Hens and Roos
Songster
Quote:
Good Luck to Miss Claire and the one showing her!
Good Luck to Miss Claire and the one showing her!
The Welsummer Thread!!!!
- Thread starter pinkchick
- Start date
- Thread starter
- #1,392
Justbugged~
Good Luck to you and the lucky kiddo next door!!!!!!! 4-H does rock!!!! I was in 4-H clubs almost from the time I could spell my name. What a wonderful experience for kids!
Be sure to keep us posted, and make sure the neighbor kiddo gets some pics to share!
CP~
The colors are GREAT! Don't change a thing! Just like Ewe said, give that young man some more time. I get the feeling your younger boy is going to be slightly bigger than your roo. Even if the front point doesn't get any bigger atleast they still have one and it counts. Nice birds CP! Please share photos of your younger roo again, I think within the next month or so you will see some big changes.
Good Luck to you and the lucky kiddo next door!!!!!!! 4-H does rock!!!! I was in 4-H clubs almost from the time I could spell my name. What a wonderful experience for kids!
Be sure to keep us posted, and make sure the neighbor kiddo gets some pics to share!
CP~
The colors are GREAT! Don't change a thing! Just like Ewe said, give that young man some more time. I get the feeling your younger boy is going to be slightly bigger than your roo. Even if the front point doesn't get any bigger atleast they still have one and it counts. Nice birds CP! Please share photos of your younger roo again, I think within the next month or so you will see some big changes.
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I only have a Welsummer rooster and hen. They were 1 yr in July. I have had them almost 4 weeks. Right off the bat they both are their scratch from my hand, but after about 9 or 10 days, ole Mr. Kellogg attacked me. I got cellulitus infection from it. He is very aggressive, never was with the previous owner. I am gathering eggs now, hopefully Henny will sit on them. Then Kellogg will go to a new home. Some days he is so good, will still eat from my hand, actually 'asks' to do so, but I am afraid of him now, after he made contact a 2nd time, so I don't even go in their yard anymore. I have tried to show him I am the alpha rooster, but I think he knows I am scared.
I gave it 3 weeks before I stopped going in the yard. I am a little shocked to see so many comments on how calm these chickens are! I really wish he was, I really don't want to get rid of him, but I can't continue to be scared, nor to let him attack me. Hopefully Henny will sit and I will have more hens for more eggs. Will just have to do without a rooster!
I only have a Welsummer rooster and hen. They were 1 yr in July. I have had them almost 4 weeks. Right off the bat they both are their scratch from my hand, but after about 9 or 10 days, ole Mr. Kellogg attacked me. I got cellulitus infection from it. He is very aggressive, never was with the previous owner. I am gathering eggs now, hopefully Henny will sit on them. Then Kellogg will go to a new home. Some days he is so good, will still eat from my hand, actually 'asks' to do so, but I am afraid of him now, after he made contact a 2nd time, so I don't even go in their yard anymore. I have tried to show him I am the alpha rooster, but I think he knows I am scared.
- Thread starter
- #1,394
Froggy~
Sorry to hear that.
Do you think that maybe since it has only been a short while since their move that they still haven't quite settled in to the routine? You say that you have one roo and one hen, are they the only birds in their pen? If they are maybe you could try giving your Wellie roo another hen or two and see if this may help distract him. I noticed that my Wellie roo was a bit more flighty and nervous when I only had one hen in with him. For several months I only had one hen due to a dog attack on them, well after about a month I gave him some more hens, it helped. He wasn't so worried about what I was up to, he was more worried about his girls and telling them what to do.
Just a suggestion, don't know if it will help.
Have a great day!
Sorry to hear that.
Do you think that maybe since it has only been a short while since their move that they still haven't quite settled in to the routine? You say that you have one roo and one hen, are they the only birds in their pen? If they are maybe you could try giving your Wellie roo another hen or two and see if this may help distract him. I noticed that my Wellie roo was a bit more flighty and nervous when I only had one hen in with him. For several months I only had one hen due to a dog attack on them, well after about a month I gave him some more hens, it helped. He wasn't so worried about what I was up to, he was more worried about his girls and telling them what to do.
Just a suggestion, don't know if it will help.
Have a great day!
Quote:
Well, I may or may not be raising a better roo
. Only time will tell as he is quite young yet. I only hatched one boy a nearly a year ago from two sets of eggs from two
different breeders, so never had a choice. He has some good qualities as per the SOP "breast full, well rounded and broad, and tail fairly large and full, carried high, but not squirrel"
but I've never thought his coloring was quite right. The SOP calls for "Head and neck, rich golden brown. Hackles rich golden brown as uniform as possible, free from black striping"
and this fellas is uniform with no striping, but I wouldn't call it "golden brown" which I picture a caramel color. His are more orangey brown, which looks bright, not "rich".
