Shadrach's Ex Battery and Rescued chickens thread.

[fluffycrow]

Well, let me rephrase. I think they see red and go for it. I don't think the younger cockerels were even thinking that far ahead -- about claiming hens. I think they just saw her face and comb flushing red and whatever other signals they read when a hen comes back into lay and (literally) jumped on it. Maybe Lucio, as the senior with an established harem, is a bit more concerned about showing who belongs to who, but for the younger ones just coming into sexual maturity, there was no calculation. They were just absolutely beserk to mate.

For those two exhausting days, I was like a defensive end in a football (American) game. The cockerels would charge a hen and I would get in between to intercept them and push them away. They were in such a frenzy they got confused and even tried to mount each other. Which would have been funny if I hadn't been in the middle of it.

I see . Well, let's hope Lady Gaga isn't as...amorous (although in this situation frenzied might be a better term). By the time Cruella weans her chicks he should be 7 months old, so he will have been mating for 3.5 months? Ursula is in the same pen, so I hope she'll aid in diffusing some of that tension. Although Cruella is Lady Gaga's top/favorite hen. They sleep (well, slept) right next to eachother, and he is by her side almost constantly

 

[Ladies-Eight]

Ex Batts good afternoon one and all!

Temperature is in the 60s with high pollen count.

Have a great day!

 

[BDutch]

1 hour free range time. Until all 6 hens , sound the alarm but not panicking. Coming back to the coop, slowly. The alarm sounds is a bit like the egg song, but different. They calmed down wen I hushed them all inside the run and locked them up again. (Posting om my own thread too).

Roosters are like cavemen, in my experience, seriously. …..They might be gallant and brave when it comes to offering treats and protecting from predators, but when it comes to mating and showing "these women are MINE" they are quite uncivilized. Which is fine. They are what they are. But be prepared.

I wouldn’t say this is fine. Otherwise I agree.

If I were a breeder I would select cockerels that only mate in consent and wouldn’t crow loud each sunrise.
Colouring and such is of less importance.

We have a saying in NL: the best helmsman are on the shore (the ones who don’t always know best)

 

[Molpet]

That's very reassuring, thanks

I have had problems with other hens if the chicks try to eat with them

 

[fluffycrow]

I have had problems with other hens if the chicks try to eat with them

Their pen has three separate feeders, and two separate waterers, one of each is inaccessible to young chicks, but preferred by the adults. Cruella is a helicopter mom, and IF Lady Gaga does his job, he would be protecting his lead hen and his offspring. Ursula didn't have the best manners around the chicks, but they were 5 weeks old at that point, and Cruella didn't really shelter them. I'm hoping a combination of all of these means that Ursula won't be too tough with the bitties. If not, I have another pen I can put her in

 

[fuzzi]

I don't have experience of a cockerel attacking chicks when hens are present. BUT I had a cockerel fly over and into a chick enclosure in which very young chicks were being housed, attacking them. I was recording at the time, dropped my phone, and grabbed the cockerel. He was the first one chosen for the auction despite him being closest to Standard.

 

[Perris]

I'm hoping a combination of all of these means that Ursula won't be too tough with the bitties. If not, I have another pen I can put her in

I have never had an adult or juvenile member of the flock peck a chick hard enough to draw blood or do other real damage; and usually the really young chicks are tolerated whatever they do, including fully occupying food bowls so that adults have to try to eat round them. When they're a bit bigger, the adults' disciplinary pecks seem to be well judged to encourage most chicks to withdraw until the higher ranking bird moves off, or even so mild that a few chicks just ignore them at least for the time being. That is not say there isn't a lot of squealing.

If you create spaces that chicks can get into or under and adults or juveniles can't, it should provide places of safety when they can't run away because they're penned.

 

[fluffycrow]

I have never had an adult or juvenile member of the flock peck a chick hard enough to draw blood or do other real damage; and usually the really young chicks are tolerated whatever they do, including fully occupying food bowls so that adults have to try to eat round them. When they're a bit bigger, the adults' disciplinary pecks seem to be well judged to encourage most chicks to withdraw until the higher ranking bird moves off, or even so mild that a few chicks just ignore them at least for the time being. That is not say there isn't a lot of squealing.

If you create spaces that chicks can get into or under and adults or juveniles can't, it should provide places of safety when they can't run away because they're penned.

