Rooster Chat

[microchick]

Right now my bachelors are molting so no 'hen time' for them right now even though they stand and gaze longingly at them through the fence. The look pretty bedraggled next to the February cockerels with their broad chests and intact tail feathers, LOL. I've noticed thought that the breeding frenzy has slowed down considerably from spring so fall must be close at hand.

I remembered last night how I trained my original flock to go into the coop at night. I turned on a light in the coop. Will try this again with the June hatch birds and see if that helps to move them along. We've had a lot of rain here and it's no fun sliding my way around the run that doesn't have grass on it trying to herd the little devils towards the pop door.

 

[newhamplover]

Yeah, I am starting to see some of the same things since I last posted about my RIR roo making me nervous. There are 3 five month old Roos in my run. I hated the New Hampshire roo so badly back in July that I would not have cared if his new home did eat him. I would have rung his neck myself a couple times. The RIR was acting like a snot toward my daughter and hubby but I do think he was being protective of the pullets, I got nervous of him but I got over it. The BR who has never been a problem still isn't and pals around with the RIR. I was working on a separate roo run and broke with the shingles.

Which ground everything to a standstill. I realized yesterday that the craziness that was going on down there had stopped and other than egg songs everything was quiet. I went down to watch for a bit (and I will probably do some more today) and what do I see? Three very subdued and calm Roos who are no longer chasing every pullet or each other around and around the run. ???? I will have to watch a bit more but it "appears" they worked this out on their own? The RIR and BR have evidently decided though that the NH is odd man out and he stays as far away from them as he can. I actually feel sorry for that poor boy with the sideways tail that makes him look ridiculous...like a tailless rooster. LOL But now I am considering letting him stay in a bachelor run. I know 3 is way too many for 9 pullets so I need to finish that bachelor run this week for sure but after seeing this I am thinking all 3 have earned a reprieve at least for awhile. Two weeks ago it was so chaotic I was ready to keep only the BR and let the other two go. I realize they have more maturity to go through so this might be a temporary reprieve but right now all 3 are acting like gentlemen. And none of my pullets have been visibly harmed. Gonna do my best to get that bachelor run going this week. Before they decide to resume craziness and create chaos.

One thing I do know is if any animal senses any insecurity, anger, or intimidation from a person they will take up on it. I think sometimes from reading on here that is what is happening & if the animal feels it is getting the upper hand or if it feels it is under any kind of threat it will keep acting on that. The few times that Harry threw his hackles out at me I pointed my finger at him & told him ENOUGH that boat wouldn't float. I talk to them all the time so he definitely knew the harsh tone I was using. They will try you & they will push their limits to see how far they can go. He flew up once at my husband, never at me, but my husband doesn't spend the time with them that I do. I don't consider this to be unusual behavior at all. It is just testing their limits. Let me see how far I can go with this person.

I had a miniature schnauzer puppy, the love of my life, & when he was about 2 1/2 months old he was a terror. He had the bottom of my robe in tatters, my hands scratched like i was in a brier patch. He didn't want a toy he wanted flesh LOL. One evening I said enough. He was really getting out of control. I do love animals that have some edge to them but his edge was too much. So I knew this was a battle I had to win. I don't hit or discipline like that. I got a big heavy bath towel & wrapped him in it, put him in my lap & the battle was on. He was so mad & he certainly didn't want to say cowboy. Well this struggle went on for a good 30 minutes & finally he cowboyed. From that point on we had a mutual understanding, we had limits, & we had a beautiful 13 years together.

 

[Birdydeb]

Yeah, I get that. I have parrots and they pick up on EVERYTHING. Good, bad or indifferent ....so you would think this would have occurred to me. LOL Still these roosters have a lot of maturing to do yet and I am going to get them a bachelor run somehow. Went down and watched for a bit....yep, peaceful calm flock. Even my red hens have stopped antagonizing the ISAs. Considering they have been basically "on their own" for two weeks, it's pretty funny. They were fed, watered, locked up and let out in the mornings...that's it. Lesson learned.

 

[cabinchicky]

Jersey Giant - he was a nut case but he also died from genetic issues early on so watch for bad breeding. I'm willing to give JGs another shot in the future. Way in the future. Stunning from far away. People would stop their cars to watch him.

Phoenix - timid, watchful, smart. Good lookout. Not a pet, but a useful roo for the flock. Plus he's super pretty.

Easter Egger - like having a 3 year old spoiled beast of a child all the time. I'm madly in love with him but I want to beat his brains in half the time. Definitely a pet.

