooster (that means 1 year old or older) that was broody hatched and raised in the flock and has proven himself a good flock rooster and non-human aggressive. IMO, roosters learn how to be respectful of humans and maintain their distance when they've been raised by a multi-generational flock.

 

[Chickie YumYum]

Are Black Astrolopes (and Buff Orpingtons) good with children, tolerant of dogs in household fenced back yard that coop sits in and how do I raise a rooster so it's nicer?.
Should have asked all these questions earlier re Buff Orpington's. Have option to buy older pullets of both offered. I Helped raise chickens with both grandmother's when I was younger but just starting by myself so I'm a newbie. Should have asked in earlier post but didn't know about the Astrolopes until today.

I'm a Dobie lover too. Gorgeous in picture. I've had 2 red ones. Have Collie right now and am afraid she'll try to herd the chickens if their out at same time as chickens, but she'll protect them. She's like a nanny to everything we have including the pomeranian and very old cat that doesn't hunt anymore. He's 17 yo. She also let's me know when they want something also.

 

[Mrs. K]

If you have small children that share that back yard, don't get a rooster, they tend to attack children first, and it has little to do with breed. Some roosters are just rotten.

If you would struggle to cull a rooster, don't get a rooster. Some of them are very aggressive no matter what breed they are, or how they were raised. (Although, I do think, kind of sort of better if raised in a multi-generational flock) you can still get rotten ones.

Mrs K

 

[Chickie YumYum]

If you have small children that share that back yard, don't get a rooster, they tend to attack children first, and it has little to do with breed. Some roosters are just rotten.

If you would struggle to cull a rooster, don't get a rooster. Some of them are very aggressive no matter what breed they are, or how they were raised. (Although, I do think, kind of sort of better if raised in a multi-generational flock) you can still get rotten ones.

Mrs K

The only reason I wanted a rooster at this point was for protection of my ladies. I have about 15 acres and other than where the house is sitting its all woodland mostly oaks. I have owls, raccoons, opossum, coyotes about 3.5 to 5 miles away, and snakes- and I plan to free range. Figure if I can wire the coop up really tight, they'll be alright from the snakes. Btw, some are copperheads( copperheads and wolf spiders scare me to death).
I'll check for eggs in am and pm just in case. Going to bury some rat wire around everything also for the racoons. Top of run between coops is wire covered. If this summer gets really hot in VA, gonna provide more shade with a tarp.
I was offered an Americana roo. I thought about trying him out and if it doesn't work out, fried chicken. Tell me what I've forgotten lol. It's been a long time since I've had chickens around and they weren't mine but both grandmothers, I lived with one and the other was less than a mile away. I know this is longgg. But the chickens are coming Tuesday but hen house not until Thursday. Just making do in the time between. But I need help. Thank you so much. Lisa

 

[Mrs. K]

Thing is not all roosters are good roosters. A lot of people on here will tell you that they really do not offer protection but a good one will help with day time protection. I have never had a hen step up, another thing they will tell you.

I live in SD and we have predators. What works for me is to have a predator tight coop/run that I can lock mine in 24/7. I don’t free range at the same time everyday. I don’t let them out on high wind days, and on real cloudy days, it just gives too much advantage to the predators.

When I get hit, and with that list you have, you will. They will come back and bring friends. I go into 24/7 lockdown for a couple weeks.

The best rooster is one that has been raised in similar country and is about a year old. He should be the first to see you as you approach and keep track of his ladies, and they should hang on his every cluck.

The thing is not every rooster is a great rooster, LongJohns, who I have now is so-so, just turned a year, and I am hatching from him.

What I have described is how I keep a flock, with the predators I have. I occasionally lose a bird, it is ALWays your favorite. I have been mostly wiped out several times. Now I have a totally enclosed run and coop with chain link fencing.

I hatch under Broodys during the summer, and cull older birds in the late fall to make my head count fit the coop.

So in short, a good rooster will help with daytime, but with a heavy predator load, you won’t keep him forever.

Mrs K

 

[Mrs. K]

P.S.

