What did you do with your flock today?

[Nomadicus]

What is the most awful of all to me is the tales I've heard of people attaching steel spurs onto roosters and then gambling on the outcome. The winner is a survivor. One dies. That's a planned outcome. That's not even a sport. It's demonic at the least.

 

[Smokerbill]

What is the most awful of all to me is the tales I've heard of people attaching steel spurs onto roosters and then gambling on the outcome. The winner is a survivor. One dies. That's a planned outcome. That's not even a sport. It's demonic at the least.

Yes it is. And every once in a while karma comes into play, and one of the cock's razors slices into its owner and he bleeds to death.

 

[TropicalBabies]

Two strange roos meeting is always awful isn't it?
What I'm used to seeing where the baby boys grow up with dads is a bit different then that (I integrate young so even if no blood relation, they've become family by the time hormones kick in). Usually the dad's are protective of the cockerels right until they become roos. Then there's light discipline to teach manners but no bloodshed. It really is light discipline. The hens don't want the young roos and the adult roos don't like their hens upset. The young boys quickly learn to back off and court the ladies instead of trying to force them. It means they really don't get to breed until they're accepted by the hens. No force = no discipline. At least with the dwarfs, yokos and oegbs. I haven't actually raised any other breeds this way.
I think that's why this boys not getting disciplined...his small size might be confusing the older boys. I'm sure that won't last.

Yeah, was not catching the discipline side of it. Just the 20lbs and repeat attacks that sounded like fun. Guess I took it as enjoying cock fighting as opposed to flock discipline. Pre coffee, my apologies.

 

[kurby22]

Spankers is a hen that likes to discipline everyone . Shes the dwarf police hen of the flock even though she's not the oldest. A very opinionated lady!

Hahaha oh that’s even better!

 

[ChicksnMore]

Yeah, was not catching the discipline side of it. Just the 20lbs and repeat attacks that sounded like fun. Guess I took it as enjoying cock fighting as opposed to flock discipline. Pre coffee, my apologies.

Gotcha. These are 1-2 lb birds and it's a just matured enough to breed boy trying to force hens into breeding. What I found funny is that the boys aren't doing their normal thing of stopping it. Usually an adult roo pulls the youngster off, the hen stops protesting and the adult roo stops as soon as the hen stops. My roos that grew up as part of the same flock never get into real fights with each other. No blood, scabs or injuries in sight. Not sure if it's about breed or their living conditions.

 

[Nomadicus]

Yeah, was not catching the discipline side of it. Just the 20lbs and repeat attacks that sounded like fun. Guess I took it as enjoying cock fighting as opposed to flock discipline. Pre coffee, my apologies.

3 or 4 jumps at most. Not an hour long battle. The little guy learned a vital lesson.

 

[Smokerbill]

I created another 200 square feet of area for my chickens to play in today. It's not secure against small or climbing predators, but the chickens can't get out. I hope. LOL

It's only for daytime use anyway, so it should be fine. There's 168 square feed of bare, dry dirt for them to dig and dust in, plus another 32 feet inside the elevated coop I built. They have access to their main 110 square foot run too. So that gives them a hair over 30 square feet per bird during the day, which should be good for them.

I used an old section of 7 foot tall concrete reinforcing mesh with 6x6 openings (got it for free from OfferUp). Along the bottom I attached plastic mesh fencing that they can't pass through. Attached a couple of 8 foot round timbers to the bottom to stiffen it up.

Now they'll be able to get plenty of bright sunshine until early afternoon. After that the area is in total shade.

 

[Smokerbill]

And I was gifted three eggs today. A new bird started laying. One of the eggs was TINY! The other small, kind of longish and oval looking. The third is perfectly proportioned and a nice dark brown in color. I believe the perfect looking eggs are coming from one hen, but I don't know which one it it. I'd like to find out.

 

[TropicalBabies]

I created another 200 square feet of area for my chickens to play in today. It's not secure against small or climbing predators, but the chickens can't get out. I hope. LOL

It's only for daytime use anyway, so it should be fine. There's 168 square feed of bare, dry dirt for them to dig and dust in, plus another 32 feet inside the elevated coop I built. They have access to their main 110 square foot run too. So that gives them a hair over 30 square feet per bird during the day, which should be good for them.

I used an old section of 7 foot tall concrete reinforcing mesh with 6x6 openings (got it for free from OfferUp). Along the bottom I attached plastic mesh fencing that they can't pass through. Attached a couple of 8 foot round timbers to the bottom to stiffen it up.

Now they'll be able to get plenty of bright sunshine until early afternoon. After that the area is in total shade.

Yippee!

 

[ChickenAJ]

Today I let the chickens free range on the property. During their adventures, some got a photoshoot. They ended their course of freedom with some mealworms and a banana.