"Wild Rooster" effect Hen bedding?

[RiseNShyne]

Here’s the big guy and his ladies! The corner was the only way to get them all still/together enough to take half-decent photos. Haha!

 

[Geena]

Here’s the big guy and his ladies! The corner was the only way to get them all still/tog ether enough to take half-decent photos. Haha!

He looks like a White Plymouth Rock

 

[RiseNShyne]

He looks like a White Plymouth Rock

OH! Looking those up on google images and I do believe you're right!!

Thank you!

 

[Shadrach]

If I've "trained" my hens in the shed coop that, that is their home... Him being out wont make them not want to go to bed at night, will it?

Maybe.
Hens tend to follow their rooster. He may not be their rooster yet.
The hens I look after would rather roost next to their rooster o a roost bar in the run than roost in the coop.

The advantage you have, possibly, is that the Buffs are unlikely to get up the tree.
The good news is you have a proper rooster.
It works something like this.
Hens choose their rooster. If a group of hens have an established coop/roosting place then that is their place and the rooster knows this. He will wait to be invited by the hens to join them.
Sounds crazy I know.

This article may help you understand what may be going on.
https://www.backyardchickens.com/articles/understanding-your-rooster.75056/

 

[3KillerBs]

Here’s the big guy and his ladies! The corner was the only way to get them all still/together enough to take half-decent photos. Haha!

Handsome fellow.

I'm not an expert at this, but I *think* he might be a White Rock.

 

[Mrs. K]

Roosters and hens are fascinating to watch. When I introduced my last one, he was molting so bad, he looked nearly dead, and I did a pretty strict quarantine, to make sure the molt was not covering something else, but after 6 weeks, he looked mighty fine and I let him out one afternoon, let the ladies out too.

They met in between, he was an older rooster, and he crowed for them, an flapped a bit, danced a bit, and followed those girls home at dark. Now he perched on the bench for a couple of nights, but then was up top.

If the OP rooster has been around, those girls are thinking, 'what is taking him so long?'

Glad it was a success.

Mrs K

 

[RiseNShyne]

Maybe.
Hens tend to follow their rooster. He may not be their rooster yet.
The hens I look after would rather roost next to their rooster o a roost bar in the run than roost in the coop.

View attachment 3204630View attachment 3204632View attachment 3204634
The advantage you have, possibly, is that the Buffs are unlikely to get up the tree.
The good news is you have a proper rooster.
It works something like this.
Hens choose their rooster. If a group of hens have an established coop/roosting place then that is their place and the rooster knows this. He will wait to be invited by the hens to join them.
Sounds crazy I know.

This article may help you understand what may be going on.
https://www.backyardchickens.com/articles/understanding-your-rooster.75056/

Very cool article! Interestingly, I did notice the big guy doing "I found food" calls to the tractor ladies on several occasions. I thought that was what he was doing, but after reading the article I'm pretty sure of it. Even though the tractor was completely open they wouldn't leave - but they would pretty much be leaning against the fence in whatever direction he was outside the tractor and were constantly preening and making soft calls at him.

As for in the coop - now that they're all together they all seem to be getting along. I try and sneak a peek in there without them noticing and all the hens seemingly kind of stick together despite a few being raised separately - though my two original girls look slightly smaller than the others but their feathers are in much better condition overall. I think there were a lot of pecking order disputes over at my buddy/neighbor's house.

[EDIT]
I only gathered 2 eggs today - wondering if it's due to the stressors of the latest developments... Though the big guy was on the top roost on point when I first entered the shed with all the ladies "wandering" - they hadn't necessarily seemed to notice me until he gave a call and then they all collected together in the corner so I think they've accepted him as the protector, hopefully. We still have some more time in the coop before I let them out so it's reassuring that they've seemed to have bonded, so to speak.

Overall, I believe they've accepted him and as Mrs. K mentioned:

Roosters and hens are fascinating to watch. When I introduced my last one, he was molting so bad, he looked nearly dead, and I did a pretty strict quarantine, to make sure the molt was not covering something else, but after 6 weeks, he looked mighty fine and I let him out one afternoon, let the ladies out too.

They met in between, he was an older rooster, and he crowed for them, an flapped a bit, danced a bit, and followed those girls home at dark. Now he perched on the bench for a couple of nights, but then was up top.

If the OP rooster has been around, those girls are thinking, 'what is taking him so long?'

Glad it was a success.

Mrs K

I do believe they were like "Why hasn't he come in?" - both "groups" before united.

When I started my dirtbike up at 3AM to leave for work this morning I could hear him making calls - probably disturbed by the sudden thumping of the motor.

I'm so excited/interested to get them out free-ranging with the big guy around keeping them safe. I want to see a cool natural flock dynamic.... Out free-ranging and what-not.

I have a decent 1/4 or so acre of land close to the coop that I've left relatively uncontrolled on purpose and it's TEAMING with bugs - mainly grasshopper/locusts. Makes me with I would've built the secured coop even bigger now because I'd love to have a flock of guineas to help with the bug population. But I want to see how much they can take care of before I bite the bullet on that.

