Washingtonians

[JNB]

Ok, so I have a question. Is it to much to ask of my 4 month old Silkie cockerel to NOT attack my 4 year old boy every time he goes into the chicken yard? I know he's a rooster and not supposed to be all sweet and cuddly, but if my son can't step foot in the yard then the rooster will have to go. Any advice? I know it may be a silly question, but I'm asking any way. Also, he has shown aggression towards my husband. He tried with me a couple times but after meeting the back of my hand he is ok for now.

Thank you,
Shyla

I agree with the others... Once they start this they generally dont stop. See the Roo in my Avatar... he can be aggressive and is getting worse with age. Its funny he generally leaves the kids alone and is really good with the hens. He Hates the guys around here and has several times gotten the feed bucket on his head or a a whack.. Thing is he is unpredictable.. sometimes he is nice and others he is mean. Last week I was cleaning the nest boxes and had let everyone out to free range.. For what ever reason he came in and attacked me from behind.. I actually had to have stitches on my neck where his spur got me and tore in.. Plus he got my leg pretty good before I could get turned around and knock him out of the coop. I He is about 3 years old I think and we have tried several things to keep him inline But like I said unpredictable and getting worse with age.. So for him he will go into a soup when we process our other birds in a few weeks...

 

[Rare Feathers Farm]

OMG!!! That poor baby!!! Do they have anyone who does Snake Proofing in your area? (http://www.snakeproofing.com/ ). I lived, for eight years, in Yuma, AZ and after having two of my Sibs, taking turns jumping at a rattler, in the backyard, made me find out about it.

Hopefully, this horrible incident will ingrain the smell of a snake with the terrible pain of the bite and the next time he smells one, he will head in the other direction!!

This may sound very stupid but I did not realize that western WA had rattlers, I - for some reason- only thought they were in eastern WA.

You mentioned necrotic tissue. What is the prognosis for that?

Sheila

We actually don't live on the west side...we're in Okanogan (North/Central Washington)...sagebrush, wildfires, etc.

No, no one does rattlesnake proofing here. I'm not sure how we'd do that with hundreds of acres? LOL We do keep the grass/weeds mowed down. We don't have any piles of wood or rock piles around. We keep everything picked up and cared for. I think he might have got bit up on the county road or back behind our property which isn't ours. We mow a swath of about 16' wide behind our house (as a fire break). Eventually, we'd like to purchase that property so we can take care of it because it's neglected now.

The vet cut a bunch of stuff off his head and packed the hole with antibiotic salve. She said to keep an eye on it. He's got 1,000mg of antibiotics (daily). She said if he gets worse or swells again really bad to bring him back. He's already acting like he's feeling better. I had to make him stay on the porch when I just went out & fed/watered all of the animals.

 

[PNWGirl]

OMG. I revise my earlier suggestion. I would place the bird. Your baby is more important than any bird. He could have had his eyes damaged. Nothing is worth that!

Sheila

 

[mikeyb]

Quote: Shyla-C, you already KNOW the answer to your question. Cull, and make a nice pot of broth, or give it away, or sell it. If it was me, I'd have a nice pot of broth and be done with it. You have our support no matter the decision, but I would think keeping this bird is out of the quesiton.

 

[PNWGirl]

We actually don't live on the west side...we're in Okanogan (North/Central Washington)...sagebrush, wildfires, etc.

No, no one does rattlesnake proofing here. I'm not sure how we'd do that with hundreds of acres? LOL We do keep the grass/weeds mowed down. We don't have any piles of wood or rock piles around. We keep everything picked up and cared for. I think he might have got bit up on the county road or back behind our property which isn't ours. We mow a swath of about 16' wide behind our house (as a fire break). Eventually, we'd like to purchase that property so we can take care of it because it's neglected now.

The vet cut a bunch of stuff off his head and packed the hole with antibiotic salve. She said to keep an eye on it. He's got 1,000mg of antibiotics (daily). She said if he gets worse or swells again really bad to bring him back. He's already acting like he's feeling better. I had to make him stay on the porch when I just went out & fed/watered all of the animals.

I hope that he recovers completely!! It is a real blessing that the bite didn't happen on his muzzle (where most bites hit).

Snake proofing is on the dog. It trains him to recognize the scent of a rattler (they have a very distinctive, musky, scent) and to get away from it before the snake even rattles. This way the dog can be anywhere and if it scents a snake it gets away from it. Works great when you are walking too as the dog will let you know and you won't step on a snake. This is very popular training in the desert southwest.

Sheila

 

[FirewifeJess]

We actually don't live on the west side...we're in Okanogan (North/Central Washington)...sagebrush, wildfires, etc.

No, no one does rattlesnake proofing here. I'm not sure how we'd do that with hundreds of acres? LOL We do keep the grass/weeds mowed down. We don't have any piles of wood or rock piles around. We keep everything picked up and cared for. I think he might have got bit up on the county road or back behind our property which isn't ours. We mow a swath of about 16' wide behind our house (as a fire break). Eventually, we'd like to purchase that property so we can take care of it because it's neglected now.

