Shadrach's Ex Battery and Rescued chickens thread.

[Shadrach]

No problem. I can sort this out succinctly.

I never hand fed a junior cockerel. The only male I hand feed is Lucio, the senior male who has his own hens and just fathered 4 chicks.

When I said I stopped giving treats, I meant treats in general to any of the chickens -- as in any food outside meals -- because of all the bugs. I've had enough on my plate with two broody mums, their chicks, and a more-temperamental-than usual senior male.

Your questions answered:

1. Technically I have zero roosters.

2. I have a ten month old cockerel named Lucio. Acting as senior male.

There are also 2 nearly four month old cockerels. They are brothers.

3. I have two proper coops on opposite sides of a tree orchard, about 80 meters apart.

4. There are five hens (2 senior and 3 junior)
1 laying pullet 7 mos
1 four month old pullet (the sister of the younger cockerels)

5. Lucio, the senior male, roosts in one coop with his 3 favorite hens and the 7 mo laying pullet who is also in his harem. One of the senior hens is in a broody apartment next to this coop with her two chicks fathered by Lucio

The juvenile cockerels and their sister roost in the other coop. One of the junior hens is in a broody apartment next to this coop with her two chicks fathered by Lucio.


6. The 2 senior hens are 2 years old. I bought them from a neighboring farm 1.5 years ago. The junior hens and pullets are one year and 7 mos, respectively. I got them from the same neighbor four months ago.

Lucio, the senior male hatched here in November from a fertile egg from same neighbor under a broody hen (deceased). I brought in the junior females for him.

The juveniles all hatched here in late April. I'm working on rehoming one of the brother cockerels. I have a good place for him. The brothers do not fight much but I want the non dominant to have his own hens one day. Here, he's low man with little chance.

Lucio, the senior male at 10 mos old, has been ornery with me -- and generally irritated with his hens -- lately. I thought it might be perhaps I "took away" a hen -- my Butchie who just died. My exasperation with getting jumped at twice a day prompted me to philosophize about his possible motives. I also found (and treated) lice on him two days ago. He seems calmer now.

Hope that clarifies. Thank you for asking.

Thank you. Appologies if I came over a bit short. I read quickly and felt frustrated by the problems you seem to be having and couldn't work out who was with who and where.

 

[L-plate chicken mum]

Saturday, Sunday and Monday which is today in no particular order because I haven't sorted them out yet.

When the wolf is at your door.View attachment 3621182
My eldest was away today throwing herself down some track or other on her mountain bike. Apparently she came third in a race which she's pleased with. I haven't checked her over for damage yet. That's Spoko her soon to be 14 year old husky who I get to take care of because he likes me.

Pleased to be home for a night but away again tomorrow and again later in the week so posting will be intermittent.

The chicks are growing both in size and confidence fast. Both seem very healthy despite eating very little of the chick feed, prefering bugs, roots, seeds, insects and anything I take that mum says they can have.
They won't eat from my hand mainly because mum says no. I've only been attacked once by mum so far and that was when one of the chicks got caught up in a bit of string that I dug up on the plot and I had to untangle the chick.

Henry, has taken to eating the chick feed which of course is much better for him than the layers feed.
Carbon looked a bit broody for a day when she went back and sat on the eggs having just laid one, but it seems to have passed.
I've had to put them all back in the coop run twice now because word has got around and twice people talking to the chicks dribbling like imbiciles and trying to touch them and talking baby talk to them. Niether Fret nor Henry have liked the attention and trying to explain to people that both are dangerous especially when people shove their heads out at bent over height towards the chicks.
Some people are shocked that I let them out and I overheard one women say to another as they walked away that I was irresponsible letting their mum and her chicks out and they should be kept in a brooder.
Both chicks do much of their own foraging now and dust bathe and preen and I've seen both riding on Henry's back at some point.
There has only been one brief scrap between Carbon and Fret and that was when one of the chicks tried to steal something Carbon dug up. Henry shouted at everyone and that sorted it.

I've had a better look at what the chicks are eating at the tree roots. There is a tiny bug that lives there a little under the surface. I did get one but dropped it.
View attachment 3621184
I've hand weeded in the allotment run much to the delight of all. Somewhere in the pictures below is a picture with one of the piles of weeds.

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So I was a really bad surrogate mum as I had the fluff ball I found out & about working in customer’s gardens immediately? And no incubator at all

He’s done pretty well (I hope) for not having a proper mum -
his 2 nest mates hatched a week & a half after him so she wasn’t ready to get off the nest.
Found it so interesting watching his & his girls‘ developing personalities and behaviours and although fluff balls are very cute they are, dare I say it, a bit boring.

 

[TropicalChickies]

Thank you. Appologies if I came over a bit short. I read quickly and felt frustrated by the problems you seem to be having and couldn't work out who was with who and where.

I didn't take it as short. No worries.

By establishing the second coop with the 3 juveniles and the junior hen (Dusty) with her chicks, I'm trying to encourage a tribe where this junior hen can introduce her chicks to that group and become the senior hen of the younger group.

I've read your comments about how tribes form along family or appearance lines. I don't have any look alike chickens. Not even two. But I do have family groups and I can work with that.