They might be good candidates for the tractor - as a night time pen - free range otherwise.

I raise quail as well - cotournix - and have a very large "flight tractor" I built (have to move it with a tractor or truck). Been doing so for about 2 years now. Been using their eggs to pay for pretty much any/all feed expenses and then some so far.

Side story:

I lost 5 hens 3 years ago (no rooster) - had them for 2-3 years - 2 to some sort of predator during the day tome - probably an eagle - theres nests a few miles down the road and see them constantly, down the road, but have seen them over my property on rare occasion.... Or something - but it happened during the day. Came home and feathers EVERYWHERE in the front yard and missing birds. Then I started keeping them "confined" in the shed but no coop - just had nesting boxes set up and feeders/waterer in there (had kept them that way the whole time I had them but was letting them out before). Came home another day to feathers convering everything in the shed and everyone dead... Not eaten, just dead. Looked at the security camera and they'd been massacred by a mink. That was the end of my chicken keeping until I thought I could come up with something better/safer. Hoping this is it.

 

[RiseNShyne]

Something I just thought of now...

So my tractor ladies that I've now gotten into the main coop.... Once let to free range, they should adopt the coop, right? Should I worry about them wanting to go back to the tractor as their "home"? The article Shadrach posted made me wonder a bit about this as it mentioned the chickens choosing "tribes" and continuing to roost separately but some coming together when they were let out....

I mainly ask because I'm wondering if in the future when they do get let out should I leave the tractor open for roosting as well? Or just make it not an option and they'll eventually go back to the main coop? Or will they try to find a place to roost close to the tractor?

Feeling like this may be a stupid question but at the same time want to have an idea of what to expect from more experienced keepers...

I've been told by a few local people that "give them a month and they'll know what "home" is but those two tractor ladies have had since they were pretty young as the tractor as their home. I don't really want them divided... Is 30 days enough to make them adopt a new home after months in a different home?

 

[Mrs. K]

I would never keep them in 30 days. And the rooster will change everything. He never roosted in the tractor, and they will follow him.

I would lock the tractor up so that nothing can get in. I would do that for maybe a week. If one or two hens wanted to go back they couldn't, and then with the rooster's encouragement they would go to the coup that you want.

Really I have found, if your set up is good and it is open to them, and at least some of them are homed to it, the rest will follow, they want to be part of the flock.

Mrs K

 

[RiseNShyne]

I would never keep them in 30 days. And the rooster will change everything. He never roosted in the tractor, and they will follow him.

I would lock the tractor up so that nothing can get in. I would do that for maybe a week. If one or two hens wanted to go back they couldn't, and then with the rooster's encouragement they would go to the coup that you want.

Really I have found, if your set up is good and it is open to them, and at least some of them are homed to it, the rest will follow, they want to be part of the flock.

Mrs K

OH? How long would you suggest I pen them up? I would love to get them out and about sooner - 30 days is just what I've read/been told so that's what I was going with...

The tractor has been locked up since I took the two original ladies out of it. I even drug it to a new spot significantly far away from where it was at with them in it - not necessarily to hide it as it's still fairly visible but to a spot where I had an idea for "starting" a few Guinea's outside, post brooder, if I end up getting a hold of some keets. They're available to me - I just debate if it's something I should take on right now as I'm in the middle incubating my first LARGE groups of Quail (225 eggs - 110 and 115 staggered by a week) and will be needing brooder space in the following months....

So that last paragraph goes back to my question.... Both groups have been completely removed from their established homesand put into a new one... A majority of them have been moved a few miles, were in a large, but completely enclosed barn setup on dirt/cement. They've been moved to a slightly smaller setup with about 1/4 the birds, straw covering 100% of the floor, real nest boxes (though, sadly, they all have seemed to taken to laying in the corner of the pen on the floor - what I noticed happens at my neighbor's place.... Side note: It's like they know they're laying for me - or at least dont want me to have to come far into the pen because they lay in the corner directly next to the access door!), calcium supplementation and a view (at this point) to the outside world provided. Obviously in both setups they had food and water. How long, if 30 days is too long, does it take for them to be "homed" to the coop? Let's say it is an ideal setup - which I've tried to build it to be so.

Thank you!

Also - I'd like to add - today everyone was MUCH more content! Granted the Big Guy kept about the same distance from me but I think I "bonded" a bit with the ladies with our cucumber sharing yesterday. They all ran up to me - even the timid ones when I walked in the pen. The timid ones noticed no food and shy'd away quickly but them the less shy ones (and my two tractor ladies) still came up to me and were interested in my hands and trying to see what was in them. I Could touch my original ladies easily and a few of the others would let me touch but would flinch and act a little uneasy so I'd stop. Sadly, I didn't have garden scraps for them today - could've but I put them in a bag in the fridge for tomorrow. I mean, my quail "love" me and know that I mean that necessities will be met when I show up, let me pet them, will eat from my hands, and a few ladies will even jump out of their pen onto my back wile I fill their feeders! But as for my experiences with chicken so far? Overall - a pretty cool evening!