The Omega Rocks: The Last & Ultimate Barred Plymouth Rock Flock

[speckledhen]

Tallulah is acting weird today. She stayed back at the barn when the others went to free range. She sat in the pen on the edge of a nest, but didn't get in it and sit. She sounds hormonal, maybe just figuring it all out, so maybe she's heading for her own first egg. Hannah gave us her second this morning.
There was an incident today with Nathaniel. I'm not sure where this is going, to be honest. I went out toward them and veered off toward the pasture fence to check of my game camera. While I was standing at the tree scrolling through the images, I sensed somebody beside me and saw Nathaniel at my feet, acting nonchalant. He began reaching over and picking at my boot laces, pulling on them like he usually does, trying to untie them, no big deal. And when I walked away he didn't do anything. But, later when they all came into the pen, he jumped up on that A-frame "hawk shield" and was walking back and forth. That puts him at my chest level. I went over there talking to him and he began doing this head bobbing, shoulder drop thing they do when they are threatening or flirting. I reached over and scratched his chest, and he didn't bite me, but he was still doing his threatening moves. Then, he reached to pick at the zipper of my jacket. I pulled it toward him and said, "You want my zipper?" or something like that. He then jerked it hard and started more threatening moves. I was getting the sense that something had changed. As usual when a rooster dances toward me like a hen, I told him he was being rude, decided to get him off his high horse and reached to pick him up. He acted like he was going to attack me at first, then threw himself back, sort of fought with me and I let him drop, not realizing I didn't have a good grip because of his struggling. In the incident, he gouged my forearm in a line from my knuckle halfway up my forearm.
When this happened, I saw Angus running for us in my peripheral vision. I don't think he knew what exactly was happening, but he was merely being a rooster and running toward the disturbance. Tom said he thought Angus was coming to attack me and defend Nathaniel, but I didn't get that sense, just that he was running toward what he perceived as some sort of trouble. Nathaniel ran from me, realizing that I was angry. I did what I used to do with very young Hector when he got uppity, pushed him around and stalked him for the intimidation factor, reminding him that he isn't the toughest thing in the barnyard. When Nathaniel ran, realizing he was in deep chicken poop, Angus acted like he really didn't know what to do, but he didn't make any threatening moves toward me. I was hoping he'd discipline Nathaniel, but he's not to that mature place in his leadership yet, I wouldn't imagine.

So, here we are. I'm not sure Nathaniel is as intelligent as our Hector was. He's much older when I was having to teach Hector a lesson. Hector learned quickly and wasn't prone to aggression in the first place, but he was much younger than the almost 24 wks these boys are. Could it be some late boundary testing, slower maturity? He didn't actually attack my shoes, but he was really goading me, playing King of the Mountain. We immediately lowered that A-frame so that he can't get that high anymore. Now I have to see if this is a lesson he will learn or if he's going to be leaving and leave me only Angus. I don't have an answer. Any ideas? I have gone through a long process to whittle down to these two choices, none were any better. Duncan was close until he began attacking my shoes and we see how that turned out.

 

[1muttsfan]

I wouldn't get too worried about it at this point. They are young and testing their boundaries. Angus was doing just what he should, running toward a ruckus to see what was going on. And Nathaniel is very likely to calm down once he gets a little older. Just looking at their feathers you can tell they're not close to being adults yet. Just keep doing what you are doing, teaching him his place in the world, just as he will teach others their place.

 

[1muttsfan]

I had to catch a hen inside the outdoor pen one time and my rooster at the time, a truly wonderful bird, came charging out through the pop door with his feathers all poofed out. He saw me, and saw what I was doing, and just slumped down, and watched while I did what I had to do and released her. He was the one that used to very gravely walk around in front of me and flirt, kind of a slow motion dance. Such a sweet boy.

 

[1muttsfan]

I had terrible problems with my allergies last year, actually ended up on a Trelegy inhaler for a while. Possibly heading towards COPD. Since then I've stuck to a strict schedule of a Claritin, a Mucinex, and a steroid nasal spray every evening, and have not ended back up at the walk-in clinic with lung congestion. I still run out of air quickly when I try to do anything if I'm not careful, but I can go for walks again.

 

[speckledhen]

I wouldn't get too worried about it at this point. They are young and testing their boundaries. Angus was doing just what he should, running toward a ruckus to see what was going on. And Nathaniel is very likely to calm down once he gets a little older. Just looking at their feathers you can tell they're not close to being adults yet. Just keep doing what you are doing, teaching him his place in the world, just as he will teach others their place.

