Pennsylvania!! Unite!!

[BullChick]

What can we talk you into?

 

[OneMountainAcres]

Central here!

welcome, from Cambria county

 

[OneMountainAcres]

I hope everyone managed to keep their power today with all this crazy wind! My bachelor pad lost its roof but it wasn't secured. Hubby and I fixed it and anchored it without an issue. The main coop though lost half of the plastic that was covering the run. It made it through the entire winter intact but it couldn't stand up to this crazy wind. It ripped the entire top half off and split party of the bottom. Hopefully, it won't be a problem and spring weather will be here to stay.... Hopefully

 

[BullChick]

I’m now half convinced that a tree is going to come down, and crush me in my bed.

 

[HeartoftheMatterFarm]

I hope it does not snow. I have 2 goats that I need to move to another pen to dry off. Its going to be loud at my place for a week or 2.

 

[BullChick]

Well, no trees fell on me. Lots of big branches came down overnight though.

 

[BullChick]

In your experience, will a rooster step up as protector when he’s the only one?

 

[BullChick]

@fisherlady I’m reluctant to kill the first rooster you brought me (almost three years ago). He’s very protective during the day (and worthless at night ). Is it likely that the SPR I’m keeping will step up as protector if he’s the only one?

 

[AnneInTheBurbs]

I haven’t had too many Roosters, but I suspect he would step up. I have three right now, and if one is nearby while another is mating a hen, he will try to knock the first one off. Thankfully, they do not fight. I have no doubt, if something happened to the other 2, that #3 would step into action.

Some of this I’m sure is breed dependent too. The bielefelders are gorgeous big boys, but what wimps! My bantam Langshan from @msladyhawke has a lot more attitude than the Bielefelder. My CCL/Marans mix is in between.

 

[fisherlady]

@fisherlady I’m reluctant to kill the first rooster you brought me (almost three years ago). He’s very protective during the day (and worthless at night ). Is it likely that the SPR I’m keeping will step up as protector if he’s the only one?

We have not had an intrusion attack in the coop at night, so hard to say. The biggest protection offered by almost any rooster is their early alert and distraction of the predator to give hens a chance to evade, in the coop that has very little chance to make a difference, even if he has good intentions.
Outside is a different matter, and we have found our roosters step up to fill a void left when a dominant rooster is removed. We have also found that roosters who were quiet and cooperative when 2nd or 3rd in the authority line can sometimes get a bit overbearing when they get moved up the line. Sometimes they settle in and do well once the initial head rush wears off, sometimes they attitude themselves into the freezer. Not all roosters handle authority well.
All we can do is Give them a chance and if it doesn't work then we just regroup and reshuffle or find another replacement.
Unfortunately there is no way to know until you try.