What Does His Behavior Mean?

[keesmom]

Don't feed your layers anything medicated. If you do toss their eggs.

Why are you so worried about your sebright getting Marek's? It seems you're convinced she's going to drop dead at any time. I do not vaccinate my birds and I have no problems.

Also get rid of the roos you aren't going to keep. It really needs to be done soon and before their hormones really kick in. Get your flock consolidated before winter and be done with it. You'll also need to start making sure the roo you're keeping respects your place as head of the flock. No need to be mean, just assertive.

 

[tec27]

He's only 9 weeks old. Just wait until he's 5-6 months. He'll be even meaner. You have to realize that chickens are not pets. yes they may be slightly domesticated and everything but they cannot be behavior trained. At least not like a dog can. Most male chickens are very nice until they reach 3-4 months of age. By this time, testosterone is flooding their system which makes their behavior change. Now, they want females to mate with and defend. You are now a potential threat to them.

I had the nicest male chicken. I could pick him up, he would always follow me around. Then he slowly started getting meaner and meaner. When he was around 5 months old i finally killed him for meat because he attacked me with his claws and was attacking other hens. It just happens to some males.

 

[stormylady]

Quote:
Your absolutely right! If I led you to believe that you should feed med. feed I'm sorry you shouldn't, Mine do not get med. grower it was Med. chick starter when they were babies I stopped giving that at POL. Then it was just Layer feed and the treats.

 

[BrattishTaz]

Clarescifi,

I have been having a battle with myself over whether or not to say what I am about to say. I want to to know that it is very clear that you love your birds very much. I truely believe you are a good person and want the very best for them. Please take the following as an attempt to help you.

If you keep worrying about every possible disease or problem your chickens could possibly someday experience, you are going to drive yourself (and the birds) batty. You are humanizing them every time to interpret what you believe they are thinking or feeling. Their brains are simply not developed enough to have have such evolved thought processes. If you just stand back and watch them, you will see their simplicity.

You rooster is (or will be upon maturing) thinking like this:

1) Can I eat it?

2) Can it eat me?

3) Can I eat it?

4) Can I mate with it?

5) Can I eat it?

6) Can I beat it up?

That is pretty much what they think. They come to you because you are the alpha. You feed and protect them. Attention from you means protection or treats. We assign "love" as their motivation because we (yes I do it too) want to believe they care about us. If you were to lay on the ground and not feed or protect them, they would look at you while trying to decide which other chicken thought to apply to you. Chances are they would try them all.

Let them live in as natural an enviornment as possible. They will work it out. Just sit back and enjoy the show. I'm afraid raising birds will not be a "fun" experience for you if you continue to micromanage every detail of their lives. Sending the other roosters to the farm should ease the stress significantly.

I hope you are not offended by this advice. My intent is not to sound like a jerk. I am hoping for the best for you. Good luck.

 

[stormylady]

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Wow very well put!

 

[keesmom]

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You said it much better than I could have.

I know you love your birds but you are micromanaging WAAAAY too much. Chickens do not think like people, as much as you wish they would. Chickens do not play, hold grudges, or remember much past the past 5 minutes. They are prey animals. They are hard-wired much differently than humans or dogs.

You may want to think about the way you interact with your young roo too - and think more like a head roo.

 

[ClareScifi]

I'm worried about the Sebright's getting Marek's because they are at very high risk for it. I read it in Wikipedia when a person in another chicken group told me she thought that was what my Bantie was, from the photo I posted. When I mentioned in that group that I was worried because I had not known to vaccinate the day it was hatched, due to not knowing it was the high-risk breed for Marek's (Sebrights are the highest risk for that disease), the woman said she hadn't said anything about it, because she didn't want to worry me, so it's a known fact they are at high risk among chicken people. I then ran it past a poultry Ph.D. person, a chicken expert and professor, and he concurred, that yes, Sebright's due tend to die of this disease a lot, that mine might not die of it, but to be on the lookout for the symptoms, because it is highly possible, if they are not vaccinated. Does that answer your question? I'm glad yours didn't die. The fellow who gave me the Sebright egg had 5 of them, but they are all dead. However, his didn't die of Marek's. Instead, one got trampled to death by a goat, one fell in a bucket and drowned, and 3 got eaten by a friend's dog. There are a lot of hazards to watch out for. Once you lose a few beloved animals, you become aware of this sort of thing. Losing a brother to a car accident made me aware at a young age of the fragility of life.

 

[ClareScifi]

My roo is not mean. Where did you get the idea that he is mean now at 9 weeks? He pecked my finger hard a couple of times last week, but I think he was signalling a desire to go outside, trying to get my attention, just as my tomcat used to nip my ankle to let me know he was hungry and/or thirsty. It is a form of communication. Since I haven't extended my hand in a manner that he could peck it since those earlier episodes, there have been no problems since. He is a very gentle, loving little rooster. I think it is because he hasn't grown up around otherr roosters to learn bad behavior/fighting from. When the other two roosters are gone, I don't think there are going to be much in the way of problems. Also, the StepMama no longer pecks me. I guess the chicks are big enough now that I am no threat. I was worried she'd keep on pecking me, but she has made peace with me, and I have a strong feeling she is going to make peace with my Little Boy. He used to really rile her up, but I didn't see that in her today.

 

[ClareScifi]

Someone asked why I feel my Sebright Bantie could drop dead at anytime. Perhaps it is because the scholarly literature on Sebrights says that this breed is particularly hard for beginners to raise. The Sebright chicks have a particularly high mortality rate. That is why. And also because the fellow from whom I got the Sebright egg told me all of his had died. Also, another interesting fact about Sebrights is that the hens rarely go broody. This doesn't bother me, because Barred Rocks aren't known for broodiness, and both of mine have been.

I haven't given my chicks any medicated feed since starting them on grower. I was told they need to go on grower at 8 weeks, for the thiamine in it, I think it was. So they are on that now. I was also told I could start putting apple cider vinegar in their water at 8 weeks. Some people think it helps prevent worms and is good for their digestion. I haven't done that yet, but it is time. I'm in cold country and won't be getting any eggs until about March 1. I don't eat eggs, so that isn't a problem.

One good thing-- since I don't eat eggs-- if any of the neighbors complain about my boy's crowing when he starts to crow, perhaps I can appease them with frequent gifts of fresh free-range eggs, angel food cake, etc. Hopefully, they will be egg eaters and appreciate these gifts. It will make the crowing easier for them to put up with. But I think I'm grandfathered in and they can't do anything about it, in the way of making me get rid of my boy. I may have to pay some sort of licensing fee to keep the chickens, but I'm okay with that.

 

[keesmom]

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We know he's not mean now. What we're trying to say is just because he's nice now doesn't mean he'll be that way when he matures. He may stay nice, but then he may not.

We had a nice singleton chick. The kids had a blast playing with him as a baby. He'd follow them everywhere. Then came the day when the pullets he was in with began to lay, and he attacked them. That was the end of him. I'm not saying yours will also be that way, just hoping you keep an eye on his behavior in case it changes.