The Natural Chicken Keeping thread - OTs welcome!

[Leahs Mom]

ROOSTER NEWBIE HERE
(Did you notice?

)

So another question (or 2)

RB (Rooster Boy) is 17 weeks tomorrow. His 3 flock mates are 17 weeks tomorrow.

The 6 hens are 1 yo.

He has been making quite a few advances and my husband saw him with one of the older girls tonight. Earlier this evening I was in the hen house and he cornered one of the 17 week girls and was trying to get her. She was hollering and squaking and one of the hens came over and "gave him what-for" - attacking him until he ran away and left the little girl alone (I was proud of the hen!)

So...obviously he's feeling his hormones. The little girls are trying to avoid him. Most of the big girls chase him off, but apparently at least ONE of them accepts his advances.

Now the questions:

-Should I try to give the little girls a place they can get away from him and just leave him with the big girls if possible....until they're a little older?
-Or - should I just leave them all to figure it out on their own?
-Does his actively trying to mate everything that moves indicate that the little girls are mature enough to mate or is it totally indiscriminate?
-Have you ever seen one of the adult hens fend a roo off a young'un like I saw tonight?

Is this a Stony question? Yes...and EVERYONE ELSE who has ROOSTER EXPERIENCE!

 

[Leahs Mom]

All about 8 months old.
Layers
16 Black Copper Marans
2 easter eggers

Cockerels
3 Black Copper Marans

Future culls (not included above) These are not allowed around my main flock.
2 BCMs cockerals
2 EE cockerels

Getting next month
between 6 to 10 Heritage breed Rhode Island reds all pullets.

PG - on the Heritage RIR - Will these be started pullets or chicks? If started, how will you integrate them in with the existing flock?

 

[stonykill]

ROOSTER NEWBIE HERE
(Did you notice?

)

So another question (or 2)

RB (Rooster Boy) is 17 weeks tomorrow. His 3 flock mates are 17 weeks tomorrow.

The 6 hens are 1 yo.

He has been making quite a few advances and my husband saw him with one of the older girls tonight. Earlier this evening I was in the hen house and he cornered one of the 17 week girls and was trying to get her. She was hollering and squaking and one of the hens came over and "gave him what-for" - attacking him until he ran away and left the little girl alone (I was proud of the hen!)

So...obviously he's feeling his hormones. The little girls are trying to avoid him. Most of the big girls chase him off, but apparently at least ONE of them accepts his advances.

Now the questions:

-Should I try to give the little girls a place they can get away from him and just leave him with the big girls if possible....until they're a little older?
-Or - should I just leave them all to figure it out on their own?
-Does his actively trying to mate everything that moves indicate that the little girls are mature enough to mate or is it totally indiscriminate?
-Have you ever seen one of the adult hens fend a roo off a young'un like I saw tonight?

Is this a Stony question?

well I'll throw in my .02...or .0005 in this economy

.

I don't know your run arrangement. I have to assume they aren't free range being you mention free space.
If he is the only rooster they will figure it out on their own.
the only thing more horny than a rooster is a drake. A young rooster will mate any hen that moves. Or will at least try. And they are really awkward and what seems like agressive. ButI don't think it is agression. It is an awkward kid.
I have only witnessed roosters mating pullets that were close to laying age. Seems they know the difference.
I see my RIR's BEAT up, chest bump, chase around young Sumatra roosters all of the time. The RIR hens will even puff up their neck like a rooster and fight, like a rooster. Chest bumps, spurring the works

Sounds to me like your bigger girls will sort the randy young man out. Personally I would just monitor the situation and let them sort it out.

 

[dcba flock]

Here's one I found...but have to run and don't have time to get on again until much later!

Hey LM
I am new to incubating and will be setting my first batch of shipped eggs for my kiddos kindergarten class. I have the Brinsea Mini with the turner I have read that maybe they shouldn't be turned for a few days? Anyone's thoughts or expertise on this would be so helpful! I understand its a toss up with shipped eggs etc but I want to do my best to get some hatchlings for the kids to see! TY

 

[stonykill]

I do not use an ax. I am not coordinated
I have a tree with a rope tied to a limb. It has a slip knot on the end of it. I take the birds feet and slip them into the slip knot. The bird relaxes, I use a very sharp knife and slit the jugular vein right below the ear and leave after I see the blood it is running well.

