Story of a boy and his chickens.

[Zackman23434]

 

[Zackman23434]

and that's it for now. I'm still undecided on which cockerel to part with though. Sucks picking one!

 

[jrjoplin]

and that's it for now. I'm still undecided on which cockerel to part with though. Sucks picking one!

I don't envy your decision. Following your posts I have to admit I've always been partial to the Delaware but the RIR is really growing into a handsome rooster.

Glad to see you back and posting updates. I hope there weren't any issues with the chicken sitter.

 

[Zackman23434]

Quote:
Originally Posted by Zackman23434 View Post

and that's it for now. I'm still undecided on which cockerel to part with though. Sucks picking one!

I don't envy your decision. Following your posts I have to admit I've always been partial to the Delaware but the RIR is really growing into a handsome rooster.

Glad to see you back and posting updates. I hope there weren't any issues with the chicken sitter.

No issues while I was gone. However, since I have been back I have yet to see the sun and rain has been terrible. We're expected to get anywhere from 5-7+ more inches here in northeast NC with the possibility of a major hurricane right after that in the next few days. I'm taking precautions now by closing the windows, nailing down hurricane clips to the rafters of the roof, and cementing two more post on the other side of the coop. I'm going to take a couple 10x5/8" carriage bolts and run them through the post and into each corner of the coop and tighten it down. Hope that's enough but the reality is if we take a direct hit from category 2 or more then more then likely I would lose the roof first then the walls. Still trying to figure it all out. I would be devastated with all the time and work I have put in to that thing.

 

[UrbanFarmOC]

Just found this thread. Wow, Zack, you've made some fantastic progress. I love all the chicken photos and the story of Elvis (gorgeous!) and the rest of the gang. Thanks for sharing. I hope the hurricane doesn't affect all your hard work too much. Also, congrats on your nuptials.

I've taken lots of photos of my chickens since we started last year, but I didn't keep a timeline as you have. We started out with 4 in April of 2014 in our suburban backyard. Six months later, we ended up with 6 more. A rooster, a broody and some chicken math later, as of today, we have 22 of all ages -- 3 week olds to 1.5 year olds. The numbers fluctuate though, because we can't really keep more than one permanent rooster. We built an insulated night coop to drown out the early morning crows, so we can keep our neighbors happy. The "Cock Pit" can only house 2 roosters max. Currently, it houses our permanent rooster, RuPaul (he was supposed to be a she), a SF, and one of his offspring (x SFH). We'll have to make the difficult decision to get rid of some babies soon, because at least 3-4 of them are cockerels.

 

[scratch'n'peck]

Quote: I hope you don't get a direct hit from the hurricane. I was watching the news this morning, and it sounds like the various weather models have differing predictions right now, so I will keep my fingers crossed for you. But certainly reinforcing what you can is a good idea. If you have to bring the chickens inside for a short while, even a number of large cardboard boxes can keep them secure in the garage for a limited time.

I forgot how many hens you have. Are they being bothered by the cockerels. Our self-hatched flock had 5 roosters for 8 hens which obviously we knew was way too many roosters per hen so we were working on a bachelor coop which was needed by 20 weeks of age and we left just one rooster in the hens coop. But sometimes 2 roosters with enough hens can coexist peacefully, especially if one rooster really takes on the alpha role and the other rooster doesn't challenge the alpha (at least I have read about situations where that worked out.) I guess it depends on the temperament of your roosters. They are both handsome.

 

[chickmomma03]

Quote: I'm in NC too and we've been slammed with it for the last 9-10 days, and expecting more still. I hope you guys don't get hit with the hurricane that's coming this way. I'll keep you in my thoughts! I'm hoping it breaks up before it even hits on its path.

 

[Zackman23434]

I hope you don't get a direct hit from the hurricane.  I was watching the news this morning, and it sounds like the various weather models have differing predictions right now, so I will keep my fingers crossed for you.  But certainly reinforcing what you can is a good idea.  If you have to bring the chickens inside for a short while, even a number of large cardboard boxes can keep them secure in the garage for a limited time.   

I forgot how many hens you have.  Are they being bothered by the cockerels.  Our self-hatched flock had 5 roosters for 8 hens which obviously  we knew was way too many roosters per hen so we were working on a bachelor coop which was needed by 20 weeks of age and we left just one rooster in the hens coop.  But sometimes 2 roosters with enough hens can coexist peacefully, especially if one rooster really takes on the alpha role and the other rooster doesn't challenge the alpha  (at least I have read about situations where that worked out.)  I guess it depends on the temperament of your roosters.  They are both handsome. 

I have 11 hens, and 3 cockerels. I am hoping that I will be able to keep two cockerels. So far the hens aren't botherd too much. Brooster the RIR is the only one doing the dance but he typically only does it to Elvis the GLW. It's weird how Brooster will endlessly chase Elvis first thing in the morning when I let them into the Run. He doesn't stop until he gets to pull a feather. Then all seems okay outside of a random sneak attack. Brooster officially became the dominant Rooster as of yesterday when I noticed the Deleware now will run from him. It's a tough decision because Brooster actually seems like the best actual flock male but seems to really not like the other males. Marty ice and Elvis get along for the most part but haven't shown any good flock protector or general rooster to hen qualities yet. They just peck a few hen heads and do there own thing. Still holding off as long as possible to give them a chance. I believe those two( GLW&Deleware)would be my best shot at keeping two but need to see how they will be at maturity as I also want good rooster for the hens. . I'm determined to keep Elvis as I am attatched tto him and he is gorgeous but I'm afraid to keep him with Brooster only because Brooster is starting to show me that he really doesn't like other males especially Elvis. I'm also keeping my eye on Brooster as all I hear is how aggressive RIR cocks are. So far he by far the most respectful to me though. If he happens to sneak up on me looking for treats he pecks extremely softly like he knows it's me. Even on bare skin. They are 17 weeks old.

Also thanks all for the prayers and thoughts. Looks like it's working if you believe the latest forecast model. Still preparing regardless.

 

[GitaBooks]

Gorgeous chickens! Roosters are at their most handsome at this age. Then they start look like old, scruffy birds. Lol.

 

[Zackman23434]

Thanks!