Isn't it funny how differently examples from a breed can behave? Mine were hatchery birds so were obviously bred for production and likely not for their people skills. In spring of 2011 I sold a pair of young Jersey Giants to a girl for her 4-H project and she later told me that the male was very mean! I was surprised since mine were so mild-mannered, but I suppose there's some element of individual chicken-personality involved, too.
Right now I have a 5-month old EE cockerel that was attacked by a raccoon when he was about 5 weeks old. The raccoon bit his head really badly and I think may have in fact broken part of the cockerel's eye socket. I decided not to put him down the morning I discovered it and instead said I'd give him overnight and see if he made it. I also thought he'd lose that eye because it didn't look right. Were you to look at him up close now, you'd notice his feathers on the top of his head have a gap and one eye has the lids pulled tighter to the corner but otherwise he's okay. I've had other chickens take a much less serious wound and just up and die, so there is definitely a range in the will-to-live category, too. I hope that he'll "man up" in the spring and work his way up the pecking order (he's in with my pullets and hens because he's so mild-mannered) because I like the looks of him and would like some chicks out of him.
Right now I have a 5-month old EE cockerel that was attacked by a raccoon when he was about 5 weeks old. The raccoon bit his head really badly and I think may have in fact broken part of the cockerel's eye socket. I decided not to put him down the morning I discovered it and instead said I'd give him overnight and see if he made it. I also thought he'd lose that eye because it didn't look right. Were you to look at him up close now, you'd notice his feathers on the top of his head have a gap and one eye has the lids pulled tighter to the corner but otherwise he's okay. I've had other chickens take a much less serious wound and just up and die, so there is definitely a range in the will-to-live category, too. I hope that he'll "man up" in the spring and work his way up the pecking order (he's in with my pullets and hens because he's so mild-mannered) because I like the looks of him and would like some chicks out of him.
His girls lay green eggs.
