Silkies - They’re simply SPECTACULAR!

[ForTheLoveOfSilkies]

I never answered since I haven't found a good way to deal with aggression. At best mine kind of grow out of it. At worst they continue their aggressive behavior even after I've tried to work with them displaying dominance when they challenge me or get too close. I've had a few that learned to keep their distance after I held them down or chased them away when they would challenge me. I've tried the picking them up and carrying them around method too but if anything it seemed to embolden them rather than deterring them.

I've heard growing up in a flock with adults that teach them manors can be a big help. Mine all grow up without adults so maybe that is one of the reasons I get so many bratty boys. Hopefully your Rooster will be a good teacher for little Biscuit (sounds like he is so far)!

Thanks for telling me your experience. Ever since that first incident Rooster has been chasing Biscuit away and so he hasn't had a 2nd chance at pecking me Good but also means Biscuit won't get the chance to be the same friendly boy as he use to be, following me around and having pats. Rooster is not affectionate, as in won't allow pats or handling but will eat from my hand and never attacked a human, just runs away, so I'm happy with that. My other rooster named Cookie is friendly enough, never attacked or attempted pecking a human, but not affectionate. They aren't dogs or cats so I don't expect them to sit on my lap for pats. They are chickens, but nice soft fluffy ones I do enjoy having them on my lap for a pat and some of my hens enjoy it too.

 

[LynnaePB]

Thanks for telling me your experience. Ever since that first incident Rooster has been chasing Biscuit away and so he hasn't had a 2nd chance at pecking me Good but also means Biscuit won't get the chance to be the same friendly boy as he use to be, following me around and having pats. Rooster is not affectionate, as in won't allow pats or handling but will eat from my hand and never attacked a human, just runs away, so I'm happy with that. My other rooster named Cookie is friendly enough, never attacked or attempted pecking a human, but not affectionate. They aren't dogs or cats so I don't expect them to sit on my lap for pats. They are chickens, but nice soft fluffy ones I do enjoy having them on my lap for a pat and some of my hens enjoy it too.

It's always so sad when the friendliest little guys get their hormones and start being little stinkers! I've had a couple like that, they were so friendly and loved attention then the hormones hit.

I take solace in how personable most of my girls are. Some even seek out pets and will stretch their necks out for neck pets.

 

[Chickeria]

Very interesting to read all of your experiences with all your roosters! I'm wondering how it will be with my males (I bet - and I already can see in some cases - I do have several males).
...So first question on topic rooster - is it possible a two weeks and two days old (...presumably male...) chick starts with crowing or rather tries starting to crow? This morning when greeting my little ones Sindbad (I guess I got it right with the male name here) made two (really loud ) tones/a two syllable tone. First I thought someone had screamed, but then he did it again and I realized it was him. He stood there relaxed, stretched his neck very high, looked at me - and exactly those tones came again. He did it three times. All the others were not recognizably bothered or interested.

Sindbad suddenly became the biggest chick several days ago (but he belongs to the ones hatching the second day). But he is not one of the ones' eating the most (like Teddy).
(Sindbad is the eleventh baby in the pictures I posted recently

Eleventh baby:
View attachment 2604040

View attachment 2604046

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And the twelfth baby, little Poupette. Poupette was the last hatching (she hatched fine), and she did have some sticky feathers on her back and head I had to soak a bit with a q-tip. The morning after she hatched I discovered her little right foot's toes were crooked. Perhaps they had been sticky, too and kept in a weird position by that? We made her a little shoe. Today we could take it off again, her right foot is normal now
She is one of the three smallest.

View attachment 2604066

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Poupette in my mom's hands:

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And here a picture from 4 days ago:

...perhaps an early bloomer?

 

[LynnaePB]

Very interesting to read all of your experiences with all your roosters! I'm wondering how it will be with my males (I bet - and I already can see in some cases - I do have several males).
...So first question on topic rooster - is it possible a two weeks and two days old (...presumably male...) chick starts with crowing or rather tries starting to crow? This morning when greeting my little ones Sindbad (I guess I got it right with the male name here) made two (really loud ) tones/a two syllable tone. First I thought someone had screamed, but then he did it again and I realized it was him. He stood there relaxed, stretched his neck very high, looked at me - and exactly those tones came again. He did it three times. All the others were not recognizably bothered or interested.

Sindbad suddenly became the biggest chick several days ago (but he belongs to the ones hatching the second day). But he is not one of the ones' eating the most (like Teddy).
(Sindbad is the eleventh baby in the pictures I posted recently

And here a picture from 4 days ago:
View attachment 2624429
...perhaps an early bloomer?