I also never liked his comb much. The SOP calls for "five to seven broad and even serrations" and he's lacking the "broad". And although the comb is not supposed to touch the neck,
it's supposed to follow the shape of the neck. He does, I think, have about the right amount of red mottling on his breast, which is supposed to help attain proper color in the females,
so I'll be watching for this in the next generation. He also had a partially white wing feather that molted out and regrew normal, and I've not seen that in his offspring, but you can
see it in this first photo.
Here are some shots from different angles:
https://www.backyardchickens.com/forum/uploads/40145_jax.jpg https://www.backyardchickens.com/forum/uploads/40145_dsc03306_copy.jpg
https://www.backyardchickens.com/forum/uploads/40145_dsc03240_copy.jpg
So I once again I have one boy from this Springs hatch, (trying to defy the odds that you have to hatch a hundred chicks to get a few good ones...due to time, space and feed considerations)
https://www.backyardchickens.com/forum/uploads/40145_dsc07004_copy.jpg
He's 17 weeks in this photo. I think his coloring is looking more correct, and he has a 5 point comb (although like Pinkchick I'm hoping the first point will grow a bit more). My main concern with him is
that his neck area is looking a bit scrawny compared to his body, and his chest has some mottling, but the older boy had much more at his age. I know he needs a few months to mature and develop,
but I only want to keep one roo....so watching and waiting.
Now the girls are so easy....I could not tell them apart if not for slight variations in combs. A couple of the soon to be one year old girls:
https://www.backyardchickens.com/forum/uploads/40145_dsc03473_copy.jpg https://www.backyardchickens.com/forum/uploads/40145_dsc03361_copy.jpg
Well, pinkchick, you asked...
I know I tend to over analyze everything.... you'd think I was an Engineer, not an Artist
I LOVE the hen on the right- that is such a classic pose. I might copy that and cut out a metal sihloutte. (sp?)
Well, I may or may not be raising a better roo
different breeders, so never had a choice. He has some good qualities as per the SOP "breast full, well rounded and broad, and tail fairly large and full, carried high, but not squirrel"
but I've never thought his coloring was quite right. The SOP calls for "Head and neck, rich golden brown. Hackles rich golden brown as uniform as possible, free from black striping"
and this fellas is uniform with no striping, but I wouldn't call it "golden brown" which I picture a caramel color. His are more orangey brown, which looks bright, not "rich".
I also never liked his comb much. The SOP calls for "five to seven broad and even serrations" and he's lacking the "broad". And although the comb is not supposed to touch the neck,
it's supposed to follow the shape of the neck. He does, I think, have about the right amount of red mottling on his breast, which is supposed to help attain proper color in the females,
so I'll be watching for this in the next generation. He also had a partially white wing feather that molted out and regrew normal, and I've not seen that in his offspring, but you can
see it in this first photo.
Here are some shots from different angles:
https://www.backyardchickens.com/forum/uploads/40145_jax.jpg https://www.backyardchickens.com/forum/uploads/40145_dsc03306_copy.jpg
https://www.backyardchickens.com/forum/uploads/40145_dsc03240_copy.jpg
So I once again I have one boy from this Springs hatch, (trying to defy the odds that you have to hatch a hundred chicks to get a few good ones...due to time, space and feed considerations)
https://www.backyardchickens.com/forum/uploads/40145_dsc07004_copy.jpg
He's 17 weeks in this photo. I think his coloring is looking more correct, and he has a 5 point comb (although like Pinkchick I'm hoping the first point will grow a bit more). My main concern with him is
that his neck area is looking a bit scrawny compared to his body, and his chest has some mottling, but the older boy had much more at his age. I know he needs a few months to mature and develop,
but I only want to keep one roo....so watching and waiting.
Now the girls are so easy....I could not tell them apart if not for slight variations in combs. A couple of the soon to be one year old girls:
https://www.backyardchickens.com/forum/uploads/40145_dsc03473_copy.jpg https://www.backyardchickens.com/forum/uploads/40145_dsc03361_copy.jpg
Well, pinkchick, you asked...
I know I tend to over analyze everything.... you'd think I was an Engineer, not an Artist
I LOVE the hen on the right- that is such a classic pose. I might copy that and cut out a metal sihloutte. (sp?)
