Just Another Rooster Rant:
Ok, I have two beautiful roosters (Feb hatch, from local breeder) that are stunning examples of Buff Orphington and Austrolorp breeds. Friendly with the hens, standoff-ish with people, protective of flock, got along with each other. Ideal, right?
UNTIL last evening. Then it was nasty. This morning they were so bad when I got back from taking Dog to vet, that I picked up the black roo, soaking, bedraggled and bloody, no fight left - didn't even run from me as usual, and put him in the tool shed. Golden Soup Boy evaded capture and is also muddy, soaked, tattered and bloody.
And it is all my fault.
Yesterday I had the guys move the chick's tractor into the run to finish socializing before introduction. They'd been face to face with a foot between fence and tractor for over a month. And all this hubub has confirmed a least one chick is a rooster, got crows this morning from the tractor. The roosters couldn't take the change and their truce was over.
Well. It's raining and cooling rapidly. Great weather for chicken soup, huh?
Ok, I have two beautiful roosters (Feb hatch, from local breeder) that are stunning examples of Buff Orphington and Austrolorp breeds. Friendly with the hens, standoff-ish with people, protective of flock, got along with each other. Ideal, right?
UNTIL last evening. Then it was nasty. This morning they were so bad when I got back from taking Dog to vet, that I picked up the black roo, soaking, bedraggled and bloody, no fight left - didn't even run from me as usual, and put him in the tool shed. Golden Soup Boy evaded capture and is also muddy, soaked, tattered and bloody.
And it is all my fault.
Yesterday I had the guys move the chick's tractor into the run to finish socializing before introduction. They'd been face to face with a foot between fence and tractor for over a month. And all this hubub has confirmed a least one chick is a rooster, got crows this morning from the tractor. The roosters couldn't take the change and their truce was over.
Well. It's raining and cooling rapidly. Great weather for chicken soup, huh?