The Natural Chicken Keeping thread - OTs welcome!

[MumsyII]

I might have to cage my silkie male by himself..he will not leave any birds alone. He is trying to breed even chicks for crying out loud, I have never had this before.

Yes. I've never had such aggressive strains of Silkie males in my experience either. I've never had to work so hard at getting them hand gentle or worrying about rough treatment in the flock. I don't know what's going on with this behavior but I am set and determined to breed it OUT. I have no tolerance for this kind of Silkie roo behavior or from any cock on my property. I can understand if was an anomaly in one roo. But as a trend in a strain, that is just nuts. It makes me really wonder if type has been sought after at the expense of temperament? I'm on it in my flock. Going to breed that sweet Silkie temperament back into my strain.


You can barely make them out in the tall grass. My F1 White Silkie chicks foraging in the chick run at twenty five days old. No supplmental heat during the days. On FF and as healthy as can be. No males with attitude will be kept in the breeding program.

Edited to add: For those that are wondering what I mean. This bad temperment has nothing to do with being a good cock bird with his flock. It has to do with being a good cock bird with his females and people in general.

 

[aoxa]

Yes. I've never had such aggressive strains of Silkie males in my experience either. I've never had to work so hard at getting them hand gentle or worrying about rough treatment in the flock. I don't know what's going on with this behavior but I am set and determined to breed it OUT. I have no tolerance for this kind of Silkie roo behavior or from any cock on my property. I can understand if was an anomaly in one roo. But as a trend in a strain, that is just nuts. It makes me really wonder if type has been sought after at the expense of temperament? I'm on it in my flock. Going to breed that sweet Silkie temperament back into my strain.


You can barely make them out in the tall grass. My F1 White Silkie chicks foraging in the chick run at twenty five days old. No supplmental heat during the days. On FF and as healthy as can be. No males with attitude will be kept in the breeding program.

Edited to add: For those that are wondering what I mean. This bad temperment has nothing to do with being a good cock bird with his flock. It has to do with being a good cock bird with his females and people in general.

I've always experienced this in my Naked Neck boys. Which is why I usually cull any boys I have from them. I wait of course, but they tend to sexually mature very young and mate very immature chicks. Caught one of them raping a little cockerel chick today. One of my full grown boys kicked some sense into him for doing it.

 

[MumsyII]

I've always experienced this in my Naked Neck boys. Which is why I usually cull any boys I have from them. I wait of course, but they tend to sexually mature very young and mate very immature chicks. Caught one of them raping a little cockerel chick today. One of my full grown boys kicked some sense into him for doing it.

I have three outstanding White boys with wonderful type from unrelated lines that are sexually mature. Only one gets to be with the four or five girls at a time so I can progeny test. I'm on #2 boy right now. He seems to be settling down after two weeks as head cock. I'm hoping it's just an experience issue. I let them breed in separate areas so there is no interference with broody hens with chicks or growing out youngsters. Breeding flocks get to concentrate on their buisness at hand. I set the incubator with a dozen or so eggs. Then I pull the cock and the hens are left to recover. This is year #1 so I haven't set up cocks with singles or pairs yet. I have found sometimes when a young cockerel is in a large mixed flock, his raging hormones will cloud his better judgement. He will jump anything that moves.
The temperment I am trying to avoid is the biters, the nasty dudes, and the nut jobs.

 

[lalaland]

Quote:
huh! I would never have thought of seeding with the litter. Thats a great ideal. I think I will get some clover seed and mix it with grass seed and try that. I've also read some seed is treated so I want to be sure that I fence off the area to be seeded. I've mowed out a blackberry patch that sprung up and got over run...the chickens are liking that area. So the front area that is taken up with milkweed and goldenrod would be a good area to pull that crap up, seed, and block the chickens from it. I just cleaned the coop today (mites) but I don't think I want to put that litter in the run. I get my mulch from the tree services, and usually ask for the wood part, not the branch trimmings because they can be so leafy, but I'll ask for that instead and get a batch in. thanks!

 

[lalaland]

i picked a good day to do the sulphur dips. In the high 90's, the hens were panting before I dipped them, and it sure cooled them down.

Dipping souds so easy, but getting them wet to the skin take a long time. they were not a fan of this regardless. I think the feather mites are under control, but not the fowl mites, and I discovered a couple of hens are molting - just started today.

I'm exhausted, emptied out the litter in both coop areas, dry vac'd, replaced fresh hay/straw, dipped 8 unhappy adults (one left, could not catch her and will take her off the roost tonight - since it is high 90's am not worried about her getting chilled tonight!).

12 week old rooster is mating the older hens. Isn't this wayyy early?

 

[armorfirelady]

I'd check that straw to make sure it's not harbor if the mites. I think it was Delisha who said straw can carry mites?

 

[Leahs Mom]

extra roos caged alone too.

What size are your individual pens for the boys?



I just got several HUGE piles of cherry and maple chips from the neighbor's house from trees he had cut down. I've never had maple or cherry before... I won't use it until it cures so no sooner than next spring... but have any of you used cherry or maple on the runs? Does anyone know any reason it wouldn't be a good idea?

You should smell that cherry! It's upwind from the chicken house and I can smell it every time I go out

 

[armorfirelady]

I used maple from when they ground out my stumps last year. I didn't let it necessarily cure for awhile but I didn't use all that much of it in the runs either. I used most of in under my pines to combat weeds and in a muddy area my dogs run through all the time.

I have never heard of problems using cherry or maple tho.

 

[zinia8]

I just put alot of mixed hardwood sawdust in the run. I didn't let it cure. Did I do something wrong. Chooks don't seem to mind. Figured it will be covered by 3 feet of snow by the end of October. Oh yeah the leaves changing colors on the hilltops of Pennsylvania already and summer is not suppose to be over yet.

 

[lalaland]

Quote:
yes, straw can carry mites plus it is really slippery to walk on. I had two bales of hay but they had been stored in the coop so I figured they might have mites. THe only place open around here on a sunday is a garden center and they were out of hay, so it was straw or nothing. Straw is hollow and supposedly you can have mites in the hollow part.