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@stake. Rusty Shackleford is still being a very good boy. From what I have read on cockerels, they can wear the poor hens out. I only see him jump on the girls occasionally, and he seems to be pretty gentle, no screaming recently from the girls. He crows occasionally, but is not annoying so far. No signs of aggression either. I wonder if he is more well behaved because the turkeys are there, and he is not the biggest, or they boss? I know he is still young, but I am hoping he will continue to be a pleasant addition to the flock. I will try to get a picture of him soon.

Does anyone know, at what age is it considered a true Rooster, and not just a Cockerel? One year perhaps?
 
AnneInTheBurbs said:
@stake. Rusty Shackleford is still being a very good boy. From what I have read on cockerels, they can wear the poor hens out. I only see him jump on the girls occasionally, and he seems to be pretty gentle, no screaming recently from the girls. He crows occasionally, but is not annoying so far. No signs of aggression either. I wonder if he is more well behaved because the turkeys are there, and he is not the biggest, or they boss? I know he is still young, but I am hoping he will continue to be a pleasant addition to the flock. I will try to get a picture of him soon.

Does anyone know, at what age is it considered a true Rooster, and not just a Cockerel? One year perhaps?
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I go with the 1 yr mark also, though we have found the greatest part of their personality seems set a 2-3 months after they start to crow...seems once the hormones settle you will be able to judge their temperment much more accurately.
The biggest variable which can still cause a behaviorl shift is flock dynamics changes. Adding new roosters or taking away a dominant one can drastically alter the way a rooster acts towards both flock members and humans. Think of it as if he suddenly has a new job, so growing pains of sorts can kick in again as he gets used to it. These changes are not basic personality changes as much as they are behavioral changes needed to survive and thrive in his new role. A newly dominant roo may become more standoffish towards humans as he needs to pay more attention to his flock needs and a roo who has been knocked down a peg or two may become more likely to hang around humans and accepting of handouts...
The thing to keep in mind is that behaviors can, and often do, change as the flock changes...so be aware and don't take it for granted.
 
MotorcycleChick said:
One is my understanding.
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fisherlady said:
Quote:
Thanks ladies. Hopefully he will stay well behaved. If not, I will be ordering a killing cone and plucker sooner than planned. I am hoping to raise some meat birds in the spring. I am so happy that I have Moyer Hatchery five minutes away, so I can start with a small batch because I will be picking them up. I keep watching butchering videos to prepare my mind. Is that strange? I want to be sure I do it right.
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stake said:
DH:

Pretty good looking Lav Ameracanas...

Any Idea on when SandHill will be shipping???
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They start sometime in March, but it could be a much longer wait. That is the "problem" with dealing with small hatcheries, they can't snap their fingers and come up with hundreds of chicks of just the right breeds. There are a lot of advantages, but patience is a requirement. All last year I worked the "Ameraucana angle" with chicks from John Blehm. I invested a lot of money and time, but the breeders I have now are fantastic. I can supply all the locals with high quality Ams that were simply not around a year ago. This year I have plans for the acquiring those chicks from Sandhill, "sometime in 2017", so I have nice flocks of some more rare breeds going into spring 2018. You have to take the long view to have the patience required.

If you want chicks sooner. I should have some in January to get you your "fix".
 
I gave up on getting any more eggs from my silkie pullet and released her and Blue back in with the flock. I'll have to wait until spring to try again with them. Poor Blue was immediately jumped by my lavender ameraucana roo though so I had to put him in time out. Brat. Blue is too timid and gentle to fight back.
 
dheltzel said:
They start sometime in March, but it could be a much longer wait. That is the "problem" with dealing with small hatcheries, they can't snap their fingers and come up with hundreds of chicks of just the right breeds. There are a lot of advantages, but patience is a requirement. All last year I worked the "Ameraucana angle" with chicks from John Blehm. I invested a lot of money and time, but the breeders I have now are fantastic. I can supply all the locals with high quality Ams that were simply not around a year ago. This year I have plans for the acquiring those chicks from Sandhill, "sometime in 2017", so I have nice flocks of some more rare breeds going into spring 2018. You have to take the long view to have the patience required.

If you want chicks sooner. I should have some in January to get you your "fix".
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I should have a few silkies to tide me over.... your BCMs are doing well...they really are good looking, but marginal on being prolific on eggs....(eggs are all 6-8)
 

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