They definitely can start crowing that early!

They can crow as soon as they hatch. I had one mix breed baby boy just hours old doing it before. All the ones I've caught crowing as babies have always turned out to be male too.

I've actually got an early crower this hatch as well. I've been hearing it occasionally the last few days but I caught the little guy doing it last night. One of the little yellow colored non vaulted babies. He's just a couple days over a week old now but started probably around day 5 or so.

 

[Chickeria]

They definitely can start crowing that early!

They can crow as soon as they hatch. I had one mix breed baby boy just hours old doing it before. All the ones I've caught crowing as babies have always turned out to be male too.

I've actually got an early crower this hatch as well. I've been hearing it occasionally the last few days but I caught the little guy doing it last night. One of the little yellow colored non vaulted babies. He's just a couple days over a week old now but started probably around day 5 or so.

Thank you for telling me - wow I never thought it could happen that early (as soon as they hatch) - I'm kind of flattened
Ok then I'm sure Sindbad actually tried to crow/crowed! ...it's a boy
He looked like it was the most normal thing in the world.
I'm curious when I will be greeted by a little choir

 

[Chickeria]

They definitely can start crowing that early!

They can crow as soon as they hatch. I had one mix breed baby boy just hours old doing it before. All the ones I've caught crowing as babies have always turned out to be male too.

I've actually got an early crower this hatch as well. I've been hearing it occasionally the last few days but I caught the little guy doing it last night. One of the little yellow colored non vaulted babies. He's just a couple days over a week old now but started probably around day 5 or so.

...oh and do you have new pictures of your cuties?
I hope the 4 due to April 17th did hatch all well?

 

[LynnaePB]

...oh and do you have new pictures of your cuties?
I hope the 4 due to April 17th did hatch all well?

Yes, here are a couple pictures from today!

All the hatches went great, thanks so much for asking! Of the eggs that developed I only had one quit at a week into incubation. The others all hatched!

From my red pyle project pair I got 2 red pyles (they just look white now but should get their red starting to come in in a couple months), and 4 probably silver partridge that will likely leak red.

My silver gene white hen with the silver partridge male gave me what I think are 3 recessive white, a probably silver partridge, and a blue.

From what hatched I found out my little white hen is carrying a single recessive partridge gene since she had both a blue and a partridge chick when paired with a silver partridge male. That combined with the hatch where she had two blacks and a blue with a black male makes me think she is silver based recessive white with blue under the white and a single recessive partridge gene. I'll have to take her out of my paint program since she has all those things hiding but I'm glad I found out. Test hatches are fun!

 

[chickenloverfromafar]

I live in the suburbs and I don’t think ever rooster were ever allowed. Surprisingly city of LA allow of 25 chickens and roosters as long as they are away from certain feet from any dwelling. And that amazing for to hear for an large metropolis city. But I kept a rooster in the past.

But I say that analogy because it has cause a rift between my old neighbor. But majority were actually caused my their unruly dogs. They don’t take care of them properly. Don’t walk them or play much. They left their poo in a pile on a corner of their backyard. Not to mention they bark a lot especially when I want to enter the garden side of the backyard to take care of my past chickens. It caused so much arguments between them. Thankfully they moved out 3 years ago. LOL

I live in the suburbs and I don’t think ever rooster were ever allowed. Surprisingly city of LA allow of 25 chickens and roosters as long as they are away from certain feet from any dwelling. And that amazing for to hear for an large metropolis city. But I kept a rooster in the past.

But I say that analogy because it has cause a rift between my old neighbor. But majority were actually caused my their unruly dogs. They don’t take care of them properly. Don’t walk them or play much. They left their poo in a pile on a corner of their backyard. Not to mention they bark a lot especially when I want to enter the garden side of the backyard to take care of my past chickens. It caused so much arguments between them. Thankfully they moved out 3 years ago. LOL

Any suggestions on talking to my neighbor about their location of keeping chickens? We live within in the city limits of a large city (that has a specific ordinance regarding keeping chickens - 35 feet from neighboring property) and their chickens have their pen of about 10-12 hens is up against the property line/fence and less than 5 feet from the side of our house.

I really like our neighbors (we just moved in 3 months ago) and don't mind that there are chickens next door, but after we moved in we discovered that the rat problem has been serious and concerning, plus the proximity of the chicken's yard to our front porch and back deck has a distinct odor when we try to enjoy.

We recently discovered that they are not abiding by the municipal code. I am not interested in turning them in, but have to talk to them first about the situation.