The vet cut a bunch of stuff off his head and packed the hole with antibiotic salve. She said to keep an eye on it. He's got 1,000mg of antibiotics (daily). She said if he gets worse or swells again really bad to bring him back. He's already acting like he's feeling better. I had to make him stay on the porch when I just went out

I hope that he recovers completely!!  It is a real blessing that the bite didn't happen on his muzzle (where most bites hit). 

Snake proofing is on the dog.  It trains him to recognize the scent of a rattler (they have a very distinctive, musky, scent) and to get away from it before the snake even rattles.  This way the dog can be anywhere and if it scents a snake it gets away from it.  Works great when you are walking too as the dog will let you know and you won't step on a snake.  This is very popular training in the desert southwest.

Sheila

That's cool!

 

[JNB]

I have had a heck of a weekend!

Poor Cash found a rattlesnake....

I had to lift a 95lb, drooling, bleeding, pus-filled, drugged/dead-weight dog out of the truck bed. I couldn't carry him into the house, so for now, he's resting on his old sleeping bag in the shade with some water. He's still really out of it. But $235 later, he's still alive. Now he's on Predisone and Cephalexin.

The vet said he'll be okay...and thankfully, he's a BIG, tough dog. A smaller dog or a cat wouldn't have been as "lucky."
Poor Guy!!! I had a Lab that I took with me everywhere! Years ago over in Eastern Washington I think it was around Vantage or just past there I stopped at a rest stop and that silly dog got away from me and off into the brush.. He tangled with a Rattle Snake and ended up bit in the upper leg... It did look much worse than it actually was and he was OK too. The vet I took him too Gave him Vitamin shots at the office along with the other meds.. Then told me to give him a liquid B-complex half dropper. It seemed to really help him heal . Something about the B vitamins work to support the nervous system that is affected by the venom and helps with pain. You can buy it over the counter and it might be worth asking your vet what they think of it for your dog and his size... I hope he heals up fast and steers clear of those rattles from now on

Careful with the rare breeds--they're even more addictive than "common breeds!" Not that I would know anything about that! LOL

Orloffs, Sumatras and Golden Laced Cochins are the top of my favorites list...Wyandottes are nice, too...I only have those in bantam...bantam Favs are extra cute and super-sweet, too....see what I mean!?! LOL

Heheee Funny you should mention these breeds You know I just added 4 Wyandotte chicks to my brooder and Golden Laced Cochins are on my Radar too. Hehee I just told hubby that I wanted to build 2 new coops this fall Instead of just one.. One for layers and one for "Rare Breeds". He looked at me strangely and said "But you don't have that many chickens" I smiled and replied " Yet" See he is kinda between a rock and a hard place because I really wanted to get a pair of Goats this year.. and He firmly said "NO" I hate goats and dont want them around here!" So I told him he had to give me a comprimise... So his idea was that he would take 2 weeks off in September and help me build a whatever coops and pens I wanted and I could fill them to my hearts desire with Chickens... just so long as I dont get goats.....

 

[UrbanEnthusiast]

My question is, why does "mutt" have to be taken as a derogatory word? It's not. Nobody questions what that word means. A "mutt" is a crossbreed. If you start talking about "this breed x that breed" then people start questioning if it's something that's being done on purpose, for a certain reason....where if it's a "mutt" it's just a crossbred animal....JMO...I don't know what everyone is getting so uppity about over a single word...sigh...

Ya know, now that I really think about it, what prompted me to respond the way I did - the way that got me accused of "attacking" - was not just that someone was using the term "mutt". I understand "mutt" can be used neutrally or even affectionately. It was definitely the context and the way it was used that struck me as something I wanted to speak to. I do think one should be really careful in calling someone else's chickens (or chickens-to-be) "mutts" unless you know they're OK with it. It's my fault for not realizing until now it was specifically the context and demeanor that bugged me rather than the word itself. At this point I have no idea what page it's on or I'd quote it, though that would probably just cause more conflict.

 

[Cloverleaf Farm]

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[Shyla-C]

Thank you all for your replies. Yes Mikeyb I did know the answer to my question. I guess I just needed to make sure I wasn't jumping the gun so to speak. I remember my moms VERY mean production red rooster. That sucker would hide in the bushes and wait for anyone to come out and then would attack from behind with his crazy ninja legs flying! It was kind of funny unless he made contact. I told myself when I decided to get chickens, that I would never keep a rooster like that. The silkie roo I have won't come up and take treats from me and tries to keep the girls away also. And one of the hens is acting more and more terrified of him. Is that normal? She doesn't want to go near him even to get the meal worms she loves so much. Thank you all for helping me to stand firm on my "no mean roos" rule. Now to figure out when to make chicken soup!

Jessica- I am glad that your son is ok. I remember seeing those pics. My son is fine with the chickens as long as they stay on the ground. He doesn't like it when they start fluttering around, so when the rooster attacks he always runs away. I don't want him to be afraid to go in the chicken yard with me, or have something happen if he sneaks in by himself.

Shyla