Our donated coop/self built run with donated supplies and before and after paint job...

[sharkerbaby]

awww, that's so sweet. I will post some this weekend (or will PM or email you if you'd prefer).

 

[kitkat5505]

This is so cool! It’s awesome your principal is supportive of you doing this. I wish more schools had agricultural programs available. The coop looks great. Also, blood/meat spots will happen with or without a rooster, I have no rooster and get spots in about 1/3 of my eggs. It’s perfectly normal, most people just have never seen them because store eggs are older and have more time to reabsorb the spots. If you research deep litter method on here, that’s what I do in our run and have very little smell.

 

[LynetteM]

So what is everyone so anti-rooster on here? I know we have 1 and I really like him...I had a pet rooster as a kid who was never mean...Ralph. now I would like to think that the Colonel too could be friendly....thoughts?

 

[aart]

So what is everyone so anti-rooster on here? I know we have 1 and I really like him...I had a pet rooster as a kid who was never mean...Ralph. now I would like to think that the Colonel too could be friendly....thoughts?

Well, if you've ever experienced a 'mean' human aggressive cock/erel you'd understand.
There are a plethora of stories here about them, and when kids are involved it can be devastating. Many of those stories begin with or include..."but he was so sweet before!" Coddled 'friendly' male chicks are often the ones who go mean upon hormone surge. A single male bird is different than a male within a flock of females.

It can depend on the humans involved, are they animal savvy?
Male livestock can be unpredictable, even 'little' chickens, reading the signs is important, and animal dominance behavior is often misunderstood.

How old is the Colonel?
He may be just fine......but I'd have a cage/enclosure ready to isolate him if necessary, cause if it does go bad it often happens with lightning speed.
That all sounds rather dramatic, maybe because it can be, but mostly because there are kids involved.

 

[jthornton]

So what is everyone so anti-rooster on here? I know we have 1 and I really like him...I had a pet rooster as a kid who was never mean...Ralph. now I would like to think that the Colonel too could be friendly....thoughts?

My rooster Henry will nap on my lap when I'm not taking his photo lol.

JT

 

[LynetteM]

I have an additional enclosure that we used here at the house before the school coop/run was complete...I just need to get with a person donating a smaller coop to put with it. We had 2 different males as a kid...Ralph was the RIR and the other whom I didn't name was a Barred Rock...he was not friendly...out for Thanksgiving break so I will not see the person until school is back in....I am driving the 18 miles each way to take care of the flock daily as although I have ample water, the feeder I have is quite small and requires refilling...and the Colonel was pleased to see me this weekend...of course I was holding all the fruit and veggie scraps to share...lol Time will tell...may even take him to the Barberville Family Farm Swap & Market on Dec 2nd and see if someone would like to switch...I just love him...

 

[LynetteM]

My rooster Henry will nap on my lap when I'm not taking his photo lol.
View attachment 1191453
JT

He is BEAUTIFULLY Handsome! That is how my RIR Ralph was...

 

[LynetteM]

Well, if you've ever experienced a 'mean' human aggressive cock/erel you'd understand.
There are a plethora of stories here about them, and when kids are involved it can be devastating. Many of those stories begin with or include..."but he was so sweet before!" Coddled 'friendly' male chicks are often the ones who go mean upon hormone surge. A single male bird is different than a male within a flock of females.

It can depend on the humans involved, are they animal savvy?
Male livestock can be unpredictable, even 'little' chickens, reading the signs is important, and animal dominance behavior is often misunderstood.

How old is the Colonel?
He may be just fine......but I'd have a cage/enclosure ready to isolate him if necessary, cause if it does go bad it often happens with lightning speed.
That all sounds rather dramatic, maybe because it can be, but mostly because there are kids involved.

The flock was shipped to me Sept 27th. More than the day old I am sure as they had pins on the tips of the wings...so I am guessing prob 2 1/2 months old would be an age guess...

 

[lilmillefleur]

It's so great that you are doing this! I agree with everyone, you may be fine, but keep an eye on your rooster in case he starts being aggressive towards the hens, to you, or especially to the kids...
This really is a special and heartwarming thing to see. A great way for these kids to have a good time, and learn!
BTW, the coop you have is amazing! I love the fun colors!

 

[pasuit]

The students with intellectual disabilities in my class are thrilled to have our chicken coop that was donated to us from a middle school this past summer. It was a lot of labor getting it to the school and set up (having to cut it into 3 parts), and an even longer amount of time before I was finally given the go ahead from the principal to go ahead and dig for the posts or we would have to wait on maintenance forever... The following is before the paint with introduction of a couple of our babies to the most recent painted (not yet complete) with improvements to be made. Let me know what you think...I have 16 hens and only 6 boxes...is that enough? My 1 rooster I need to get an additional coop for...students will sell eggs to teachers to support our feathered friends and we don't want the blood specks. The chicks are 2 months old now. No clue how old before they lay, how low of an outside temp they can withstand or what a good non-gmo feed would be that isn't too pricey...any suggestions are welcome! (I am not in any of the photos as I am the photo taker...lol) Did I mention I had them all in my Florida room until they can here...17 chicks in a small area get quite smelly...lol