MJ's little flock

[ManueB]

I just assumed he wouldn't start until he was 3-4 months. I was hoping he'd have more time.

Well, The Vulture is booked in for his first and last vet appointment on Friday morning. I booked him with the local vets because it'll be a far shorter ride in the car for him. He'll be humanely put to sleep then cremated, with his ashes returned to me later.

poor little guy

At least he's had a good childhood.

Really hoping Tomboy Australorp is a pullet.

If ever there's a need to purchase chicks again, I'll go with a sex-linked breed for my own sake.

Three of the four cockerels that grew up here started crowing between two months and two months and a half.
Pied-beau started later, past three months and a half, but he was dominated by his brother, with two adult roosters in the flock, and he had an overall childish, or "chickish", attitude for a long time.

I'm sorry that it's happening earlier than you'd wish. However, maybe in a way having the vulture around longer would make it even more difficult for you. And I'm sure he has lived each and every of his day fully .

That's shocking.

At least I'm paying high prices for high care standards.

I'm going to look into pet insurance for chickens. It may turn out to be more manageable.

I would be interested to know when you find out if insurance is possible for chickens in Australia and at what type of cost compared to other specie.

Following some shelters on social media, I've discovered that sometimes people leave their chickens at a shelter not as the usual abandon we think off, but because the chicken requires highly specialised care, involving an amount of money and time that they are not able to give it. I'm thinking for example of a silkie rooster than was caught in a house fire, and burnt all over.

While some vets may be far more expensive than others, I think when it involves surgery and days of monitoring, the cost is always high, and not all chicken keepers can afford it even if they would.

 

[MaryJanet]

Three of the four cockerels that grew up here started crowing between two months and two months and a half.
Pied-beau started later, past three months and a half, but he was dominated by his brother, with two adult roosters in the flock, and he had an overall childish, or "chickish", attitude for a long time.

Oh I see. I guess he is about the right age for crowing. This morning he did 7 or 8 "ooooooo" at sunrise. So he's not doing a full "cockadoodledoo" yet, but because my next doors have been so good about the chickens and because they work shifts, I would prefer to not disturb them. We will be living beside each other for many years yet, so being on good terms really matters.

I'm sorry that it's happening earlier than you'd wish. However, maybe in a way having the vulture around longer would make it even more difficult for you. And I'm sure he has lived each and every of his day fully .

That's a good point.

He is living a nice life. Right now he's eating nectarines as they hang on the branches of the tree. That's a luxury few humans can enjoy.

I would be interested to know when you find out if insurance is possible for chickens in Australia and at what type of cost compared to other specie.

So far I have found one insurance provider that covers a short list of exotic species, and poultry are not on the list. I'll continue searching tomorrow.

Following some shelters on social media, I've discovered that sometimes people leave their chickens at a shelter not as the usual abandon we think off, but because the chicken requires highly specialised care, involving an amount of money and time that they are not able to give it. I'm thinking for example of a silkie rooster than was caught in a house fire, and burnt all over.

Actually, I'm not surprised some people take this step. It's a difficult situation.

While some vets may be far more expensive than others, I think when it involves surgery and days of monitoring, the cost is always high, and not all chicken keepers can afford it even if they would.

That's true. I'm going to call them tomorrow and see if there are any other treatment options we can explore, or whether we can stage her treatments into a more affordable payment schedule.

 

[BY Bob]

Well, The Vulture is booked in for his first and last vet appointment on Friday morning. I booked him with the local vets because it'll be a far shorter ride in the car for him. He'll be humanely put to sleep then cremated, with his ashes returned to me later.

poor little guy

At least he's had a good childhood.

Really hoping Tomboy Australorp is a pullet.

If ever there's a need to purchase chicks again, I'll go with a sex-linked breed for my own sake.

This is a very hard part of chicken keeping. I worry about it each time I do a hatch. I'm guessing that the reality of it is harder than you expected.

 

[MaryJanet]

This is a very hard part of chicken keeping. I worry about it each time I do a hatch. I'm guessing that the reality of it is harder than you expected.

I was emotionally prepared for it all along, so it's not too bad. But I would prefer to not do it. No doubt I'll feel more emotional about it on the day.

What I am struggling with is the cognitive dissonance arising from killing a perfectly healthy and nice cockerel while going into debt to save the life of a hen with a reproductive disorder. It doesn't make sense.

 

[MaryJanet]

OK, I called the vets and said let's look at Edie's treatment plan and that's happening in an appointment tomorrow morning at 8.30.

Mary is getting her implant at 9am Monday.

The Vulture's appointment has been moved to 8am Tuesday because I don't want him sitting in the basket for too long.

 

[MaryJanet]

If this is the cost of vet care now, then there are too many hens at my place. I need to consider gradually reducing the flock down to 4 or 5 so that veterinary care is affordable.

However, before taking that step, I'm going to try the other exotic species vets available within reasonable driving distance to see if their services are more affordable.

 

[Shadrach]

What I am struggling with is the cognitive dissonance arising from killing a perfectly healthy and nice cockerel while going into debt to save the life of a hen with a reproductive disorder. It doesn't make sense.

If you were in a position to keep a male or a few and saw what most eventually turn into when allowed to live the cognitive dissonance gets more twisted. It's backyard chicken keeping for an awful lot of people.

The only way I've been able to find any resolution to this is to eat the males and at least pretend I'm farming.

 

[MaryJanet]

If you were in a position to keep a male or a few and saw what most eventually turn into when allowed to live the cognitive dissonance gets more twisted. It's backyard chicken keeping for an awful lot of people.

It's quite a challenge.

The only way I've been able to find any resolution to this is to eat the males and at least pretend I'm farming.

It's quite a head-scratcher.

I'm not sure how long I can remain convinced that the great lives enjoyed by the hens at my place are worth the deaths of the cockerels. For me, the Vulture has shone a new light on this old and much-considered values tension. I was sure I was contributing to the greater good by keeping hens and disengaging from the egg production industry but now, even when acquiring pullets, their missing brothers will be more prominent in my thoughts. How to re-balance the moral scale? The only answer I have is a weak one: donate to charities that support roosters, if there are any.

I get what you're saying about farming and I know your version of farming is as respectful of the cockerels as it can be.

 

[BY Bob]

I was emotionally prepared for it all along, so it's not too bad. But I would prefer to not do it. No doubt I'll feel more emotional about it on the day.

What I am struggling with is the cognitive dissonance arising from killing a perfectly healthy and nice cockerel while going into debt to save the life of a hen with a reproductive disorder. It doesn't make sense.

I can see the discord that would cause.

 

[Shadrach]

It's quite a challenge.

It's quite a head-scratcher.

I'm not sure how long I can remain convinced that the great lives enjoyed by the hens at my place are worth the deaths of the cockerels. For me, the Vulture has shone a new light on this old and much-considered values tension. I was sure I was contributing to the greater good by keeping hens and disengaging from the egg production industry but now, even when acquiring pullets, their missing brothers will be more prominent in my thoughts. How to re-balance the moral scale? The only answer I have is a weak one: donate to charities that support roosters, if there are any.

I get what you're saying about farming and I know your version of farming is as respectful of the cockerels as it can be.

Not a topic many want to examine.
The other elephant in the room is the delivery of day old chicks be courier.