I chose to put this junior hen (Dusty) with the juveniles because she doesn't seem committed to staying in Lucio's harem. She isn't one of his favorites. So she seemed the logical choice for spearheading a new tribe. If she stays in that coop with the juveniles, Tobias (the junior cockerel) will be 5.5 months when she weans her chicks -- giving him an opportunity to mate -- if Lucio allows it.

In that confusing steam of consciousness text I wrote, I was venting my own frustrations regarding Lucio -- the senior 10 mo old male -- getting irate with me and acting recklessly in the process. I had to resort to sweeping him away from me and I didn't like having to do it, but he can fly nearly to my head level (I'm short and he's nimble). But the main problem was that he abruptly seemed to regard me as an opponent when up to this point we had been on good terms, if not cuddle buddies.

Especially since I hadn't changed any routine or my own behavior. I always approach the chickens in a calm and grounded way. I'm not an indulgent baby-talker or a cuddler. It's just not my style. And Lucio seemed to appreciate that.

Until he started flying in my face at breakfast. Not my favorite way to start the day.

There's been several changes in just one week, however, that are out of my control. And I understand that change = stress for chickens. A long term flock member died, my hen Butchie, whom Lucio really liked. Two sets of chicks hatched, his first offspring. The junior cockerels are getting bigger and crowing louder.

And he had some lice. And he's only 10 months old.

Any or all of these factors could be setting him off. Or something else I can't see.

At any rate, I've been handling the issue a bit differently for the past two days. By habit, I'm a quiet person when I move around the land. It's not my thing to go banging away noisily in the brush like a Belgian in the Congo or an inept pioneer during a gold rush. But Lucio seems to think I'm "sneaking around" because everywhere I go --if I move unobtrusively -- he runs up on my heels. If I ignore him or stare at him, he pecks at the ground, watching me. If I move in my usual quiet way towards my destination -- it doesn't matter if I walk right past or in another direction, he jumps at me.

But if make a big noisy racket (feeling quite foolish) he leaves me to my business and goes back to his.

I haven't been flown at, spurred, flogged or chased for nearly three days since making this adjustment.

I honestly have no idea what's going on in his birdbrain. @Perris suggested he was entering his "jerk phase" and would grow out of it. I'm willing to work with him and let him mature. He and his favorite hens are quite close knit. They are healthy and obviously feel well tended to by Lucio so I'm not going to abruptly take him away from them because he's gotten a bit jumpy lately.

Anyway, I know you are very busy. But if any other questions or insights occur to you, I'm happy to answer and read.

Lucio and 2 year old Patucha. A moment of calm in his recent tempest...

 

[TropicalChickies]

although fluff balls are very cute they are, dare I say it, a bit boring

Indeed! Cute as buttons. But not much to see after a few minutes. The mamas are really fascinating though.

 

[Shadrach]

Is Henry sitting down outside due to the presence of the chicks or more so due to his age? I am learning a lot about chick dynamics thanks to Fret & Co.!

Glad to hear your daughter made it down the mountain intact with a prize to boot! I think that Spoko has the right idea in hanging out at home while she does that

They all tend to sit down and relax around me when I sit down. I sit down a lot. í seem to have become part of the tribe more so recently. I've found that ranging chickens are active in spurts, mornings trying to forage, rest much of the middle of the day, then high activity a couple of hours before going to roost.

 

[Ladies-Eight]

Ex Batts good morning one and all!

Temperature is in the 80s.

Have a great day!

 

[bruceha2000]

How many roosters do you have?
How many cockerels do you have?

When does a cockerel become a rooster?

I've had a better look at what the chicks are eating at the tree roots. There is a tiny bug that lives there a little under the surface. I did get one but dropped it.

Dang! There went your lunch

I've found that ranging chickens are active in spurts, mornings trying to forage, rest much of the middle of the day, then high activity a couple of hours before going to roost.

That is the general behavior (or behaviour ) I have seen in my girls over the last 10 years.
Maybe the bugs are more active at those same times?

 

[BDutch]

I used to let some roost in the trees. I still would in some circumstances. However, once in the coop I don't care if they sleep in the nest boxes, on the floor, or on a roost bar. The main reason I can gather for not wanting chickens sleeping in nest boxes is the poop in the box and the eggs get dirty. Not really a problem if one cleans the coop daily.

We all have different way of doing things.
I didn’t like the chickens in the tree.
Because of nightly predators and because if the chickens live outside most of the time (free range) they start to make nests in unfindable places an might get broody in a outside nest which is even more dangerous because the eggs won’t hatch and a bamtam broody is an easy prey with a weakened condition with all the predators we have here.

 

[fluffycrow]

When does a cockerel become a rooster?

12 months

 

[RoyalChick]

They all tend to sit down and relax around me when I sit down. I sit down a lot. í seem to have become part of the tribe more so recently. I've found that ranging chickens are active in spurts, mornings trying to forage, rest much of the middle of the day, then high activity a couple of hours before going to roost.

That is exactly what mine are like. The middle of the day is for snoozing, sun bathing and dust bathing. Also sitting around gossiping.
That inactivity is bookended morning and evening by a frenetic pitch to eat everything and anything as if in danger of imminent starvation.

Bernie in the evening just making sure she doesn’t starve overnight.