We lost our lead rooster

[electrycmonk]

So I totally screwed up yesterday. After reading alot, and preparing to set the Roo's down in the small backyard to see how they do for a short while.

"Chuckles" the redish Americana(sp) roo for all the girls didn't survive the night.

Yesterday afternoon they seemed to be okay once "Big Gray" the Jersey giant, gave up the posturing and semi-dominant display/"fight" toward "Chuckles". The other Roo's seemed to be "in their own world" while in the open small yard with us.

After maybe 20 minutes in the yard I opened the "doggy door" flap and with the gentle breeze out of the east he "retreated" to the run/coop. None of the other Roo's followed him.

When the kiddos went to tend to all the food and water containers they came running in to tell us that "chuckles" was laying on the floor of the run and wouldn't stand up.

So I went down to check out... Yep, he was definitely tired. He would gladly take a drink when offered the small bowl of iced water mix....
Then I had the girls bring out a plate and a cup of ice water. We poured the ice water into the plate and I gently cradled him as I set his feet onto the plate and for a few minutes let his feet rest in the cool water. They picked him up and let him lay on the countertop and set the bowl of water nearby. His comb had started to turn a deep dark red at about 1/2 the tips. That was then about 9PM.

I went out again a couple times to check on him and give him water. Each time he'd drink a bit.

Then about midnight I took out a bowl with yogurt, food and some scratch. The water bowl was a fresh batch of rooster booster, ACV, ice water.

Figured he would just sleep it off and start recovering in the morning too.

Went out about 7:30 and he had eaten almost all of the yogurt, and about 1/2 the food & scratch but, didn't survive. He was dead but, still warm. All but, 2-3 hens had already gone out to the run. I picked him up. No heartbeat at all and stiffness had started to set in. Dang it. I really screwed this one up. Big time! He was very good for the hens, granted he did have a few he was "always mounting" one in particular he'd warn the feathers off her saddle region and she's been temporarily shifted into the silkie run area with the hatchlings as she's about the size of those hens too.

So now I'm feeling like a smhuootz(sp) for letting this play out too long.

I wonder what this will do for the group of hens now as I'm not about to just not comfy with "testing the waters" to see how one or a couple of the rest of the Roo's would be like with the hens at this point.

Maybe in a few weeks I'll be ready to try something again?

This sucks.

I was so hoping to have an eventual transition to a multi-Roo setup with all the hens before the end of this summer. I still hope that this will happen before winter.

 

[Folly's place]

So sorry!
Hindsight is the best, isn't it? Things don't always go as planned, for sure. Hope your rooster troubles settle down, and peace returns.
mary

 

[Mrs. K]

I am a bit confused. Did heat get him? Or fighting with another rooster? Or just what did happen? Where did you get him from?

Losing them is always hard, but it happens. So sorry.

Mrs K

 

[electrycmonk]

I am a bit confused. Did heat get him? Or fighting with another rooster? Or just what did happen? Where did you get him from?

Losing them is always hard, but it happens. So sorry.

Mrs K

It seems that heat & being in the same open space as the other Roo's was too much stress? When we got them all last April -May (last year) they were all raised in large dog crates, in the same room, in full sight of one another from days-week old. Initially, "Chuckles"(the EE/Americana looking Too) was with last batch of chicks and seemed to be the more gentle to the hens then the others as they developed in the crates...later in the summer as we moved them all out to the coop & run I made a batchelor pad for all the other roos next to the hens w/Chuckles.

For over 6 months I've been reading about Rooster teams and stuff to integrate them again.

So I figured once the doggy door was installed we could finally give the Roo's a neutral ground "recess" to see how they do as they are the only ones in the small fenced in yard.

Right at the beginning "Chuckles" & "Big Gray" squared off and flared up their neck feathers, leaned in toward each other and did some posturing jumps at each other for ~2-3 minutes and then Big Gray turned and walked away. At that point I figured it was going to be a mild next 15-20 minutes.... Well Chuckles went over to the fenced wall to the run and was back n forth trying to get to them....

I guess *thats* when I should of just "let him in and call it a day....."


Anywho here's the back story a little better? Maybe clearer?
That would allow us to start getting them accustomed to semi-free ranging and eventually also supervised 2+ Rooster gatherings with the hens. Then... Eventually they would figure out the Roo's pecking order and it would mean we would hopefully have less Roo's to re-home.

So now we are without the main Rooster the girls were used to over the last 8+ months in the coop, once all the crates were mingled.

The Roo's that I had moved back into the giant crates/batchelor pads in anticipation of the stated above goal are now on hold while I figure out the next step.

"Coco", the little white screecher; "feather foot", the short chubby guy; "Nicki" the Polish (reminds me of a sneak-attack coward); "Big Gray" the Jersey giant were all raised in the same crate in the beginning.
"Poledark" the blonde Polish Roo was in the last batch of chicks the silkies. He reminds me of a Ferdinand the bull type when we put him in the small yard at the same time, he wandered off to chase bugs and pretty much ignored the other Roo's and they completely ignored him too.

Once "Chuckles" went into the run thru the doggy door the four boys just wandered over near us and hung out in the shade of the sunflowers and nipped at grass, bug's and milled about like we weren't there.

After a few minutes the kiddos asked if we could let the hens thru the doggy door? I said only IF they voluntarily venture thru it.

Well a few did. It seemed to go okay.

But that's distracted details from the questions you asked about I guess, huh?