I boil a large pot of water and dump it in a 5 gallon bucket. I add a candy thermometer and add water till it reads 180. I go get the bird. I hold the bird by the feet and dip the bird all the way up to my fingers and swish, and pull all the way out. I wipe my hand down the body and see if feathers come off. I repeat untill the feathers simply wipe off. It takes about 5 dunks average. I do not pull feathers..I wipe them. The only feathers I have to pull are the ones on the end of the wing.

This is the best out there and close to how i do it.

I usually use an axe, but the other day when in a big hurry to get 4 done I used a razor sharp hunting knife.Removed the head that way. I just feel better I guess with the head off. Otherwise my method sounds like your method. I did 4 roosters from hanging dead to rinsed and in the fridge to rest in just under 1 hour. If you get the water right the feathers fall right off.

 

[stonykill]

Bulldogma

. I have never been that curious.

. I'm sure there is something to learn form it. But

...............

 

[Leahs Mom]

Stony - my kiddos all get to range after about 11:30 am until bed time. Before that, they have a good sized kennel (about 20x20) that they're stuck in. I may just let them out earlier than that before too long, but I've kept them in the pen until I get to the house which is about 11:30 - 12. They have a door on a time that opens about 8:00 am and they can go out into the pen are until I get home.

And - the hen that attacked RB when he was on the little girl was an RIR (hatchery) so maybe those reds like taking out the roos....

 

[Bulldogma]

LM - as Delisha once said, "A cockerel will mate with a cat... or a shoe." I have found my cockerels to be rather indiscriminate when it comes to who (or what) they are trying to fertilize. I would leave them all together and let them work it out. Sounds like your big girls are putting him in his place. I seriously doubt your pullets will be ready to mate for another couple months. 23 weeks is about the earliest SFH start to lay.

Stony - Curiosity may have killed the cat, but satisfaction brought her back... For a guy who has processed as many birds as you have, I wasn't expecting the "Ewww - that's so gross" thing from you. LOL!

 

[delisha]

Quote: With shipped eggs, don't turn them for the first 24 hours, or until the air cells attach.

Stony - my kiddos all get to range after about 11:30 am until bed time. Before that, they have a good sized kennel (about 20x20) that they're stuck in. I may just let them out earlier than that before too long, but I've kept them in the pen until I get to the house which is about 11:30 - 12. They have a door on a time that opens about 8:00 am and they can go out into the pen are until I get home.

And - the hen that attacked RB when he was on the little girl was an RIR (hatchery) so maybe those reds like taking out the roos....

Some young cockerels will breed anything.... shoes, ducks, plants, and chicks. I culled a young cockerel for trying to breed a chick. Some things I simply will not tolerate. Stupid is one of them.
The story it funny in a way. I get queezy when I butcher out birds, but with that little so and so, I picked him up off that chick and simply wrung his neck with out a thought and never ever doubted my decision. I felt quite upset about what he was doing.

 

[stonykill]

LM - as Delisha once said, "A cockerel will mate with a cat... or a shoe." I have found my cockerels to be rather indiscriminate when it comes to who (or what) they are trying to fertilize. I would leave them all together and let them work it out. Sounds like your big girls are putting him in his place. I seriously doubt your pullets will be ready to mate for another couple months. 23 weeks is about the earliest SFH start to lay.

Stony - Curiosity may have killed the cat, but satisfaction brought her back... For a guy who has processed as many birds as you have, I wasn't expecting the "Ewww - that's so gross" thing from you. LOL!

I've killed a lot of animals to eat.And birds. Guts is part of the process to get to eat the food. I know a lot of people open unhathced eggs. Just not for me. I figure if it wasn't meant to be it wasn't meant to be. But like I said I'm sure there is something to learn from it