Six Chickens Adopted Us - Need to Find Home - One already killed by hawk.

[BigBlueHen53]

Wow. Wonder what's in the storage containers ..... thank you for keeping this thread updated! It was good to hear all 5 chickens have been successfully rescued. Bless you for caring. You may not think what you've done is any big deal, because it is just "the right thing to do," but it is good to hear stories like this in contrast with most of what's on today's news. It warms the heart, so thanks.

 

[kcan2]

Wow! So glad you caught those hens! Sounds like you have a great hubby for helping! I ended up with two chickens this past fall for very similar reasons to your situation. It's so distressing when someone else isn't taking care of their living, breathing things, and the buck gets passed to you! I was pretty frantic...Been there, done that! Those hens are lucky to have you on their side!

 

[BDutch]

Wow! So glad you caught those hens! Sounds like you have a great hubby for helping! I ended up with two chickens this past fall for very similar reasons to your situation. It's so distressing when someone else isn't taking care of their living, breathing things, and the buck gets passed to you! I was pretty frantic...Been there, done that! Those hens are lucky to have you on their side!

You make me curious. Can you tel us ..?

 

[dadamato]

You make me curious. Can you tel us ..?

Not sure what was meant by this but I'm sure I could tell you.

 

[dadamato]

It's been a while since I have posted. Mainly because those six chickens that we caught along with the stray #7 escaped somehow. People are telling me it was raccoons but the kennel door was locked. Went out three weeks ago after finally feeling like a normal person and the door was open and no chickens to be found. It took us up until Saturday to capture them all. Unfortunately, one of the red hens is nowhere to be found. No idea how the door became unlocked.
So now, we have one rooster and one hen in separate cages (the hen is the one who did not belong to this flock). When we finally got the five together, the two roosters started fighting terribly. We took the aggressor out (the one who is no in a separate cage). Now the other rooster has begun to attack us every time we go into the coop (something he never did before). I have two pretty awesome gashes on my leg from yesterday (through sweats and a pair of blue jeans). In the old days you were supposed to show the rooster who is boss. Any suggestions out here...is it better to spare the rod or use it. I believe the one who is in the cage right now is a rhode island red. The one who attacks us now looks to be a Phoenix. I really am beginning to think these chickens are not supposed to be saved by us. But any suggestions on how to get a happy flock would be appreciated.

 

[BDutch]

Not sure what was meant by this but I'm sure I could tell you.

I responded to what @kcan2 was telling. I wonder why she ended up with two chickens this past fall. What was the very similar reason to your situation?

 

[BDutch]

It's been a while since I have posted. Mainly because those six chickens that we caught along with the stray #7 escaped somehow. People are telling me it was raccoons but the kennel door was locked. Went out three weeks ago after finally feeling like a normal person and the door was open and no chickens to be found. It took us up until Saturday to capture them all. Unfortunately, one of the red hens is nowhere to be found. No idea how the door became unlocked.
So now, we have one rooster and one hen in separate cages (the hen is the one who did not belong to this flock). When we finally got the five together, the two roosters started fighting terribly. We took the aggressor out (the one who is no in a separate cage). Now the other rooster has begun to attack us every time we go into the coop (something he never did before). I have two pretty awesome gashes on my leg from yesterday (through sweats and a pair of blue jeans). In the old days you were supposed to show the rooster who is boss. Any suggestions out here...is it better to spare the rod or use it. I believe the one who is in the cage right now is a rhode island red. The one who attacks us now looks to be a Phoenix. I really am beginning to think these chickens are not supposed to be saved by us. But any suggestions on how to get a happy flock would be appreciated.

I appreciate you posted how things are getting along. It’s common you can not put two roosters in one coop. Good to separate them. But one rooster alone or with just one hen is not very good either. Is there a way you can give him to someone who would like to have him?

I had roosters too who protected his flock too much. I’ve been reading and asking (another forum) what to do. One advice I liked and it worked. But there are more ways people use to handle roosters. In articles you can find more on this issue.

