Texas

[mandaleigh1981]

I think the references to the break down in society was more in regards to the increasingly apparent lack of manners and morals and ethics nowadays. You don't necessarily have to to on the FBI's crime statistics list to be considered a degenerate and/or a drain on society...

Mine was. All you have to do is turn on the tv to see how far down we have fallen. We were talking about laziness and a lack of work ethics and morals. And it sucks that my children have to grow up in it. I was an 80s baby, and I remember my mother telling me that I was seeing the last of a good thing. I never knew what she meant until now. I am proud to say I had to look up twerking after Miley Cyrus and her deal, and I have never watched an episode of Jersey Shore or the one about the Kardashians

 

[mandaleigh1981]

I think that sounds like a great idea! I think that slow introduction is the key. And once they get used to integrating with the more docile adults them they will be more prepared to stay out of the way of the bossy ones! I also noticed that it helps if the younger ones are introduced as a group. This Spring I introduced different groups of 7, 15, and 3. The poor little group of 3 by far had the worst time of it...

So the more of the new group the better. All the better for talking DH into buying even more chickens....I can tell him it is for their safety!

 

[mandaleigh1981]

The mindset of believing that you deserve something you did not earn is called "Entitlement minded". The mindset that justifies a person to aggressively take that which they believe they deserve but did not earn is called, "Arrogant Entitlement". Unfortunately, this is a mindset that is growing by leaps and bounds in this country as a result of the leaders constantly preaching that the rich should be forced to pay more of their hard earned money so it can be given to those who did nothing to earn it. Oh that our country could return to the values that made it great and the philosophies of Abraham Lincoln.

"The strongest bond of human sympathy, outside of the family relation, should be one uniting all working people, of all nations, and tongues, and kindreds. Nor should this lead to a war upon property, or the owners of property. Property is the fruit of labor ---property is desirable --- --- is a positive good in the world. That some should be rich, shows that others may become rich, and hence is just encouragement to industry and enterprise. Let not him who is houseless pull down the house of another; but let him labor diligently and build one for himself, thus by example assuring that his own shall be safe from violence when built."

 

[back2simplelife]

So the more of the new group the better. All the better for talking DH into buying even more chickens....I can tell him it is for their safety!

Yep.. think you are understanding it correctly! 6 or more is best.. I would take one of your docile hens at a time and move it over to the baby.. after a week I would do another.. I am going to have to do this with my 13 week olds (5) when they are a lil bigger as I have 4 head hens in my flock One that even rules the roo! Before we got the roo it was nothing but feathers flying for days! No rest at all for them.. it was crazy! within 5 mins of adding the roo, the feathers stopped flying and now its just daily pecking but I know they have it in them if I hadn't seen how they acted before! Guess that is what I get for introducing 9 hens together and only two knowing each other before.. ooops!

 

[back2simplelife]

So my husband calls me the craigslist culler. We had just inherited nine roosters we did not need and I have been freaking out on what to do with them. No takers at all and my husband can not do the deed and I have been unable to take it on either.

Here is the great news. I found a guy in Hamilton Tx who comes through Austin to get fencing.He picks up roosters on his way through. They have 5 acres set up for rooster adoption and a processing plant! He is taking all of my roos! Now I no longer have to fear hatching out roos. It was almost to the point of it taking the joy out of hatches out of fear of how I was going to rehome the little guys. So far I have been lucky and found homes, so finding this guy now is a life saver. I feel like a weight has been lifted! I did not really see until now how stressed I was about this.

so happy for you! I couldn't do it either!

 

[mandaleigh1981]

Yep.. think you are understanding it correctly! 6 or more is best.. I would take one of your docile hens at a time and move it over to the baby.. after a week I would do another.. I am going to have to do this with my 13 week olds (5) when they are a lil bigger as I have 4 head hens in my flock One that even rules the roo! Before we got the roo it was nothing but feathers flying for days! No rest at all for them.. it was crazy! within 5 mins of adding the roo, the feathers stopped flying and now its just daily pecking but I know they have it in them if I hadn't seen how they acted before! Guess that is what I get for introducing 9 hens together and only two knowing each other before.. ooops!

LOL. Chickens are MEANIES! These are already 4-5 weeks old so that will help I guess since they aren't itty bittty. It amazes me how they act sometimes. But they never try to move in on me, the lead roo tried it and I grabbed him by his legs and held him up for a few minutes and looked him square in his stink eye with my own stink eye. He learned his lesson and hasn't been aggressive to me since. I was really glad because he is my prettiest roo, but definitely would have been for the freezer if he had kept up with that nonsense. My Foghorn Leghorn

. I have a couple hens that peck at each other; I had to watch cause I was afraid it was my roos, but sure enough there is one hen that likes to pull feathers off of one other hen.....drove me insane til I caught her in the act. They never draw any blood, and separating didn't fix anything so I just left well enough alone.

 

[goddardd]

Hi Mandaleigh,
Sounds like you are on the right track in combining your flocks.
Whenever I have to do this I house them next to each other for a few weeks.
Then I let everybody free range during the day together. That way they can get away if there is a problem and nobody gets hurt (just lots of noise).
Then finally I let them go to sleep together.
Just a suggestion. It has worked for me.
PS. Going prickly pear fruit hunting with my hubby this evening!!
Can't wait to make some of your jelly.
Diane in Boerne

 

[mandaleigh1981]

I truly feel sorry for whichever girlie laid that behemoth egg. Holy cow!!

 

[mandaleigh1981]

Hi Mandaleigh,
Sounds like you are on the right track in combining your flocks.
Whenever I have to do this I house them next to each other for a few weeks.
Then I let everybody free range during the day together. That way they can get away if there is a problem and nobody gets hurt (just lots of noise).
Then finally I let them go to sleep together.
Just a suggestion. It has worked for me.
PS. Going prickly pear fruit hunting with my hubby this evening!!
Can't wait to make some of your jelly.
Diane in Boerne

Awww a date? Awesome!! I hope you like it as much as me and my kiddos do! I can't free range, my dogs will eat the poor birds. We had to put hog panel around the pen on the ground because the little weenie dogs would have dug in and killed every bird..... Ugh. And Diane, he only has a few JGs, so I will be needing more come springtime! Yay, a trip to see you and get some more will be in order.

By then hubby will have finished the nursery on the side of the pens. Poor guy, I am always making more work for him. Good thing he loves me so dang much.

 

[wlhtx]

I really don't want to burst your bubble on the JGs, but I personally have not been impressed with them. Now, we were given our bunch as mature birds (a friend of a friend was moving and had to re-home their flock), so I have no idea where they came from originally. Our main rooster, Reuben, is a JG and I adore him. He is wonderful as a flock leader. Very gentleman-like and absolutely beautiful. But I have had a horrible time with the girls... Mine are very flight, not consistent layers (at least not this year, and they are just now 2 yrs old), and they tend to develop more bald spots that any of the others. Maybe yours will be of better stock than mine.... I really hope you have better luck than I have had!