Integrating a cockerel into a flock of mature hens

[Birdydeb]

To be fair. They actually asked hubby to take them(I wasn't here when it happened) but hubby said he really had the impression that they would just leave them one way or the other. We don't understand abandoning animals either so hubby said yes and they were moved to my yard....in a dog crate. I came home AFTER DARK and there they were...sitting in a dog crate under my apple tree, totally open to everything and flipping out. I rushed to get them settled in my garage that night and now here they are. The parallel run I have planned and in the works was supposed to be for extra roosters while I make decisions but truthfully I am perfectly happy to let them have the run and cull or rehome the roosters....which is why I was following Russel's story and now Ichabod's....trying to make a good decision. And I apologize for slightly hijacking your thread. You manage your flock pretty much the way I want to. Hens will get to retire and live out their life. Reading your experiences with Russell and Ichabod has made my decision to just get rid of roosters easier...but I need to decide which one to keep first. I am loving Ichabod and out of my three, the Barred Rock seems to mostly have the same personality.

 

[islandgirl82]

Please do not apologize. I don't feel that you've hijacked anything and I'm happy to share my experiences, especially if it's helping others. I'm glad to know those girls weren't just left behind and love that your husband just took them in.

I would be completely lost without BYC on knowing what behaviors to look for, particularly when it comes to good cockerels/roosters and every day I feel better and better about the decisions I made. I was thinking this morning, had my coop not been raided a couple of months ago by the stray dogs and had my first SLW not been killed then, I never would have ended up with Russell, which means I never would have ended up adding more girls for him which means I would not have ended up with Dominique hens any time soon and certainly never would have Ichabod. I still miss Audrey but her loss has led to such a wonderful learning experience for me.

 

[aart]

Doors and windows....fate...everything's connected.

 

[islandgirl82]

Indeed!

 

[limited25]

Has Ichabod's hormones kicked in yet or is he still too young? He is a pretty rooster.

 

[islandgirl82]

Thank you! So far I haven't witnessed anything. ALL the girls stick close to him though and egg production has been kicked into high gear since his arrival despite the lack during our recent heat wave.

 

[islandgirl82]

Yesterday evening I was pleased to see my top hen Mairah politely sharing one of the feeding dishes with Ichabod. She tends to eat with the lowest in the pecking order; there is far less drama with them than there is when she dines with those higher up but doesn't hesitate to chase off those troublemakers when they invade her dish or she'll stand between the lowest and the troublemakers so everyone can eat.

I give them fermented feed which makes for messy meal times, especially when they shake their heads and it splatters everywhere as someone did during their dinner yesterday. Some of that feed landed on the back of my hand and my arm and Ichabod saw it. We all know chickens can get pretty overzealous and grabby when it comes to food but when he cleaned it up for me, I barely even knew he was there. Reason #5,903,586,944,859,43 and 1 to adore him.




Ichabod and Head Mistress, Mairah.




Ichabod and Amelia - I'm convinced she's trying to teach him how to tidbit. She does it to him and then he acts confused and backs away when she responds to him when he mimics her and won't try again until she tidbits to him again.


And she always cleans his face for him.


Not camera shy.

 

[limited25]

LOL ... Mariah sure looks adorable with fermented feed covering her beak. Seems like you have the perfect flock. Wish I could free range but too many hawks in the neighborhood and they are always looking for an opportunity. Have seen them fly away with snakes, a half drowned baby gopher after a bad storm, and once it even looked like one was carrying a huge frog ... could see its legs hanging down. I didn't even know they ate frogs (or maybe it was a toad). All your mixed colors of birds make for a pretty flock.

 

[aart]

My Wellie cock is gentle too, he doesn't often feed from my hand(mostly lets the greedy girls) but when he does, he slowly and carefully takes what is offered.
He's smart too...the first and almost only bird to figure out how to drink the drips off my fingertips from an ice cube melting in my hand.

 

[islandgirl82]

My Wellie cock is gentle too, he doesn't often feed from my hand(mostly lets the greedy girls) but when he does, he slowly and carefully takes what is offered.
He's smart too...the first and almost only bird to figure out how to drink the drips off my fingertips from an ice cube melting in my hand.

Do you have photos of him? Wellies are gorgeous. Ichabod will wait to eat until I fill the last dish but if I offer something by hand, he's in the forefront. Maybe he'll give the girls the treats I give him once he figures out what tidbitting is all about.

LOL ... Mariah sure looks adorable with fermented feed covering her beak. Seems like you have the perfect flock. Wish I could free range but too many hawks in the neighborhood and they are always looking for an opportunity. Have seen them fly away with snakes, a half drowned baby gopher after a bad storm, and once it even looked like one was carrying a huge frog ... could see its legs hanging down. I didn't even know they ate frogs (or maybe it was a toad). All your mixed colors of birds make for a pretty flock.

Mairah's a sweet girl and I have to agree with you on her looking adorable with her sloppy face lol but naturally I'm bias. I feel like my flock really looks out for each other, with the exception of my two Red Sex Links. They're the trouble makers. My first SLW kept them in line but when she died, within minutes they were wreaking havoc on the rest of the flock. As soon as the new girls arrived, they took one look at the new SLW and I swear they remembered the first one and immediately backed down. The new SLW never even did anything to them but her sheer presence makes them a lot more subdued. The Black Sex Link also helps to keep them in line with very minimal effort. If it were not for those two, those RSLs wouldn't be here anymore.

Last summer I lost an EE who was egg bound. Instead of the flock all picking on her, Mairah and Audrey (the first SLW) would stand on either side of her until to keep the rest of the girls away. When that behavior went on for a couple of days is when I realized there was a problem but was too late. Regardless, I was so impressed with how nurturing they were with her instead of ganging up.

As for free ranging, I do have hawks, a Peregrine Falcon and a few Bald Eagles around but I also have a lot of cover for my flock with shrubs, trees, big leafy plants in the gardens and benches all around. They stay pretty clear of the wide open lawn.

I love having such a colorful mixed flock and egg bowl. Plus all the colors make doing the headcount much easier.