Shadrach's Ex Battery and Rescued chickens thread.

[Perris]

Best go and see a doctor!
I think they're Morinth's eggs now no matter who laid them.

One needs to be carefull with chicks very early on about ensuring they bond with mum and not with you.

In mainly coop and run keeping bonding to the keeper (I believe they can bond with more than one person/creature) bonding to the keeper can be quite usefull and once of a suitable age most raised in this way become friendly as they mature. For a free range keeping one wants maximum bond strength between chicks and mum, and then tribe, and finally the keeper.
There are many reasons for this most obvious once the topic is considere.
In it's simlest form, when the shit hits the fan you won't be there and the chicks need to do exactly what mum tells them to.

I spent too much time with the juveniles at the field. They're very friendly; partly due to personality.

This is an excellent article that was never going to be popular with most hatchers.

https://www.backyardchickens.com/articles/chick-instructions-on-one-page.71977/

thanks for linking to that article; I'd missed it. I concur with your evaluation of it.

 

[fluffycrow]

Most turkeys that attack people imprinted on people.

Some people have speculated similar things for chickens.

You might remember that until very early this summer, there was a cockerel here as well, the son of Kolovos. He was raised by Cruella. He never attacked me, but he stressed the females out too much, so keeping him wasn't an option.

With the incubator babies that are currently growing out (they're 3 months old now), out of the 8 cockerels, 6 have tried to attack. Of course, at this age it is not very serious.

I don't have a problem with keeping aggressive males, but aggression at 10 weeks (when most started) seems kind of extreme

 

[Perris]

out of the 8 cockerels, 6 have tried to attack

maybe just a bit of youthful bravado? or did they actually make contact? And how did you react when they did it? What I've observed with my roos interacting, is that a bird that stands its ground is rarely actually attacked. When a young but nearly fully grown bird does it for the first time, the older perp is surprised (cos hitherto the younger bird always ran away) and comes to a quick halt to re-evaluate the situation. How it goes from there depends on how they both behave. Sooner or later they will actually clash to establish who's boss and who's 2nd, and thereafter it'll revert to the 2nd making way (in a more or less dignified fashion) for the boss.

But I have never been part of this ritual. I do not threaten them, and they do not threaten me. I walk amongst them as I do other people on a pavement or beach; with mutual respect. If one comes close when I am poo-picking, for example, I make eye contact and ask how they are, and sometimes they say something or crow in reply, sometimes not, before they walk away again. This starts when they are chicks (a 2nd one of the June hatch is colouring up now; Erddig is a boy) and continues to the end.

Very occasionally I will interfere in their lives, and then usually only by standing between them and their objective (be that a particular hen who has sought my protection, or a bowl of food intended for chicks and their broody, for example) and that is all that is required - in the same way that all the birds respect their own places in the hierarchy (which is dynamic not static) most of the time, by position: moving their body into or out of the way of another, and avoiding actual conflict (beyond an occasional peck).

 

[fluffycrow]

maybe just a bit of youthful bravado? or did they actually make contact? And how did you react when they did it? What I've observed with my roos interacting, is that a bird that stands its ground is rarely actually attacked. When a young but nearly fully grown bird does it for the first time, the older perp is surprised (cos hitherto the younger bird always ran away) and comes to a quick halt to re-evaluate the situation. How it goes from there depends on how they both behave. Sooner or later they will actually clash to establish who's boss and who's 2nd, and thereafter it'll revert to the 2nd making way (in a more or less dignified fashion) for the boss.

But I have never been part of this ritual. I do not threaten them, and they do not threaten me. I walk amongst them as I do other people on a pavement or beach; with mutual respect. If one comes close when I am poo-picking, for example, I make eye contact and ask how they are, and sometimes they say something or crow in reply, sometimes not, before they walk away again. This starts when they are chicks (a 2nd one of the June hatch is colouring up now; Erddig is a boy) and continues to the end.

Very occasionally I will interfere in their lives, and then usually only by standing between them and their objective (be that a particular hen who has sought my protection, or a bowl of food intended for chicks and their broody, for example) and that is all that is required - in the same way that all the birds respect their own places in the hierarchy (which is dynamic not static) most of the time, by position: moving their body into or out of the way of another, and avoiding actual conflict (beyond an occasional peck).

I follow similar techniques and mentality; some people say to walk among them in a way that demands respect, by making the chickens move. I find that both useless and if I may, dumb.

I try to respect their space, and will walk in my own lane. These boys will run towards me to attack, unprovoked. I do not count a "square-up" with me as an attack (in case of a square up I ignore it). All 6 boys mentioned have made contact with their beaks, and 2 incorporating so kicks as well. With some it's for a second, a few hold on for an impressive (at that age) time.

I've learned to be very respectful of their space, thanks to Kolovos. As I've mentioned many times before, he's not the biggest fan of me. I've learned to walk and behave in a way that wouldn't challenge his authority much; so far this has worked with him, and there have been no attacks (head scratches or any kind of contact with him is out the window, however). His six sons however are much more easily triggered

Edit to add: my reaction was ignoring it, mostly. With the more "extreme" attacks I tried to get them off without pushing them too much and causing a bigger reaction in return

 

[Perris]

All 6 boys mentioned have made contact with their beaks, and 2 incorporating so kicks as well. With some it's for a second, a few hold on for an impressive (at that age) time.

wow. That's more than bravado. How do they behave with Kovolos? And him with them? Ditto the senior hens? The jerk phase may be hard going with this lot. My inclination is to give youngsters lots of rope, but some still hang themselves.

With the more "extreme" attacks I tried to get them off without pushing them too much and causing a bigger reaction in return

sounds like you've got this.

 

[fluffycrow]

wow. That's more than bravado. How do they behave with Kovolos? And him with them? Ditto the senior hens? The jerk phase may be hard going with this lot. My inclination is to give youngsters lots of rope, but some still hang themselves.

sounds like you've got this.

Kolovos is very lenient with the youngsters. Surprisingly, even more so with the males. I've only seen him peck two or three, and all were female. The only exception is roosting time. He does not like the youngsters anywhere near him when it's roosting time.

The senior hens are another story completely. I've mentioned this in my article, but Tsouloufati hens are not very easygoing. Certainly not with the youngsters. When the big girls walk, all the youngsters run away. They seem to target the males more. Or at least, they make sure that the young males know what their beaks can do

 

[Perris]

Apologies for muddling the spelling of Kolovos' name What does it mean? (may help me remember the right order of letters)

 

[Perris]

Tsouloufati hens are not very easygoing. Certainly not with the youngsters. When the big girls walk, all the youngsters run away. They seem to target the males more. Or at least, they make sure that the young males know what their beaks can do

maybe use your index finger as a pseudo beak next time one of the bravado boys comes calling?

 

[fluffycrow]

Apologies for muddling the spelling of Kolovos' name What does it mean? (may help me remember the right order of letters)

No apologies needed, I didn't even notice it until you pointed it out .

It means butt-less. When he was a young cockerel he had no tail feathers, so he was lovingly called "the butt-less one". The name stuck

 

[fluffycrow]

maybe use your index finger as a pseudo beak next time one of the bravado boys comes calling?

I've found the most effective technique to be touching their tail feathers. When they've squared up for a fight, the do not expect an attack (or anything) to come at them from behind, so when you do so much as touch their tail feathers, they freak out and loose focus.

Most of the time that makes them completely disinterested in a fight

I've tried it with all the persistent males I've had over the years, and it seems the most effective, and least invasive