Yup, same. Ursula was introduced to the chicks when they were 4-5 weeks old. She pecked them to get them out of the way, but she never drew blood. And yes, the pen has a lot of places for the chicks to hide, but I will add more. My first priority right now is to find a way to add sufficient cushioning right under the nest, so that when the babies turn into wood ducks, they won't land on the hard surface

 

[TropicalChickies]

If I were a breeder I would select cockerels that only mate in consent and wouldn’t crow loud each sunrise.
Colouring and such is of less importance.

Well, I should have specified "cockerels and young roosters are like cavemen" -- and by "that's fine" I should have said "that's fine because it will probably change as they get older." I believe rooster mating gets more civilized and consent-based as they mature. I don't think it's possible to predict how an adult rooster will "turn out" based on his raging hormonal teen years. The prevailing discussion on rooster on BYC seem to conclude that an unruly cockerel is a "bad seed" who will surely grow into an even worse rooster. But again, based on limited experience, this has not been the case here. Nor do I think their behavior is genetically determined, at least not entirely. I'll go against the grain and venture that circumstances are more important.

For example, Lucio, my senior male (now 11 mos old), was a very quiet, non-aggressive, even subservient cockerel until he got to be about 8 months old. The senior hens, especially boss lady Cleo, kept him in check. Then Cleo died and and the other two senior hens, Tina and Patucha, went broody and hatched chicks. Maybe age and hormones were also factors, but I think the absence of matriarchal authority contributed to the more cocky and domineering attitude he developed at 8 months. To my point, now that senior hen Tina has weaned her second brood and is back to being with the flock, Lucio is more humble and so busy attending to her needs, the Food Lady can go about her business without him chasing me or acting ridiculously if I so much get within twenty feet of "his" space.

Numbers also play a role in creating a gang mentality, I believe. The three young cockerels emboldened each other. And they were in competition for only a half dozen hens who were all spoken for. The two I rehomed, Segundo and Solo, both calmed down considerably when they we split up and moved to new places where they got their own hens. Tobias, the cockerel I kept who was the most tranquil of the trio, will chase a hen occasionally, but more often tries to use treats to score a crouch.

I just don't think the way cockerel behaves at 5 months is a true indicator of how he will behave at 5 years. Or even 2 years. As far as breeding only roosters that don't crow at the crack of dawn, well, hmmm... Good luck with that!

 

[fluffycrow]

Well, I should have specified "cockerels and young roosters are like cavemen" -- and by "that's fine" I should have said "that's fine because it will probably change as they get older." I believe rooster mating gets more civilized and consent-based as they mature. I don't think it's possible to predict how an adult rooster will "turn out" based on his raging hormonal teen years. The prevailing discussion on rooster on BYC seem to conclude that an unruly cockerel is a "bad seed" who will surely grow into an even worse rooster. But again, based on limited experience, this has not been the case here. Nor do I think their behavior is genetically determined, at least not entirely. I'll go against the grain and venture that circumstances are more important.

For example, Lucio, my senior male (now 11 mos old), was a very quiet, non-aggressive, even subservient cockerel until he got to be about 8 months old. The senior hens, especially boss lady Cleo, kept him in check. Then Cleo died and and the other two senior hens, Tina and Patucha, went broody and hatched chicks. Maybe age and hormones were also factors, but I think the absence of matriarchal authority contributed to the more cocky and domineering attitude he developed at 8 months. To my point, now that senior hen Tina has weaned her second brood and is back to being with the flock, Lucio is more humble and so busy attending to her needs, the Food Lady can go about her business without him chasing me or acting ridiculously if I so much get within twenty feet of "his" space.

Numbers also play a role in creating a gang mentality, I believe. The three young cockerels emboldened each other. And they were in competition for only a half dozen hens who were all spoken for. The two I rehomed, Segundo and Solo, both calmed down considerably when they we split up and moved to new places where they got their own hens. Tobias, the cockerel I kept who was the most tranquil of the trio, will chase a hen occasionally, but more often tries to use treats to score a crouch.

I just don't think the way cockerel behaves at 5 months is a true indicator of how he will behave at 5 years. Or even 2 years. As far as breeding only roosters that don't crow at the crack of dawn, well, hmmm... Good luck with that!

I'm right there with you. I have read many things while looking through the "oh my gosh, we got a baby rooster!!! What do we do! Help us!". The one that makes me pull my hair out the most is the "if he wants to be near you, and is OK with being on you, he's being bold and will turn aggressive". Well let me tell you, none of the cockerels that liked being close to me, or on me from a young age turned aggressive. Most grew up to not GAF. I have had more "mindful" cockerels attack me, than bold ones. There is no way to guess how your male will turn out (psychologically). The only possible way might be if you get pure breeds from a breeder that selects for a certain temperament