Omg I thought she was dead..unusual mating behavior?

[wrathsfarm]

@z3lda3 .....Update on Morticia?

 

[z3lda3]

@z3lda3 .....Update on Morticia?

Aww thank you for asking. She’s perfectly fine! Actually Gomez found a bigger older gal to do “things” with. One of my RSLs who just started laying, finds him very attractive apparently, and Gomez has been dancing up a storm for her. It’s hysterical to watch Gomez a bantam do the deed with my standard! She digs it though, she follows him around and is sleeping beside him in the coop.
Morticia couldn’t be happier! She snuggles with my legbars, and all is well. ( For now).

 

[wrathsfarm]

Aww thank you for asking. She’s perfectly fine! Actually Gomez found a bigger older gal to do “things” with. One of my RSLs who just started laying, finds him very attractive apparently, and Gomez has been dancing up a storm for her. It’s hysterical to watch Gomez a bantam do the deed with my standard! She digs it though, she follows him around and is sleeping beside him in the coop.
Morticia couldn’t be happier! She snuggles with my legbars, and all is well. ( For now).

That's good to hear ..glad you got her sorted.

 

[z3lda3]

That's good to hear ..glad you got her sorted.

Here’s a question @wrathsfarm, I know you have hens AND roosters. Am I crazy or did I see what I think I saw? So Gomez has a new main squeeze a RSL Myrtle. I told you she was sleeping with him in his coop (it’s actually the coop for everybody except the RSLs-still integrating). Blah blah blah so one evening everyone was heading to their coops, except Myrtle and Gomez. She was still in the yard with him and he was doing that hey here’s food screaming and dancing. So she walked closer to him. He shuffled her into his coop. I thought my other smaller chickens were going to have a fit, but they actually didn’t, a few bawks but nothing crazy. That night everyone was fine, so fussing. Did Gomez integrate Myrtle into his flock himself? Or am I imagining things?

 

[wrathsfarm]

Here’s a question @wrathsfarm, I know you have hens AND roosters. Am I crazy or did I see what I think I saw? So Gomez has a new main squeeze a RSL Myrtle. I told you she was sleeping with him in his coop (it’s actually the coop for everybody except the RSLs-still integrating). Blah blah blah so one evening everyone was heading to their coops, except Myrtle and Gomez. She was still in the yard with him and he was doing that hey here’s food screaming and dancing. So she walked closer to him. He shuffled her into his coop. I thought my other smaller chickens were going to have a fit, but they actually didn’t, a few bawks but nothing crazy. That night everyone was fine, so fussing. Did Gomez integrate Myrtle into his flock himself? Or am I imagining things?

That sounds like a good assumption that she's taken a shine to him.... It sounds like he did something right to attract her attention and hopefully it sticks and he'll start acting accordingly to the others.
If you have single cockerels their hormones take over their brains and they think they want to mate anyway possible. This is the reason you had multiple posts suggesting to separate him from the pullets who are too young to realize what he's doing and just causing them to stress being relentlessly pursued and you had others suggesting place him in with the older hens so they can train him how to act properly. With multiple roosters, one is the Alpha and usually only allows mating to certain hens, if any. So the lower ranking rooster will attempt to steal the hens by schmoozing them with treats and kind gestures and then lead them away from the main flock to start or add to his own.

My 2 cockerels that are 17 weeks now have been separated from their hatch mate pullets and the Marans flock for weeks because of this, I could have separated the pullets out and seen how that went with the boys in with the older hens and Kong schooling them, but I was setting eggs under broodys for my test mates and one of the cockerels had already tagged Joannie so that ruined her eggs for over a month til I can clean her out. So it was a no brainier to isolate the young boys.

Kong has started mating the pullets as they're squatting for him now, but he's an established respectful roo.

When reading thru all the comments, these were all very good posts and I practice alot of these in my flocks. I will add.... As much as I love my roosters and rave about them all over BYC. My hens and pullets are more important (they're my money) and I rely on solving every problem for the peace of the flock.

Under no circumstances do I allow a rooster or cockerel to abuse the girls. My mistake was letting the boys stay in the flock too long and shot myself in the foot with Joannie. It won't happen again.

With that being said, I would not tolerate either Kong nor King doing this either... as much I love them they would meet a sharp knife immediately. But that's the reason they are here and others are not.

Always solve for the peace of the flock. Feelings aside.

 

[z3lda3]

That sounds like a good assumption that she's taken a shine to him.... It sounds like he did something right to attract her attention and hopefully it sticks and he'll start acting accordingly to the others.
If you have single cockerels their hormones take over their brains and they think they want to mate anyway possible. This is the reason you had multiple posts suggesting to separate him from the pullets who are too young to realize what he's doing and just causing them to stress being relentlessly pursued and you had others suggesting place him in with the older hens so they can train him how to act properly. With multiple roosters, one is the Alpha and usually only allows mating to certain hens, if any. So the lower ranking rooster will attempt to steal the hens by schmoozing them with treats and kind gestures and then lead them away from the main flock to start or add to his own.

My 2 cockerels that are 17 weeks now have been separated from their hatch mate pullets and the Marans flock for weeks because of this, I could have separated the pullets out and seen how that went with the boys in with the older hens and Kong schooling them, but I was setting eggs under broodys for my test mates and one of the cockerels had already tagged Joannie so that ruined her eggs for over a month til I can clean her out. So it was a no brainier to isolate the young boys.

Kong has started mating the pullets as they're squatting for him now, but he's an established respectful roo.

