NY chicken lover!!!!

[Metella]

I love my method of dealing with a mean rooster because it amusing me

Grab him anyway you can that keeps you from harm ... then get him so you are holding him under your arm or even flip him over like a baby. Walk around with him, talking to him, pet him - PUNISH HIM WITH CUDDLES ! his manliness hates that ! He will be distraught over hens seeing him submit to cuddling that he will rarely need a refresher session ha ha ha ha The more you baby talk him the better.

If you fight back - that they understand as a roo on roo challenge and will come at you harder and faster next time.

 

[LuvMyChicks1491]

Hi -- great to have information from the 1800's....so was wondering....how do you tame a mean chicken or rooster? I have a 9 month old buff cochin bantam rooster and he has been great until just recently....he "attacks" me when I feed him and his (2) girls....maybe it has something to do with been "cooped up" with this terrible winter we are having....I do open the coop door every few days when the temperature goes above 25 degrees - (I live in upstate NY) but he doesn't come out....A few times I've held him up by his legs for a few minutes and he seems to calm down....any suggestions would be appreciated...Thanks so much....

My first reaction is that there are enough roosters in the world that mean ones should be culled as soon as possible. They handle the cold better then we think so I would open the door everyday. Maybe throw a little scratch of other treat out in the run so that they have something to want to go out to. My suggestion would be to show him that you are in charge. I like to put the fear of god in them. In my all my situations except one it worked. The one time that it didn't work I have a few puncture scars to prove it. He was culled as soon as I got a hold of him. Shame he was beautiful. I'm sure that they others will chime in with their suggestions too...Good luck.

If they are board maybe hang up a head of cabbage for them to pick at or perhaps a flock bock or something for mental enrichment..

 

[Beer can]

I've just joined BYC and my new member intro is https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/952480/new-member 
Located east of Lake Ontario about 40 miles north of Syracuse. Keep chickens mostly for eggs, interested in sustainability-- breeding our own chicks and feeding as much as possible from what we can grow. Like to hear what others are doing who have similar goals and are in a similar environment. 

Welcome to BYC! And welcome to the NY thread!
I just ordered 25 jersey giants and langshans for meat birds mainly, and eggs to eat and increase flock numbers for more meat birds. Being they take a long time to mature I hope to do whatever I can to cut costs on feed. I have a pond full of duckweed n the summer full of free protein, and usually full of tadpoles, little frogs and leeches when I scoop some up with a pool skimmer, the chickens love those. I also will be feeding them ground up fish, the kids love catching bluegills, more free protein. I'm going to try sprouting grains and maybe fermented feed, I've never tried either before but there is great threads on BYC on the subjects.
Next yr after hatching out more the plan is to caponize all cockerels that I won't be using for breeding, supposed to bigger fatter and more tender eat less, and you don't have to worry about fighting and overbreeding of the hens if you have many roosters.
I plan on keeping records of their feed and what I end up with in freezer camp.

 

[Beer can]

Oh and I want to grow lots of greens, kale and swiss chard mainly, some for us but put a bunch in the freezer for the chickens also so I can feed them vitamin rich greens all winter for free.

 

[rancher hicks]

Deans Mills !

Me too - in your situation .... I am not a patient person - so it was hard for me - but just pick one thing a year .... so you have some veggies down - so do the same thing with them and add one more .... if you want it to be squash.... then prep just a one new area for the squash and tend to them with a little more attention. Next year you may prep a place for chickens - year after that berry bushes ....

One thing at a time and then any extra time .... if you add something new it is a total bonus - but when you try to get there in one year .... lots of weeds are very happy with you ! Trust me - I know. ha ha ha ha

Also - take this time of year to plan out your land. Where does the sun hit in the morning ? Wind mostly comes from where? Plant deciduous trees near the house and coops and pines further back in a row for a wind break .... then just plant or cut one thing each year to make this plan come into focus ...

The Homesteading book I have talks of choosing the right property. Property that is best suited to homesteading. I never considered how wet things would be here. Whether the property was suitable to planting crops, keeping animals or for orchards.

Lots of folks on here now regret they're not zoned for chickens.

Further in choosing property the right size. Larger plots mean higher taxes perhaps. Will you buy more land than you can afford?

Now seeing as we're NYers and BYC family it might be smart to buy near other like minded folks. If you're in a good homesteading area you might want to let others know.

Remember "United we stand, divided we fall". You don't want city slickers coming in and forcing zone changes. Dirty scum sucking developers have ruined things for many homesteaders.

 

[rancher hicks]

Nutty - I bought mine from Millers nursery (now part of Starks). They had quite a selection of 'old time' trees that are hard to find now. Prices were around $25-30/3yr tree. They are very healthy looking. If they can survive the snow & deer I think they will survive most anything!!

How do these stack up to local nursery trees? Like keeping chickens it might be good to do some research first. Some varieties they will sell you whether it's good for your area or not. Can you recommend some non traditional varieties?

I've got a granny smith and my neighbor has just a wild thing I think. Don't know what kind it is. The old tenant gave me a bag of them and I did make some nice applesauce out of them. I had to peel them of course but they were just fine.

This year I may try pollinating my granny by hand. Last year there were flowers but no apples. I'd like to plant a Crabapple too.

 

[boskelli1571]

How do these stack up to local nursery trees? Like keeping chickens it might be good to do some research first. Some varieties they will sell you whether it's good for your area or not. Can you recommend some non traditional varieties?

I've got a granny smith and my neighbor has just a wild thing I think. Don't know what kind it is. The old tenant gave me a bag of them and I did make some nice applesauce out of them. I had to peel them of course but they were just fine.

This year I may try pollinating my granny by hand. Last year there were flowers but no apples. I'd like to plant a Crabapple too.

Millers is (was) a local nursery in nearby Canandaigua, so they were able to recommend and sell trees that did well in our area. Not sure if I would trust Starks to do the same tho'

 

[boskelli1571]

I've just joined BYC and my new member intro is https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/952480/new-member
Located east of Lake Ontario about 40 miles north of Syracuse. Keep chickens mostly for eggs, interested in sustainability-- breeding our own chicks and feeding as much as possible from what we can grow. Like to hear what others are doing who have similar goals and are in a similar environment.

Welcome to chicken psychotherapy 101! The homesteading thread is good, this thread is magnificent....

. Lots of good people with great info.

 

[boskelli1571]

Hi -- great to have information from the 1800's....so was wondering....how do you tame a mean chicken or rooster? I have a 9 month old buff cochin bantam rooster and he has been great until just recently....he "attacks" me when I feed him and his (2) girls....maybe it has something to do with been "cooped up" with this terrible winter we are having....I do open the coop door every few days when the temperature goes above 25 degrees - (I live in upstate NY) but he doesn't come out....A few times I've held him up by his legs for a few minutes and he seems to calm down....any suggestions would be appreciated...Thanks so much....

There is a thread in the learning tab that specifically deals with mean roosters. I don't have a use for roosters, so can't help you much, but pretty much everyone culls I think.

 

[rancher hicks]

As you know I take hot water out to the chickens in the cold weather.

I've been seeing lots of Rabbit tracks which makes me feel good about the fox situation. There are tracks leading under the coop again. Though it does have to climb other the snow.

What do you get when you pour hot water down a rabbit hole? A hot crossed bunny.