Why were these chickens housed this way?

[Guinea Goonie]

Quote:
Yes you are absolutly right and I think the Law should fine everyone who abuse animals.

I can not wait for certian people to join this thread. However, I had a nieghbor (His hens laid eggs in my barn and I started a hatch of really nice game birds) that had this set up.

He told me he basically had to do this. He had tried to let a few get along and he ended up with one rooster bloodied and with only one eye left. he was apparently the winner out of 10 nice game roos.

He does not use these for fighting and he does allow ONE roo to free range with his hens now. The injured roo died a week later and the rest are on bungie cords.

 

[Mikeeeeeeeeee]

Guy around the corner has about 50 housed that way.
All my roos get along. Big BR roo is dominant at the moment.

 

[willheveland]

I think we forget that chickens were once wild and the outdoors was thier natural habitat,no insulated coops with heat lamps.
The barrels give them(in singles) the shelter they need,better than a pile of underbrush.If you think that's cruel,beleive it or not some people raise chickens in wire cages off the ground where those chickens can never build any kind of resistance to disease.The game people won't do that and really have some of the healthiest fowl because of this.
Some breeds were parented by OEG to establish a chicken that is more disease resistant.
Most use the media for most of their knowledge on these issues,so anybody that raises poultry like this is likely to be guilty by association.
If you ever had a health problem with a chicken,the game people are some of the best sources to use.Once you went to one you'd never call a vet again,if you can even find a vet to look at a chicken without just telling you to cull it.Most are dogs,cats,dairy and cattle specialists ,they might look at them and bill you but are not really knowledgable in poultry. Will

 

[Msbear]

Thanks so much, Willheveland, for your patience with a lot of us who are unfamiliar with the breed and I thank you for the insight on this. We need to all understand that these aren't cochins and they are naturally fighting birds. They do this in the wild to perpetuate the strongest bloodlines and breeding these birds is a lot more complicated and requires them to be kept individually.

And the housing...these are chickens and they sleep in trees

These birds are allowed access to fresh air, sunlight and grass. Many animals never get to experience these great joys and if they were left to frolick, they would be no more.

 

[willheveland]

Quote:
I looked at your "my page" I love the picture of your son and rooster.That say's it all. Will

 

[deerman]

Quote:
Yes you are absolutly right and I think the Law should fine everyone who abuse animals.

WRONG, most of these gamecocks are for Show and get better care
than most chickens. No better mothers than game hens.

A Gamecock will even protect his flock from predators, even if he has to give his life.

You would have to see how the gamecocks breeders take care of their birds.

They get more space per bird, than most chicken flocks.

 

[Guinea Goonie]

Quote:
I have two red jungle fowl roos on my property. One stays in one seciton and the other comes down to the house EVERYDAY.

The one down here will run off every roo that comes his way and he is relentless. Everyday he was a different set of hens with him, but always the two game hens he grew up with.

He is facinating and VERY pretty. He is gentle and very kind to his hens.
I think every one should try to get one of these roos. I hatch him from an egg and this is probably why he is so gentle.

People just need to understand that some roos are extremly territorial and I see this even in my roo. I have only seen him in a roo fight one time. He cleaned my big leghorn roos clock and the two have never seen each other again.

 

[Vcomb]

I'm just glad that so far everyone has been relatively good at keeping their tempers from flaring. Afterall, it was a simple question regarding housing and it had nothing to do with the intentions for the birds by those birds' owner. Let's try to keep things civil, and remember just cause its in the news doesn't mean its the truth.

Housing like this allows the birds not only lots of space (most roosters get between a radius of 12 to 16 foot per bird all to themselves thanks to their cords) but also allows them to forage, exercise, and develop stronger immunities. Part of what drew me to the breed is their true grit. They can withstand harsh weather and survive when other breeds die due to diseases or parasites. Not only that, but many males have been known to sacrifice themselves to spare hens with chicks. I've known guys who've had roosters attack foxes, kill owls, and even some guys who's hens have killed hawks or poisonous snakes to protect the young ones.

 

[clarkestep]

Apparently this is a really touchy subject I brought up. I didn't know it at the time. I just thought it was an odd housing situation. But, wow, I've learned alot. I am finding it amazing learning the difference in the temperments of chickens, especially in roosters. This is important to know incase I get to the place where I start raising more birds (I have 8 hens and 1 roo at the moment).

I appreciate all the input. And I, too, believe that with what I've read here and the pics posted, these were game roosters I saw. Doesn't matter the purpose because I'll never know.

I do have another question, though..... Do these roosters generally get brought in at night to a bigger coop (since they get dopey at night and less likely to fight eachother)? If this, too, is a sore subject, please just answer factually like as before. I don't want to get viewed as a trouble starter. I really am new to chickens and the only modern game birds I've seen in person are my neighbor's and he has a couple of roosters and several hens that all live together. Thanks!

 

[ninjapoodles]

Quote:
We have one pen that contains nothing but 18 roosters. They have an occasional brief skirmish, but nothing serious, and seem to do quite well together, having lived this way for several months now. When does the fighting start?

ETA: Of course, mine are not gamefowl. Is that why they don't fight each other?