Could you please explain more in detail of the nutcase? I have one a month old and praying the other 4 are pullets! My first time with them. Boy are they fast! Skiddish too!Have been trying to hang out with them to get them use to people, but they still hide in a corner calling their heads off like I am going to attack.

 

[TheTwoRoos]

Yeah, I am starting to see some of the same things since I last posted about my RIR roo making me nervous. There are 3 five month old Roos in my run. I hated the New Hampshire roo so badly back in July that I would not have cared if his new home did eat him. I would have rung his neck myself a couple times. The RIR was acting like a snot toward my daughter and hubby but I do think he was being protective of the pullets, I got nervous of him but I got over it. The BR who has never been a problem still isn't and pals around with the RIR. I was working on a separate roo run and broke with the shingles. Which ground everything to a standstill. I realized yesterday that the craziness that was going on down there had stopped and other than egg songs everything was quiet. I went down to watch for a bit (and I will probably do some more today) and what do I see? Three very subdued and calm Roos who are no longer chasing every pullet or each other around and around the run. ???? I will have to watch a bit more but it "appears" they worked this out on their own? The RIR and BR have evidently decided though that the NH is odd man out and he stays as far away from them as he can. I actually feel sorry for that poor boy with the sideways tail that makes him look ridiculous...like a tailless rooster. LOL But now I am considering letting him stay in a bachelor run. I know 3 is way too many for 9 pullets so I need to finish that bachelor run this week for sure but after seeing this I am thinking all 3 have earned a reprieve at least for awhile. Two weeks ago it was so chaotic I was ready to keep only the BR and let the other two go. I realize they have more maturity to go through so this might be a temporary reprieve but right now all 3 are acting like gentlemen. And none of my pullets have been visibly harmed. Gonna do my best to get that bachelor run going this week. Before they decide to resume craziness and create chaos.

Wow my Nh is the sweetest I wonder ehy everyone seems to have problems with them.

 

[suchcutenails]

Right now my bachelors are molting so no 'hen time' for them right now even though they stand and gaze longingly at them through the fence. The look pretty bedraggled next to the February cockerels with their broad chests and intact tail feathers, LOL. I've noticed thought that the breeding frenzy has slowed down considerably from spring so fall must be close at hand.

I remembered last night how I trained my original flock to go into the coop at night. I turned on a light in the coop. Will try this again with the June hatch birds and see if that helps to move them along. We've had a lot of rain here and it's no fun sliding my way around the run that doesn't have grass on it trying to herd the little devils towards the pop door.

Can you talk to me a little bit about your bachelor pad? I have 20 week old chickens...11 female and 2 male. Since I ended up with the boys, I thought I would let them stay as long as they behave themselves. They get along with each other, but the mating is waaaaaaayy too much on the girls. I'm frustrated with it. I like having them for the protection side, but I had decided to get rid of one. Since rehoming has not worked out, he has an appointment with a butcher in 10 days. However...I have considered a bachelor pad. I just don't know if it will be beneficial in my situation. We don't actually free range. Too many neighborhood dogs that roam free; although I haven't had any in the yard since we got the chickens. They do get some supervised foraging time in the morning and evening. So, would the boys spend their penned time in the bachelor pad, and the forage time with the girls? Sometimes I think about free ranging the boys all day, and keeping the girls penned. I'd appreciate your thoughts!

One of the boys matured pretty early. He had been attacking the ladies and being an overall jerk for about two months. Now I see him mellowing a bit, and the other one is starting to be like a sloppy, mean, teenage guy. The first one (the alpha) doesn't tolerate it, and intervenes when #2 is being rude, but there is a LOT going on ON my little pullets! Also, I have worked out my relationship with #1 over the last couple of months. We basically ignore each other, and that works. But this week, #2 flew at my leg, feet first, and attacked me! He doesn't have spurs yet, and didn't really hurt me, but that was my decision maker. It seemed very unprovoked. The times I have had to deal with anything like that from #1, it always came in moments when he seemed protective, not aggressive. Never anything like what happened with #2 this week. And he is a SLW...he is HUGE! I have a good bruise on my leg from his big body slamming into it! So while I've been considering the bachelor pad, I am open to a nice chicken dinner...

 

[microchick]

Suchcutenails, having went the bachelor pen route I personally cannot think of a situation where having one wouldn't be beneficial. My rooster pen is connected to the main pen. I used chain link to make a 10X20 run. Their coop is my original coop which we were able to move into place and use as part of the anchor for the run. My flock outgrew their original coop.

