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

[ackie]

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.

I definitely didn't mean to the point of killing each other - otherwise I wouldn't be hand feeding this guy mush food haha. Usually the boys will squabble occasionally but the loser really does bail and it works itself out. And if it gets to be too frequent, I make an effort to sell some of the boys.

 

[roosterhavoc]

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.

Yep that’s the way to do it. I just wouldn’t sell any to people looking to breed them because of the chances of the roosters being more aggressive than they’re used to. At least without explaining there’s a little gamefowl in them.
I allow my birds to free range all day every day until the stags reach maturity then they have to be penned. The hens run loose 24/7 and sleep in the trees. Sometimes I’ll allow a full grown cock out in spring/summer for awhile but I have fencing and electric wires around my penned adult males. Having just one cock out allows me to tell what the chicks are that come marching out of the woods with their momma plus there’s no other rooster loose for him to fight with.

 

[ackie]

I also intervene with the babies. My hens like to sit on 30 egg nests?? so if I find them, I pull the excess and incubate them to give all the eggs a shot. Obviously I'd prefer to find the nest when I can eat the eggs but cest la vie. And then I lock up the moms with the babies because too many things will eat a bird on the ground here.

 

[ackie]

Just to give an update: Tim is doing great. I literally hand fed him for maybe 10 days. He was actively hungry but I think his beak hurt. His depth perception is off because one of his eyes - though it totally works - seems to be slightly angled towards the outside. He was drinking water on his own for a good bit of that which was a huge load off me. Eventually - a couple days ago - he ate some scrambled eggs and some sweet potato. He initially turned up his nose at the 2nd batch of scrambled that I put chick starter in but he ate it. I bribed him with some birdseed and got him to eat chicken feed that way. His poops have been normal for 2 days and I'm thrilled. Today he moved back outside to a pen + run with .... the hens that used to be his ladies but another roo stepped in like 2 days after he got hurt. That roo is now locked in a brooder because he and Tim kept facing off through the pen door and a Tims ladies have been returned to him. They're not presently very happy about it but theyll get over it. LOL. And hopefully selling that spare roo soon.

 

[aart]

Just to give an update: Tim is doing great.

Good News!!
How about a pic?

 

[ackie]

Good News!!
How about a pic?

This was two days ago

 

[ackie]

Good News!!
How about a pic?

and right now

 

[casportpony]

Wow, he looks so much better!

 

[ackie]

Wow, he looks so much better!

I wish I had a picture of how I first found him - laying on his back with his head all bloody. I thought he was dead. I'm thrilled with his progress.

 

[casportpony]

I wish I had a picture of how I first found him - laying on his back with his head all bloody. I thought he was dead. I'm thrilled with his progress.

You did a great job caring for him.