Show Off Your Games!

[neugene]

Are these Bantam Modern Game?

No Penny they are a cross of OEG cross O Shamo here is a pic of the guy who is fathering these guys..

 

[sdm111]

So how you make friends with a crow? Had him since he was small or something? And when a hawk or eagle is noticed all the cocks make like a screaming like sound very loud. Just a couple weeks ago I went outside right at daylight and they started alerting looked up didn't see anything started walking back and saw a huge shadow on the ground looked up and a giant eagle flew over. They saw him long before he got over my property. I have lost my share from birds of prey but my problem are foxes so much so I had to put up the elec. Fence haven't lost any since. And it's like right when I get lax I'll lose one from a predator gotta stay on top of their protection.

 

[centrarchid]

I kept American crows as pets when a kid. Care had to be taken to keep crows from foraging down among chickens which was easy once crows figured chickens were not their friends. Crows generally foraged well away from barnyard area thus did not overlap with poulty. Crows did come in to mess around empty bags in feed storage area for hogs where the crows hawked for mealworms. Crows also came into cockyard when we fed to cherry-pick what was in feed bucket and to walk around on ground between pens. No free-range chickens were in cockyard so crows could control proximity with cocks and stags in pens. Occasionally the whining sound was produced by the penned games. I think the sound was reserved as a low intensity threat reserved for other bird species. I was never close enough to make out sounds but on walks where harem master / brood cocks could get to recently fledged pigeons on ground, there would be the stare down before the cock attacked the pigeon. The stare down appeared similar to how the penned games acted when whining at crows walking on ground or perching on pens. The free-ranging brood cock also seems to have a different set of rules for engagement with other types of birds than does the individually penned cock / stag.

 

[JShubin]

So how you make friends with a crow? Had him since he was small or something? And when a hawk or eagle is noticed all the cocks make like a screaming like sound very loud. Just a couple weeks ago I went outside right at daylight and they started alerting looked up didn't see anything started walking back and saw a huge shadow on the ground looked up and a giant eagle flew over. They saw him long before he got over my property. I have lost my share from birds of prey but my problem are foxes so much so I had to put up the elec. Fence haven't lost any since. And it's like right when I get lax I'll lose one from a predator gotta stay on top of their protection.

Its funny I always look up when I hear them call out for a bird of prey. Its a different sound than the call they make for predators on ground.

Im so glad we dont have foxes... sounds aweful. No eagles here either. Would they attack a chicken?

I kept American crows as pets when a kid. Care had to be taken to keep crows from foraging down among chickens which was easy once crows figured chickens were not their friends. Crows generally foraged well away from barnyard area thus did not overlap with poulty. Crows did come in to mess around empty bags in feed storage area for hogs where the crows hawked for mealworms. Crows also came into cockyard when we fed to cherry-pick what was in feed bucket and to walk around on ground between pens. No free-range chickens were in cockyard so crows could control proximity with cocks and stags in pens. Occasionally the whining sound was produced by the penned games. I think the sound was reserved as a low intensity threat reserved for other bird species. I was never close enough to make out sounds but on walks where harem master / brood cocks could get to recently fledged pigeons on ground, there would be the stare down before the cock attacked the pigeon. The stare down appeared similar to how the penned games acted when whining at crows walking on ground or perching on pens. The free-ranging brood cock also seems to have a different set of rules for engagement with other types of birds than does the individually penned cock / stag.

Very cool! Good observations.. I can tell you are a bird lover like myself. Only a person with a passion for birds would spend the time to observe behaviors in that detail.

I found my crow alone and stranded on the sidewalk at a very young age. I nursed him back to health and now he is a free range bird who flys around the neighborhood but always comes home to visit me before and after work. He likes to ride around on my shoulder when I am out doing my yard chores. And he is always trying to get into the house, probably because I raised him indoors when he was young. He is best friends with my 1 yr old dog too.

Regarding the behavior of cocks to other birds I think there is a different rules of engagment. I think that low whining sound I mentioned is a low intensity warning call. The cocks dont see my crow as threat but probably make that sound because the pullets are threatened by him.

 

[troyer]

Had a Law grey rooster fly up to meet diving hawks who were after a hen they had already wounded. He would pace back and forth by her and then fly up to meet the hawks as they made dives. Was the coolest thing to witness. Seen a momma hen attack a fox and give her life to save her clutch. Found an old Roundhead brood cock helping cover chicks on a cold rainy night. Everyone should raise a gamefowl at least once... only thing is raising them once will hook you for life

That's the thing...if you don't want them for the rest of your life, don't get them in the first place.

 

[sdm111]

How old does a stag need to be to be fertile? How about a pullet also, thanks

 

[sdm111]

Last year pullets are starting to lay

 

[JShubin]

Last year pullets are starting to lay

I have no science to back up my claims, but I suspect that once the pullets start laying they are ready to go... I dont think that is recommended tho. I would wait a month or more after they start laying... because the pullets usually lay smaller eggs as first and the eggs get bigger as they get bigger.

I suspect as soon as a stag is mounting hens he is ready to go as well... once again I dont think this is recommended.

 

[sdm111]

I think ima give them a few weeks or so then do a test incubation

 

[centrarchid]

How old does a stag need to be to be fertile? How about a pullet also, thanks

My stags will start trying to cover hens between 5 and 6 months but as a general rule mine do not get into breeding pens until at least nine months old for line breeding back to mom. Otherwise two years plus. Based on line breeding in other direction pullets need to be at least eight months old to give consistent results in breeding pens. At least a year gives better results in terms of chicks being reared to maturity. Social rank can be important and age generally elevates rank.