Many people will say that bachelor roosters should not be in sight of the hens or flock roosters. Maybe so but I put them 'together' mainly to make it easy for me to take care of them and protect them with the hot wire that surrounds my coop and run. I suffer from chronic back pain so I always try to make things as easy to take care of as possible for me.

My roosters may spar through the fence from time to time, which is amusing to watch but for the most part they settle down nicely for me and they haven't acted aggressive towards me since I put three troublemakers in the bachelor pen.

You can forage them together if you like. Personally I would find trying to separate them from the hens to be a little more energy than I would want to expend every day. But if you are separating both cockerels from your hens, letting them out to protect the hens while they are foraging would offer them protection. There may be some scrapping between the boys when they get with the girls but that's just the way roosters are. One has to be in charge.

I don't free range either due to our own dogs and way too many predators around from eagles to raccoons and coyotes. Still, I love the roosters dearly and figured that the bachelor pen gave them a chance to do something that a trip to the butchers wouldn't do. Live.

 

[suchcutenails]

Thanks microchick! Do your roosters spend all their time in their run? Or do they get time with the hens?

 

[TheTwoRoos]

Suchcutenails, having went the bachelor pen route I personally cannot think of a situation where having one wouldn't be beneficial. My rooster pen is connected to the main pen. I used chain link to make a 10X20 run. Their coop is my original coop which we were able to move into place and use as part of the anchor for the run. My flock outgrew their original coop.

Many people will say that bachelor roosters should not be in sight of the hens or flock roosters. Maybe so but I put them 'together' mainly to make it easy for me to take care of them and protect them with the hot wire that surrounds my coop and run. I suffer from chronic back pain so I always try to make things as easy to take care of as possible for me.

My roosters may spar through the fence from time to time, which is amusing to watch but for the most part they settle down nicely for me and they haven't acted aggressive towards me since I put three troublemakers in the bachelor pen.

You can forage them together if you like. Personally I would find trying to separate them from the hens to be a little more energy than I would want to expend every day. But if you are separating both cockerels from your hens, letting them out to protect the hens while they are foraging would offer them protection. There may be some scrapping between the boys when they get with the girls but that's just the way roosters are. One has to be in charge.

I don't free range either due to our own dogs and way too many predators around from eagles to raccoons and coyotes. Still, I love the roosters dearly and figured that the bachelor pen gave them a chance to do something that a trip to the butchers wouldn't do. Live.

Do the roosters put together ever fight?I have 2 for sure roos and still 3 youbg ones that im thinking are probably roosters (Very aggressive).

 

[microchick]

Not nearly as much as I thought they would. The junior roosters seemed to squabble more than the alpha, but it didn't last long. They worked out their pecking order and it seems to be working for them. The only time I really have problems with them is if I try to introduce a junior rooster into the group. I'm going to eventually try separating them in the pen behind a fence for a few days or a week and see if the transition goes a little smoother. So far I have three adult roosters in with the hens and I leave the junior roosters and young cockerels in with them. I've found that the senior roosters are the best teachers for the younger boys. They kick butt when needed and teach them who's boss. When the junior boys start pestering the hens that is when I want to separate them.

I'm faced with a bit of a challenge with my roosters. I have three 19 month old roosters from my original flock. Two Welsummers and one Lavender O. One of the Welsummer roosters is a great flock leader and a beautiful bird, so is the Lavender O. The second Welsummer boy is okay. Nothing spectacular, he has a tendency to be a jerk and loves to stick his spur in the back of my leg when I'm not looking. I have no problem with either of the first two roosters being with my hens.

My problem is, if you want to call it that, is that I have 4, 7 month old cockerels that are really nice looking birds. Three are Welsummer/Buff O mixes and the 4th, a super sweet Buff O. Compared to my three original roosters, these boys are amazing. The current flock master is named Primo. He is a big, powerful cockerel -quite beautiful with different shades of bronze/buff feathers and Welsummer blue tail feathers. Every time I look at him I think "WHOW! I can't believe I bred this bird! He's amazing!" His two brothers are also pretty and treat the hens well. No over breeding is going on. The girls seem to like them. The Buff O is also a super nice rooster, very much like his late father and the thing is, NONE of these roosters act aggressive towards me......yet. I know I have that first birthday to look forward to but how often does it happen that you get roosters and hens hatched by your original flock that surpass the original flock? I have to admit that I feel guilty keeping the the three original boys away from the girls but man, it's just SOOOOOOOO sweet to walk into the run and not have to watch my back because of the LO and the Welly are plotting my demise when my back is turned.

Am I just lucky? Or is this what happens when people get lucky with the chickens they are breeding?