When reading thru all the comments, these were all very good posts and I practice alot of these in my flocks. I will add.... As much as I love my roosters and rave about them all over BYC. My hens and pullets are more important (they're my money) and I rely on solving every problem for the peace of the flock.

Under no circumstances do I allow a rooster or cockerel to abuse the girls. My mistake was letting the boys stay in the flock too long and shot myself in the foot with Joannie. It won't happen again.

With that being said, I would not tolerate either Kong nor King doing this either... as much I love them they would meet a sharp knife immediately. But that's the reason they are here and others are not.

Always solve for the peace of the flock. Feelings aside.

I separated Morticia from Gomez with chicken wire, kind of split the yard in half. As weird as it sounds she’ll scream if separated from him too long. But with the chicken wire, she was fine since she could see him. After a few days I mingled everybody together again, while I was with them. I’ll be damned if Gomez didn’t try for Morticia again! But this time my head hen, a standard, was perching on a limb and seen it. She literally jumped on Gomez and pecked him good a couple times. Scared him half to death. And since then he’s left Tish alone. He started wooing my head hens sister. It was completely different. Myrtle doesn’t run off, she squats down and..positions herself for him. They’ve been tight ever since. It was a light bulb moment for me. Ohhh ok that’s what’s up, I got it.
I really think Gomez matured faster than Morticia. Even though they’re the same age. Gomez has huge wattles, and big tall comb, Tish is just now getting little wattles. It’s been a couple weeks and so far he leaves my smaller birds alone. He’ll rooster ya know, the food calls, perimeter checks, shuffles them the coop at night but as far as THE rooster..business, he saves for Myrtle. Although he tries with my head hen, Sheryl. If Gomez even looks like he’s doing the dancing thing to her, she chases him all over the yard.
I honestly think Gomez will be fine. He’s learning. And maybe (probably) it’s my fault, I didn’t let the big gals teach him earlier. I THOUGHT I was doing the right thing, keeping my smaller ones safe by separating them.
But as of now-everything is fine. I think (hope) with Sheryl’s help, and leveling off hormones Gomez will learn what’s unacceptable.

 

[wrathsfarm]

Yes, cockerels mature way sooner than pullets. That's why some of us separate/isolate them because they're causing too much stress harassing. Especially when it could involve tag teaming by multiples. I haven't encounter this but I've read the stories where 1 or 2 will hold a pullet down while another mates and then they switch. This I feel is absolutely unacceptable behavior in any shape or form.

 

[z3lda3]

I separated Morticia from Gomez with chicken wire, kind of split the yard in half. As weird as it sounds she’ll scream if separated from him too long. But with the chicken wire, she was fine since she could see him. After a few days I mingled everybody together again, while I was with them. I’ll be damned if Gomez didn’t try for Morticia again! But this time my head hen, a standard, was perching on a limb and seen it. She literally jumped on Gomez and pecked him good a couple times. Scared him half to death. And since then he’s left Tish alone. He started wooing my head hens sister. It was completely different. Myrtle doesn’t run off, she squats down and..positions herself for him. They’ve been tight ever since. It was a light bulb moment for me. Ohhh ok that’s what’s up, I got it.
I really think Gomez matured faster than Morticia. Even though they’re the same age. Gomez has huge wattles, and big tall comb, Tish is just now getting little wattles. It’s been a couple weeks and so far he leaves my smaller birds alone. He’ll rooster ya know, the food calls, perimeter checks, shuffles them the coop at night but as far as THE rooster..business, he saves for Myrtle. Although he tries with my head hen, Sheryl. If Gomez even looks like he’s doing the dancing thing to her, she chases him all over the yard.
I honestly think Gomez will be fine. He’s learning. And maybe (probably) it’s my fault, I didn’t let the big gals teach him earlier. I THOUGHT I was doing the right thing, keeping my smaller ones safe by separating them.
But as of now-everything is fine. I think (hope) with Sheryl’s help, and leveling off hormones Gomez will learn what’s unacceptable.

Also to add to my thesis, I love my hens too. We’re not doing it for money, just fresh eggs. Well that’s how it started. Raising chickens is a great learning experience for my kids. The chores and husbandry. My oldest is actually showing chickens in 4-H next year!
It’s crazy but I swear chickens are weirdly therapeutic. My point is- I love all my chickens. I just want to do the best I can by them. I just don’t know what that is.

 

[z3lda3]

Yes, cockerels mature way sooner than pullets. That's why some of us separate/isolate them because they're causing too much stress harassing. Especially when it could involve tag teaming by multiples. I haven't encounter this but I've read the stories where 1 or 2 will hold a pullet down while another mates and then they switch. This I feel is absolutely unacceptable behavior in any shape or form.

Omg! Not to be crass but a train?? No no no no no!!! Not happening. That’s no. I’ve always said I couldn’t cull my birds, but let me say, Id cull so fast! That more than unacceptable, that’s a hell no. That’s a rage point, that’s a I’ll burn the place down thing.

 

[wrathsfarm]

Also to add to my thesis, I love my hens too. We’re not doing it for money, just fresh eggs. Well that’s how it started. Raising chickens is a great learning experience for my kids. The chores and husbandry. My oldest is actually showing chickens in 4-H next year!
It’s crazy but I swear chickens are weirdly therapeutic. My point is- I love all my chickens. I just want to do the best I can by them. I just don’t know what that is.

My comment wasn't meant to be disrespectful. Please don't take it that way.

I know how you care for your birds. I was just giving you my viewpoint. I apologize if it came across that way.