How would a non-chicken owner approach the situation of asking them to relocate the chicken pen away from our house and in a manner that reduces our home's exposure to the nightly rat traffic (the rats keeps trying to get in our house by roof, by crawl space and any way they can enter) plus conforming with the municipal code? I want to keep good will and the developing friendship with our neighbors and I also want to enjoy our city home without rat infestation (yes, we have been diligently working on exclusion of rats, which cost quite a bit to have taken care of) and the odor that wafts in the breeze.

How do I approach without offending, but also having them cooperate/willingly follow the city ordinance? I don't wish for them to get rid of the chickens, just relocate them appropriately. It makes me anxious to have the conversation because I don't know how they will react.

 

[LadiesAndJane]

Any suggestions on talking to my neighbor about their location of keeping chickens? We live within in the city limits of a large city (that has a specific ordinance regarding keeping chickens - 35 feet from neighboring property) and their chickens have their pen of about 10-12 hens is up against the property line/fence and less than 5 feet from the side of our house.

I really like our neighbors (we just moved in 3 months ago) and don't mind that there are chickens next door, but after we moved in we discovered that the rat problem has been serious and concerning, plus the proximity of the chicken's yard to our front porch and back deck has a distinct odor when we try to enjoy.

We recently discovered that they are not abiding by the municipal code. I am not interested in turning them in, but have to talk to them first about the situation.

How would a non-chicken owner approach the situation of asking them to relocate the chicken pen away from our house and in a manner that reduces our home's exposure to the nightly rat traffic (the rats keeps trying to get in our house by roof, by crawl space and any way they can enter) plus conforming with the municipal code? I want to keep good will and the developing friendship with our neighbors and I also want to enjoy our city home without rat infestation (yes, we have been diligently working on exclusion of rats, which cost quite a bit to have taken care of) and the odor that wafts in the breeze.

How do I approach without offending, but also having them cooperate/willingly follow the city ordinance? I don't wish for them to get rid of the chickens, just relocate them appropriately. It makes me anxious to have the conversation because I don't know how they will react.

Sorry, I have no helpful advice for you. It sounds like a very difficult situation. I recommend reposting this under the "local chicken laws and ordinances" forum, so more people will see it. Good luck!
Oh, and welcome to BYC!

 

[Chicalina]

Any suggestions on talking to my neighbor about their location of keeping chickens? We live within in the city limits of a large city (that has a specific ordinance regarding keeping chickens - 35 feet from neighboring property) and their chickens have their pen of about 10-12 hens is up against the property line/fence and less than 5 feet from the side of our house.

I really like our neighbors (we just moved in 3 months ago) and don't mind that there are chickens next door, but after we moved in we discovered that the rat problem has been serious and concerning, plus the proximity of the chicken's yard to our front porch and back deck has a distinct odor when we try to enjoy.

We recently discovered that they are not abiding by the municipal code. I am not interested in turning them in, but have to talk to them first about the situation.

How would a non-chicken owner approach the situation of asking them to relocate the chicken pen away from our house and in a manner that reduces our home's exposure to the nightly rat traffic (the rats keeps trying to get in our house by roof, by crawl space and any way they can enter) plus conforming with the municipal code? I want to keep good will and the developing friendship with our neighbors and I also want to enjoy our city home without rat infestation (yes, we have been diligently working on exclusion of rats, which cost quite a bit to have taken care of) and the odor that wafts in the breeze.

How do I approach without offending, but also having them cooperate/willingly follow the city ordinance? I don't wish for them to get rid of the chickens, just relocate them appropriately. It makes me anxious to have the conversation because I don't know how they will react.

I'm not sure you are in the right place asking about this!

The rat problem needs to be sorted. I would start with talking to the neighbours about that. There is no need to accept rats as inevitable with chickens. They can and should be got rid of. Sure they will probably come back in a year, but you then have to tackle it again or it will only get worse. They don't have stable populations, they multiply exponentially.

Do they clean the coop regularly? My coop and run doesn't smell bad. Unless maybe I am conditioned to it, but my neighbours have never complained about smell and my chickens are right up against their fence. Perhaps this is a welfare issue with your neighbours rather than a location one.

I get that they haven't followed the rules, and you've got the upper hand there, but it seems to me that they aren't caring properly for the flock if they allow the coop to stink and rats to run riot.

Talk to them openly and friendly as good neighbours should. If that doesn't work then you can use the animal welfare services, but that would be a nuclear option and you'll never be able to get along with them after that.