She said/He said Who's right? Who's wrong? No one!

[WVduckchick]

Boy, you are full blown Team Red today, aren't you?

My purple was getting a little too blueish.

 

[WalnutHill]

I've been following along diligently. I'm excited to hear hatching stories and sad to hear about the fried chicks. This thread is like a wave. Sometimes it's smooth and on track and other times there is a random peak of something.

My news/questions are not directly hatching related.

The rooster I got so I can make some babies has started to test the waters. Over the weekend I was hand feeding the flock(including him) and saw him try to step on my arm. My hens have done this before to climb over and get to the other side of my hand. I assumed my rooster was trying to do the same. Instead he straddled my arm and bit down on my finger instead. I promptly pushed him down and later when he tried to 'step up' on me I chest bumped him a few times to put him in place.

I am wondering if his behavior was related to trying to be the head of the flock or if he was trying to mate my arm. If he was trying to mate my arm he would be sorely disappointed.

He's about 12 weeks old. Is he getting ready for his first olé?

I have an eight week old already mounting pullets, but not doing anything other than pinching their necks. So I'd say yes, your boy is having a hormone flush.

 

[scflock]

 

[sideWing]

I've been following along diligently. I'm excited to hear hatching stories and sad to hear about the fried chicks. This thread is like a wave. Sometimes it's smooth and on track and other times there is a random peak of something.

My news/questions are not directly hatching related.

The rooster I got so I can make some babies has started to test the waters. Over the weekend I was hand feeding the flock(including him) and saw him try to step on my arm. My hens have done this before to climb over and get to the other side of my hand. I assumed my rooster was trying to do the same. Instead he straddled my arm and bit down on my finger instead. I promptly pushed him down and later when he tried to 'step up' on me I chest bumped him a few times to put him in place.

I am wondering if his behavior was related to trying to be the head of the flock or if he was trying to mate my arm. If he was trying to mate my arm he would be sorely disappointed.

He's about 12 weeks old. Is he getting ready for his first olé?

He is trying to prove he is the alpha male. Lot's of opinions on how to handle it. From experience with a Road Island rooster my opinion is this. If you fight him he will think you are scared of him and he will never, ever stop trying to kill you. What i will do this time is pick my roos up by the feet and carry them around for a while embarrassing them and showing them that I'm the alpha in a nice way. The younger the better.

Some say not to let them eat or breed in front of you as that is showing dominance.

 

[FridayYet]

My purple was getting a little too blueish.

 

[scflock]

He is trying to prove he is the alpha male. Lot's of opinions on how to handle it. From experience with a Road Island rooster my opinion is this. If you fight him he will think you are scared of him and he will never, ever stop trying to kill you. What i will do this time is pick my roos up by the feet and carry them around for a while embarrassing them and showing them that I'm the alpha in a nice way. The younger the better.

Some say not to let them eat or breed in front of you as that is showing dominance.

I posted this same question on the Polish thread because Damien started attacking me. The advice I got was stand your ground, then back him up. Separate him from the girls, and don't let him by. Don't let him eat or mate in your presence. I started doing it that day. He would charge the fence every time I walked by the pen. I started swinging around when he did it, go straight in the pen, and start backing him up. I got flogged the first time, but didn't kick him. I would back him in a corner and not let him by. I would keep him at bay for at least 5 minutes. I did this for a week, and he doesn't charge me any more. He's still mean, but he keeps his distance.
If he is actually trying to make advances on your arm, I have several different pieces of advice, but none of them are suitable for print

 

[MunsterChicks]

I have to ask a silly question. What kind of chicken is an AM? Now the serious questions!...I love the coop. I hope to make something like that some day in the near future. How many nest boxes will you add? And when do you add them? The chickens in the coop look around the age of mine, how old are they? And do you let them free range now? Mine just got finished being under a light. But I probably could have done away with it a couple weeks ago. They are my first babies, so still learning. They are 5 wks old today.

AM=Ameraucana. Thanks, I'm not sure how many boxes yet. I honestly haven't thought about how many, I just know hubby was
going to put big ones, he said he has like 20inches- he's going to cut the right side wall out and build them off the supporting side beams. Of my Orps. (That are in the coop pictures) I have two hens, and this last hatch, depends on how many more hens we get. I guess I'll base it off how big the coop is and how many chickens we have total. They are about five weeks old now, and we're practicing free ranging. I've been letting them run around the yard for a few weeks, just a couple hours at a time. I'll watch them while theyre out there because my girls like to play anyway. Eventually my hope is to let them out in the morning and just let them in at night. My neighbor does the same thing, we have a lot of raccoons, fisher cats, etc... So I'll just make sure I lock them up at night.

 

[scflock]

AM=Ameraucana. Thanks, I'm not sure how many boxes yet. I honestly haven't thought about how many, I just know hubby was
going to put big ones, he said he has like 20inches- he's going to cut the right side wall out and build them off the supporting side beams. Of my Orps. (That are in the coop pictures) I have two hens, and this last hatch, depends on how many more hens we get. I guess I'll base it off how big the coop is and how many chickens we have total. They are about five weeks old now, and we're practicing free ranging. I've been letting them run around the yard for a few weeks, just a couple hours at a time. I'll watch them while theyre out there because my girls like to play anyway. Eventually my hope is to let them out in the morning and just let them in at night. My neighbor does the same thing, we have a lot of raccoons, fisher cats, etc... So I'll just make sure I lock them up at night.

Is a fisher cat what we call a weasel? I have a friend that didn't bury his wire. One got in and killed 18/20 eight week old pullets. Just left them scattered all around the pen. He used to make fun of me for overbuilding my pens...

 

[chicapee]

Well that sucks. Just typed up a whole story and byc ate it. Short version. Does anyone recommend using egg cartons for shipped eggs?

 

[sideWing]

Well that sucks. Just typed up a whole story and byc ate it.

Mobile phone?