Quote:
Yes, they are the only 2 I have. The previous owner was really shocked to know that they both ate from my hand the first day I had them! So, I don't know if the settling in has anything to do with it or not. Seems as if he settled in and then got aggresive! The first time he attacked, I had changed from my daily routine of giving scratch 1st thing in the morning to taking in some watermelon. I thought maybe they were creatures of habit and I messed with the routine. I went back to the scratch in the morning routine, it was in the afternoon when I was giving a treat when he attacked and made the 2nd contact. He has since flown into the windows when I was outside the coop just talking to them like I always do. A few other times in the yard he came at me but I was prepared and warded him off.
I have thought about getting another hen for him, since he did have more hens where he came from. We are new to this. My grandparents had chickens growing up, and I loved being around them. I don't want a large brood of them, just a few for fun and eggs. My hubby built a magnificant coop/yard for them. The coop is about 4' X 6' with 3 nests. There is a space for 2 more nests, but I am using it to put my jugs of feed and scratch. I can't remember how much footage area you need per chicken. I know there is room for one more hen. Maybe I will try getting another one for him and see what happens. I do still want to hatch babies, tho.
I will need to read up on instructions from start to finish! I know I can find that on here. This site is awesome!! Thanks for your comments, I really appreciate them.
Yes, they are the only 2 I have. The previous owner was really shocked to know that they both ate from my hand the first day I had them! So, I don't know if the settling in has anything to do with it or not. Seems as if he settled in and then got aggresive! The first time he attacked, I had changed from my daily routine of giving scratch 1st thing in the morning to taking in some watermelon. I thought maybe they were creatures of habit and I messed with the routine. I went back to the scratch in the morning routine, it was in the afternoon when I was giving a treat when he attacked and made the 2nd contact. He has since flown into the windows when I was outside the coop just talking to them like I always do. A few other times in the yard he came at me but I was prepared and warded him off.
I have thought about getting another hen for him, since he did have more hens where he came from. We are new to this. My grandparents had chickens growing up, and I loved being around them. I don't want a large brood of them, just a few for fun and eggs. My hubby built a magnificant coop/yard for them. The coop is about 4' X 6' with 3 nests. There is a space for 2 more nests, but I am using it to put my jugs of feed and scratch. I can't remember how much footage area you need per chicken. I know there is room for one more hen. Maybe I will try getting another one for him and see what happens. I do still want to hatch babies, tho.
- Thread starter
- #1,397
Your Welcome!
Yes they can be creatures of habit but I don't think that you switching it up is what triggered it. I would try giving him another hen and see if that helps first. He is also at an age where he should be very protective of his hens and this can sometimes cause less than desirable attitudes from roos. If he were my bird.....again, if he were my bird and I tried adding another hen and after sometime of observation he is still being a jerk, he would find himself with out purpose if you know what I mean. Can't hurt to hatch some eggs but keep in mind that these behaviors can be passed on to the offspring.
Yes they can be creatures of habit but I don't think that you switching it up is what triggered it. I would try giving him another hen and see if that helps first. He is also at an age where he should be very protective of his hens and this can sometimes cause less than desirable attitudes from roos. If he were my bird.....again, if he were my bird and I tried adding another hen and after sometime of observation he is still being a jerk, he would find himself with out purpose if you know what I mean. Can't hurt to hatch some eggs but keep in mind that these behaviors can be passed on to the offspring.
- Thread starter
- #1,398
Sorry Froggy forgot to answer your ?? on sq. footage per bird.
General rule is:
4 sq. ft. per bird coop space
10 sq. ft. per bird coop run space
1+ sq. ft. per bird roost space (the plus means......I give them more than 1 sq. ft. per bird roost space)
General rule is:
4 sq. ft. per bird coop space
10 sq. ft. per bird coop run space
1+ sq. ft. per bird roost space (the plus means......I give them more than 1 sq. ft. per bird roost space)
If he was mine, he would have been gone the second time he attacks me.
Been so hot, everyone is huddling low in the ground trying to keep cool! Poor babies!
Been so hot, everyone is huddling low in the ground trying to keep cool! Poor babies!
Quote:
Yea, all my friends have had a really good time picking at me about him. Save them a leg, they want some dumplings, etc. And, the friend that gave them to me said if I didn't do something with him, she will. And, that I had to do something right then! My doing something is to stay out of the yard, and only go in the coop when he is out and I can close the pop door! He gets another chance after I get him another hen. I wanted him for so long, I don't want to give up yet.
As for the heat, we put a 'mister' on top of the wire of their yard. They love it! And, they have a fan in the window.
Yea, all my friends have had a really good time picking at me about him. Save them a leg, they want some dumplings, etc. And, the friend that gave them to me said if I didn't do something with him, she will. And, that I had to do something right then! My doing something is to stay out of the yard, and only go in the coop when he is out and I can close the pop door! He gets another chance after I get him another hen. I wanted him for so long, I don't want to give up yet.
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