Wisconsin "Cheeseheads"

[kristip]

Love that Siler spangeld hamburg... I go gaga for polka dots! (gee anyone around here breed them???)

BF... I have been having my dd work hard with the rooster lately and pick him up more and give him treats and some days he seems nicer adn some days not so much. Depends if she is picking up one of his three favorite gals... he gets very territorial about them. But then I was talking with our babysitter this morning who has chickens and hear how their roo is ok with people but rips up the girls... ours is so sweet with the girls. He does the dance and song before he "hops on". He doesnt seem to use his spurs. so that makes me more comfortable with him.

Ok so how do you deal with a year round broody... My BO was hatched last summer, went broody in the winter, and again this spring, but we broke that one, then this summer, hatched two and just started laying again and is back in the nest... sigh. DH might flip if I put more eggs under her. And the breed I would really want to try hatching is silkies and we are getting cool for those to be little now. Will keep trying to break that brood with her.

 

[GhostRider65]

Mean rooster talk... Fits for me too . Since someone mentioned how I cull SO much, I have a hard time doing in a healthy bird. Ox is big and beautiful and healthy alright. But yesterday he nipped my 13 yr old's leg. He charged and grabbed my 6 yr old twice. He went after my 10 yr old too. But he does nothing to me. He behaves himself around the kids when I'm near them. But I can't be around them all the time.
Should I really do him in folks???

I would cull him BigFam, unless of course you can teach your younguns to be the rooster, and kick his little behind some, which will be much harder in the long run and may not work...........
I have some very nice friendly roosters if ya wanna trade, I'll butcher him........ I have Dels, a BR/Del cross friendly as can be, EE's and my nicest boy is Fred the Wh. Wyandotte.. the kids carry him all over, only time he ever nips is if your hand feeding him treats he gets a bit excited and tries to eat your hand when the treats are gone... also have a very nice Del/EE cross who is cute as a button but just a baby they were born June 26th....... he's a white del with browns and black very pretty, and a good size boy he was my moose baby still bigger than his age mates.

 

[Celtic Chick]

Mean rooster talk... Fits for me too

. Since someone mentioned how I cull SO much, I have a hard time doing in a healthy bird. Ox is big and beautiful and healthy alright. But yesterday he nipped my 13 yr old's leg. He charged and grabbed my 6 yr old twice. He went after my 10 yr old too. But he does nothing to me. He behaves himself around the kids when I'm near them. But I can't be around them all the time.
Should I really do him in folks???

Like H&R said, ya gotta do what you gotta do. There are tons of people on here who send the meanies to freezer camp. They are the ones who are asking for it, IMHO.

One of my roos is sweet as pie to me, but charged DH a few times. Now every time he goes by them, he carries a big stick with him and the roo hasn't given him a second glance since. Maybe the boys should try that first if you are having a hard time deciding on culling him. Or put him in a little fenced in pen by himself for a few days so he can watch the other chickens enjoying themselves.

Couldn't hurt to try.

 

[unkadan]

Mean rooster talk... Fits for me too

. Since someone mentioned how I cull SO much, I have a hard time doing in a healthy bird. Ox is big and beautiful and healthy alright. But yesterday he nipped my 13 yr old's leg. He charged and grabbed my 6 yr old twice. He went after my 10 yr old too. But he does nothing to me. He behaves himself around the kids when I'm near them. But I can't be around them all the time.
Should I really do him in folks???

Heather I know what your breeding plans were with Ox, like I said earlier in this discussion, at some point you will need a separate run and housing for breeding. I would create that now and put him in lockup. I don't agree with those that say there is a "mean gene" that could pass this on, hard to say why he decided the boys needed picking on but I also doubt you will break him of it, then again he might just outgrow this phase

 

[Terri O]

Good morning! Kinda cloudy here...figures DD's are taking the day camp kids to the beach today! LOL--supposed to get hot though--right now just DARK!
Horse is no better...found a BIG hole on top of one of the gravesite areas in the pasture. Now we are thinking that they might have been running around and stepped in that hole? My TWH is by far the worst. He is barely hobbling around even with the Bute on board! I might have to get him something stronger...
MLH got those breeds right BL4...that birchen modern game hopefully was disqualified because he isnt dubbed and is obviously not Jan 1+ hatch! Way too much white on him for that. I have the same breed and I am not sure if I will show him next year for that very reason! I like how your fair cages the male and female together. I do agree though, there should be more info on the tags for sure. Our tags only have the class on them like "Mediterranean" or "Asiatic" I wanted to make signs that said what they were and had them all written out but ran out of time to type them up! Maybe next year I will start earlier? (yeah, right)

Glad you have hot water Cind--we do too but you have to go downstairs to turn it on! DH put a new fixture on the tub (finally) last night but it is leaking so bad behind it that I told him to turn the water off! I cant believe that he came up to bed with it dripping like that and was going to leave it go all night! Sheesh!