Nathaniel surprised me, but looking back, I think he was just testing. I never thought Angus was running to hurt me, only to assess what was happening, as is his job. I like that, really. Maybe Nathaniel learned that doing his shoulder drop thing and acting like he's going to fly off at me from his high position is not at all a good thing and I expect better of him. It was like he was trying to be more like Angus with his flirty ways.

I had to catch a hen inside the outdoor pen one time and my rooster at the time, a truly wonderful bird, came charging out through the pop door with his feathers all poofed out. He saw me, and saw what I was doing, and just slumped down, and watched while I did what I had to do and released her. He was the one that used to very gravely walk around in front of me and flirt, kind of a slow motion dance. Such a sweet boy.

He was a smart boy. I don't mind any of them running to the rescue as long as, when they see it's me, they stand down.

I had terrible problems with my allergies last year, actually ended up on a Trelegy inhaler for a while. Possibly heading towards COPD. Since then I've stuck to a strict schedule of a Claritin, a Mucinex, and a steroid nasal spray every evening, and have not ended back up at the walk-in clinic with lung congestion. I still run out of air quickly when I try to do anything if I'm not careful, but I can go for walks again.

Ugh, I hate that for you. Apparently, I have a long running sinus infection that was too deep for even the scope to locate. Had to do a CT scan to see it. All the allergies I supposedly have, I've probably had for many years. I'm sure it's the infection that I was unaware of that was doing this to me. i feel like it's beginning to subside just a bit now. Still have a week of Cefdinir to get through and then, I guess we'll see.

 

[speckledhen]

Tally acted off all day long. She never sat on a nest so that apparently wasn't it. Makes me wonder if the boys hurt her pulling on her. At roost time, we gave her baby aspirin in case she was in pain.
Nathaniel avoided me the rest of the day, kept watching me to see if I was coming close to him. I was pulling pieces of a pear from off our tree, throwing it to them. He normally would be front and center to take something from my hand, but he stayed back until I began coaxing him up closer. Maybe he got the message that his behavior earlier wasn't acceptable, but only time will tell if that was his first and last step out of line. If you recall, we did quite a lot of "aversion therapy" on Hector as a full-of-himself little tyrant. I believe Nathaniel has shown a lot of intelligence so maybe he can learn just the same as Hector did.

 

[speckledhen]

Tallulah seems okay. She's been more herself the last couple of days. Nathaniel has been behaving since our little kerfuffle and Angus, well, he's his energetic, bouncing off the walls self. He shows so much potential as a leader and he's massive (though I know he'll fill out a lot more over the next six months) that he makes Nathaniel look small in comparison. I am sure we'll get beautiful progeny from this group when the time is right (if I can even keep chickens much longer with the way my life is going).

Yesterday, I was herding them all back inside for the night and one of the girls decided to be a rebel, ran around the back side of the barn instead of coming in with the others. I know Angus can count; he obviously knew one was missing, so he was heading back to get his last girl. I said, no, buddy, I'll go get her for you and shooed him back inside. He didn't give me any trouble at all. It's wonderful to see a cockerel mature into a true leader. I love that part.

 

[speckledhen]

Tallulah is back to being subdued again. I picked her up, no bloat or anything. Then when I was back at the house and taking off my muck boots, I saw this. I know it was her because the tail of my shirt had a spot on it from her that I wiped off, just didn't see the boot until a few minutes later. She has not produced an egg yet, either. I hope this is not a portent of things to come. Once, a Delaware pullet died as she was coming into lay, a heart condition of some sort, found her dead in the pop door with blood coming from her beak. Opening her up, I found her heart imploded and chest full of blood. That is the only time I have lost a girl at this stage of life. That cannot happen. If I am left with three girls, I cannot keep two males. Tell me I'm not going to lose her.

 

[oldhenlikesdogs]

Lets hope Tallulah is just a bit under the weather, and will fight this off whatever it is.

I'm getting to the end of my poultry keeping too. I can't chase them if necessary. My husband picks up a lot of the slack of cleaning and buying the feeds and keeping the bins full for me. He also takes care of some of the watering. I probably won't go down to nothing, but to a more reasonable amount. Now to stop myself, or sneaky broody hens from adding any going forward.

 

[speckledhen]

I probably won't go down to nothing, but to a more reasonable amount.

Me, too. When the other three groups are gone-if Bash alone can be called a "group"-I will have my BRs and that's all. i would like to always keep no more than a dozen or so after the extras are gone.