What I did: catch the rooster an put him on the ground. Hold him down for 30 seconds and release him. Do this a few days. After a few days he nows you are the boss. And he will not attack you anymore for some time.
If the behaviour appears again just hold him down again a few days on a row.

The second rooster I had was quit flighty. I couldn't catch him. But it helped going after him. He backed of when I came near. I only had to be careful he didn’t approach me from behind.

Finally I gave the roosters to other chicken lovers who wanted a rooster. This was because they started to make too much noise in the morning. Neighbors and I woke up from a loud ’alarm-clock‘ at sun rise.

 

[dadamato]

I appreciate you posted how things are getting along. It’s common you can not put two roosters in one coop. Good to separate them. But one rooster alone or with just one hen is not very good either. Is there a way you can give him to someone who would like to have him?

I had roosters too who protected his flock too much. I’ve been reading and asking (another forum) what to do. One advice I liked and it worked. But there are more ways people use to handle roosters. In articles you can find more on this issue.

What I did: catch the rooster an put him on the ground. Hold him down for 30 seconds and release him. Do this a few days. After a few days he nows you are the boss. And he will not attack you anymore for some time.
If the behaviour appears again just hold him down again a few days on a row.

The second rooster I had was quit flighty. I couldn't catch him. But it helped going after him. He backed of when I came near. I only had to be careful he didn’t approach me from behind.

Finally I gave the roosters to other chicken lovers who wanted a rooster. This was because they started to make too much noise in the morning. Neighbors and I woke up from a loud ’alarm-clock‘ at sun rise.

Thank you for the advice. Just have to get brave enough to try to tackle him. Don’t like using a net at first but may have to. Thanks again.

 

[kcan2]

Thank you for the advice. Just have to get brave enough to try to tackle him. Don’t like using a net at first but may have to. Thanks again.

Sorry to hear about your rooster struggles! I recently ran into a similar issue with my rescue guy, but no serious damage was done and he has since been a pretty good boy. He started getting funny about food, and quick, jerky movements were startling him. The trick was to eliminate whatever he was interpreting as a threat. Also I try not to hand feed him anymore because he was getting too snatchy. I was also told that springtime hormones are peaking, so sometimes the flare-ups only last a few weeks and then everything settles back down. Hope you can at least avoid getting hurt, that is not ok!

@BDutch yes I acquired my rooster from his previous owners because he kept wandering into my yard for food! He is a bantam and was with a bunch of larger breeds that were probably getting better pickings. I sure am glad I bought him because since winter set in, he is the sole surviving member of his flock. Wish I could have saved more...Not sure what goes on with their animals but I think the chickens were left out in the cold. It's sad but I'm grateful at least for my boy! I found a small hen for him on craigslist to keep him company through the winter. Hopefully a few more hens once it warms up!

 

[Saigey]

It's been a while since I have posted. Mainly because those six chickens that we caught along with the stray #7 escaped somehow. People are telling me it was raccoons but the kennel door was locked. Went out three weeks ago after finally feeling like a normal person and the door was open and no chickens to be found. It took us up until Saturday to capture them all. Unfortunately, one of the red hens is nowhere to be found. No idea how the door became unlocked.
So now, we have one rooster and one hen in separate cages (the hen is the one who did not belong to this flock). When we finally got the five together, the two roosters started fighting terribly. We took the aggressor out (the one who is no in a separate cage). Now the other rooster has begun to attack us every time we go into the coop (something he never did before). I have two pretty awesome gashes on my leg from yesterday (through sweats and a pair of blue jeans). In the old days you were supposed to show the rooster who is boss. Any suggestions out here...is it better to spare the rod or use it. I believe the one who is in the cage right now is a rhode island red. The one who attacks us now looks to be a Phoenix. I really am beginning to think these chickens are not supposed to be saved by us. But any suggestions on how to get a happy flock would be appreciated.

What was your location again? I can look up chicken farms for you. I remember finding one.