Top beak 'broken' maybe / in an unusual way (days ago)

[ackie]

They might look like it but if they were truly game cocks you wouldn’t be able to keep adult roosters out together. Yes penning them and then letting them back out will cause problems faster but without the smidge of Orpington and whatever else they’d all be killing each other around the 6-8 month mark. I’m not saying there’s anything wrong with your birds they look great but clearly they have had quite a bit of their aggressiveness bred out of them. So...when you see other people with gamefowl individually penned it’s not because you’ve found some magical way to sort through the pecking order and others haven’t their birds are just totally different because they haven’t been watered down with layers.

I was definitely not trying to imply that I was somehow better than everyone else or had reinvented the chicken wheel.

 

[roosterhavoc]

I was definitely not trying to imply that I was somehow better than everyone else or had reinvented the chicken wheel.

No worries. It’s just some people go out and buy gamefowl or eggs and attempt to keep them like regular chickens until they sadly realize it was a mistake when they come home to mangled birds all over the place.

 

[ackie]

No worries. It’s just some people go out and buy gamefowl or eggs and attempt to keep them like regular chickens until they sadly realize it was a mistake when they come home to mangled birds all over the place.

That makes sense. We've had some purely docile chickens and they never seem to survive unless I keep them strictly penned up, so I've been tending towards game-ish ones.

apparently very heavy on the 'ish'

 

[roosterhavoc]

That makes sense. We've had some purely docile chickens and they never seem to survive unless I keep them strictly penned up, so I've been tending towards game-ish ones.

apparently very heavy on the 'ish'

Oh yeah gamefowl are the best for surviving as far as chickens go. The problem comes when the stags reach maturity. They’ll start fighting in the yard. When mixed with layers they may or may not fight. As you saw though penning one and then letting him back out caused issues. That would happen with any rooster but it’s worse because of the aggressive nature of the GF blood in them.

 

[WindingRoad]

I have probably 20 game cocks and they all cohabitate just fine since they join the flock at birth and a pecking order is established fairly naturally. The only issue here is I separated this guy, and, after that, I shouldnt have let him back out with the others. The peacocks and roosters interact just fine normally as well. We have 15 acres so the less powerful one always has room to run away.
[/QUOTE

Maybe take a step back and think about what would happen in the wild. I'm not saying don't help at all. But birds are tough and they would be on their own in the wild. Maybe try to let Mother Nature figure it out. I think she's pretty good at a lot of things. Good luck.

 

[ackie]

Oh yeah gamefowl are the best for surviving as far as chickens go. The problem comes when the stags reach maturity. They’ll start fighting in the yard. When mixed with layers they may or may not fight. As you saw though penning one and then letting him back out caused issues. That would happen with any rooster but it’s worse because of the aggressive nature of the GF blood in them.

I'm wondering how to market them now. No one in my area actually wants GF; they want layers. And in an attempt to prevent people ending up with birds they hate, I've been emphasizing the GF aspect, which means I'm overrun with birds - fine because I have the space but I definitely dont need all these chickens, especially going into winter where they'll eat more feed. But I definitely dont want to upsell the layer aspect and be dishonest.

 

[ackie]

Maybe take a step back and think about what would happen in the wild. I'm not saying don't help at all. But birds are tough and they would be on their own in the wild. Maybe try to let Mother Nature figure it out. I think she's pretty good at a lot of things. Good luck.

Normally I'd agree with you, but since I intervened and separated him (not due to behavior...our houseguest was complaining he sat right outside their window and crowed all morning), I feel responsible for this particular situation.

 

[roosterhavoc]

I'm wondering how to market them now. No one in my area actually wants GF; they want layers. And in an attempt to prevent people ending up with birds they hate, I've been emphasizing the GF aspect, which means I'm overrun with birds - fine because I have the space but I definitely dont need all these chickens, especially going into winter where they'll eat more feed. But I definitely dont want to upsell the layer aspect and be dishonest.

Where did you get the chickens from? Honestly it’s not a good idea to sell crosses unless your totally honest because the roosters could end up pretty aggressive. This is where you see people talking about bachelor flocks and stuff like that which doesn’t work for all roosters and especially not gamefowl or anything with gamefowl in it.

 

[roosterhavoc]

That would be terrible advice. They could kill each other, gouge out eye balls etc. Man has already screwed up nature by domesticating them. Just allowing them to fend for themselves is irresponsible.

 

[ackie]

Where did you get the chickens from? Honestly it’s not a good idea to sell crosses unless your totally honest because the roosters could end up pretty aggressive. This is where you see people talking about bachelor flocks and stuff like that which doesn’t work for all roosters and especially not gamefowl or anything with gamefowl in it.

The big guy I posted on the other thread was already here - someone before me raised chickens and then kinda lost interest I guess - and I was told he was probably half game half orpington. And his mom was still around too, who looks pretty much like a game hen. I might be able to dig up a picture somewhere.

And then I bought some "game hens" from a neighbor. (Well, I bought some docile chicks first and they all met various demises so game hens was my next attempt). And I've just kinda let them do their thing. The hens like to go off in the woods and get broody so I've ended up with a bunch of babies. I honestly just have chickens because they make me happy, but right now I just have too many. Spring happened.

Anyway, theres a guy who buys my roosters to eat and I've been trying to sell hens to backyard suburbs people who cant have roos anyway.