I second your rant Kim! But even if people complain I dont think it will change anything! We would have to have a whole uprising I am sure!

Well, gotta work today so I guess I better get my butt outside and get stuff fed. Gotta check on the horse too...I hate when one of my creatures isnt well....have a great day everyone! TerriOfeelingtiredalreadyandthedayhasonlystarted

ETA: Just wanted to join in the discussion of mean roos since you all were busy typing while I was...LOL--I have A LOT of roosters here--really many...too many...and I can say that I only remember one being "mean." Roosters do what they do--I dont think you can change them. THey are not being "mean" they are just being roosters--protecting the flock, protecting the food, whatever! Just let them alone! Let your chickens be chickens and dont carry them around like cats or puppies. If you need a cuddle chicken, make one and keep it away from the rest. The other birds have a job to do--let them do it! (OK--that is all from me now!)

 

[Bigfamily4me]

My six year old says to me this morning "today is the best day of my life."
I reply "why is that."
He says " the best day because Ox is gonna be butchered and won't run at me anymore." then he mumbles under his breathe "I'm too big to cry 'cause of a chicken"

I am nothing but a good mother, a protective mother. If he feels THAT strongly about it, then I'm not going to stop the ax. I am sad about my breeding plans, but still have Blue. I also hated seeing the boy scream In terror as that Roo charged him. Poor kid.

So Ox is no more. Rest in peace big boy.

 

[CasieD]

My six year old says to me this morning "today is the best day of my life."
I reply "why is that."
He says " the best day because Ox is gonna be butchered and won't run at me anymore." then he mumbles under his breathe "I'm too big to cry 'cause of a chicken"

I am nothing but a good mother, a protective mother. If he feels THAT strongly about it, then I'm not going to stop the ax. I am sad about my breeding plans, but still have Blue. I also hated seeing the boy scream In terror as that Roo charged him. Poor kid.

So Ox is no more. Rest in peace big boy.

I think you made the right decision for you and your boys.

 

[CasieD]

I got the call from the post office this morning... my box of peeping chicks was waiting for me at 6:15 am.

We decided to grow out a batch of 25 CX broilers, added in 5 Freedom Rangers to try them out too. Now to get the turkeys fattened up so they can move to freezer camp in three weeks when the broilers need their pen!

The birds I got from Tiki (Kris) last week are doing great! The kids fell in love with the bantam Cochins and the BW Ameraucana rooster is teaching my young Penedeseca roo some manners. He was picking on the pullets I had him in with, not anymore!

 

[Twizzlebee]

BL4- The top ones are silver spangled hamburgs. I'm actually buying a trio of them myself. Couldn't resist. Lovely birds

 

[tiki244]

I got the call from the post office this morning... my box of peeping chicks was waiting for me at 6:15 am.

We decided to grow out a batch of 25 CX broilers, added in 5 Freedom Rangers to try them out too. Now to get the turkeys fattened up so they can move to freezer camp in three weeks when the broilers need their pen! 

The birds I got from Tiki (Kris) last week are doing great! The kids fell in love with the bantam Cochins and the BW Ameraucana rooster is teaching my young Penedeseca roo some manners. He was picking on the pullets I had him in with, not anymore!

Awe thats so good to hear!



BF4me watch your Beta roo he may want to take Alpha's place. You did the right thing for your kids.

Cind so glad you have HOT water e



Vicki~ Female chicks are said to feather out quicker than males. Check so far so good. Also, males have a more oblong shape and females a more rounder shape. Can only make a good guess at this time but the feathering sounds good.


TO~ I bought the liguid attractant this last time and it didnt seem to work either. I went around with my little shovel and collected some fresh juicy chicken manure. Now my traps are working really well.

BL4 the bottom picture looks like an old english game bantam(sorry if someone already said this) the middle picture a LF modern game in person. The bantams are very friendly.