PLEASE Tell Me What Would YOU Do With Deacon? Need Advice (Poll)

[Suzierd]

He may not want out so bad with Isaac inside. I hope Isaac is doing better.

 

[speckledhen]

Nope, because that is a huge pen. It's 2500 sf. with oak and maple trees in the middle of it. Plus, fishing line would only hurt a bird trying to fly out. I have crisscrossed nylon mason's line and hung CD's in smaller pens to dangle and spin to keep out hawks and it does work for that purpose, but wire across would likely injure Deacon if he tried to fly out. He needs a more substantial barrier, I'm afraid.

 

[speckledhen]

This is the pen that the little goober is escaping daily. These are old pictures from just after we completed this one. The original pen was on the front side of the coop, but it wasn't satisfactory for several reasons. This one is huge. It was plenty large enough when I had over 40 birds in that coop (I have 22 in there now).

 

[bobbi-j]

This is the pen that the little goober is escaping daily. These are old pictures from just after we completed this one. The original pen was on the front side of the coop, but it wasn't satisfactory for several reasons. This one is huge. It was plenty large enough when I had over 40 birds in that coop (I have 22 in there now).

Silly chicken - he has no idea how good he has it...

 

[speckledhen]

Silly chicken - he has no idea how good he has it...

Ha, they rarely do!

I was just in the coop because there was a ruckus. The entire flock was on one side gathered around Rex because they saw apparently something scary out the big front window. Deacon was the only one on the original 8x8 side and he ran up the roosts to me and tried to get inside my coat. What a goober!

 

[1muttsfan]

I was also going to suggest leaving the first and second primaries intact if you clip his wings,it give a more natural look and also allows the bird to fall less abruptly. Some birds do fly well even with wings clipped, I had a cockatiel once that could get around just fine even after all his primaries were trimmed.

 

[speckledhen]

Thanks for the diagram! I was going to have to check out one for a refresher since I hadn't trimmed a wing in many years.

 

[speckledhen]

Update on Deacon.

We have had family issues and stuff going on so have not clipped his wings yet. He continues to fly out when hassled, but we put up the old door between the two coop sections and gave him a few hens, at least during shut-in time. He tends to stay around longer in the morning, and a few days, did not fly out at all, even when chased, probably anchored by his perceived ownership of those hens, and doesn't fly out until I let out Rex's side. And when Isaac, who is currently separated to recover from some frostbite on his feet due to poor circulation, is roaming the yard, he and Deacon do not fight.

Deacon is scared of his daddy, will not challenge him as Rex does, so when we get the pen divided (and it's partially done, waiting for better weather to prevail to finish), Deacon and his dad will share 6 or so hens on their own side of the coop. There were 8, but two of the older hens who have issues were so put upon by the young males, I moved them to the Old Hens' Coop. As long as Deacon is not chased by his big brother, I think he may stay in the pen more. He's such a sweet, friendly guy, we like him more and more every day.

 

[speckledhen]

Decided to add another update. We barely survived this windy winter so couldn't build anything for Deacon. We made an unspoken decision to go with Option #2 for Deacon, at least for the time being. He will be allowed to do what he likes and he does just that. He is smart, though, hiding under the Orp coop when he senses danger from above, going into any open coop door or under the deck to hide. He may not live for a long time, but he's such a free spirit, that one.

Here are two videos of Deacon doing his normal greeting dance, something I've never tolerated from any other rooster, but from him, it is just so different. He'll bring me something, a leaf or a stick or a piece of lichen fallen from a tree branch every time he approaches me, then he drops it and dances one way, then the other way. Same with my DH, as you can see from the video. He used to bite your fingers every time you'd reach but now, he's much better and if you say, "NO bite!", he seems to get that.


http://s673.photobucket.com/user/Mtnviewpoultry/media/Video Clips/DSCN2480_zpsd5322ef3.mp4.html

http://s673.photobucket.com/user/Mtnviewpoultry/media/Video Clips/DSCN2481_zps3ad57362.mp4.html


**the girls plucked most of his hackle sides off, as you can see, and he let them. Always the Delaware hens picking at their men.