You won’t have coyotes 3.5-5 miles away. It may take them awhile, but they will find you. They are my worst daytime predator and roosters are limited protection against them.

And plan to make soup or a casserole out of the rooster if he doesn’t work out. They are not KFC chicken.

Good luck, I love this hobby.

Mrs K

 

[Mrs. K]

PSS

Raccoons are my worst night time predator, and they will kill a lot of chickens in a single night. As in all of them, rather sickening to open up in the morning. Been there, done that.

I have tried a lot of things but the only thing that has worked, is a chain link fence and it is chain link over the top and connected with hog rings. Coons are incredibly smart, and can open nearly anything, and can crawl through pretty small holes.

Probably more advice than you need or want. Haha

Good luck.

 

[Chickie YumYum]

Thing is not all roosters are good roosters. A lot of people on here will tell you that they really do not offer protection but a good one will help with day time protection. I have never had a hen step up, another thing they will tell you.

I live in SD and we have predators. What works for me is to have a predator tight coop/run that I can lock mine in 24/7. I don’t free range at the same time everyday. I don’t let them out on high wind days, and on real cloudy days, it just gives too much advantage to the predators.

When I get hit, and with that list you have, you will. They will come back and bring friends. I go into 24/7 lockdown for a couple weeks.

The best rooster is one that has been raised in similar country and is about a year old. He should be the first to see you as you approach and keep track of his ladies, and they should hang on his every cluck.

The thing is not every rooster is a great rooster, LongJohns, who I have now is so-so, just turned a year, and I am hatching from him.

What I have described is how I keep a flock, with the predators I have. I occasionally lose a bird, it is ALWays your favorite. I have been mostly wiped out several times. Now I have a totally enclosed run and coop with chain link fencing.

I hatch under Broodys during the summer, and cull older birds in the late fall to make my head count fit the coop.

So in short, a good rooster will help with daytime, but with a heavy predator load, you won’t keep him forever.

Mrs K

I hate the thought of losing a lady. Thank goodness most of my predators, except coyotes and snakes are nocturnal. Have you ever had to expose your chickens to a mother hen type dog- Ihave a 2yo collie? How long should I keep in the run to get used to the dog before they actually meet if they seem okay knowing her? And who first- hens, rooster or both at the same time If the dog stops scaring the ladies? if not I'll have to move the hen house and run to just outside my fence. I'll have more trouble with nocturnal predators but it's a wooden fence with 24" of wire around the bottom where my parents kept their min pin in the yard.
So you feed oyster shells or something else and do you put your oyster shells in with did feeder or a different feeder- always put the egg shells in the feeder. Same with yummies table scraps?
Told you I was a newbie I did stuff before not really knowing why I was told to do it.
And will a 3x4 shed be big enough for 2-3 days? Sorry so many questions. Wish coop and hen house were here first but these chickens were close by, others 2 hours or more. Thank you so much (Folks are really buying chickens these days). And what feed? Pellets or something else.
Newbie Lisa

 

[Mrs. K]

Beware for locking birds inside a coop in high heat. You will probably need to add a lot of ventilation to the shed. 3ft x 4 ft = 12 ft ^2. So only 3-4 full size hens. (is this just where you plan to keep them until the coop arrives?) When you talk space - you need to state the age of the birds and the number of birds.

Chickens produce a lot of heat, A LOT OF HEAT! - If you keep them in tight confinement - the temperature will really rise - might need a fan.

I feed oyster shell on the side. I feed scraps scattered on the ground. I feed the chicken feed in several spots, placed in the run, so that a bird eating in one spot, cannot see a bird eating in another spot. Sometimes I get crumbles and sometimes I get pellets. I feed mine every day. I take down what I think is enough, if it is gone at night time, I feed a little more. If there is a lot left over, I feed a little less. A big mistake newbies make is over feeding. If you overfeed, a lot just gets trampled into the dirt, making your run stink, and wasting a lot of feed. I only set up 24/7 feeding if I am going to be gone several days.

Some dogs do well with chickens and some do not. You are just going to have to test it and see. We have Australian Shepard that is perfect with them, but sometimes I wonder if that decreases their fear of coyotes?