Holy carp, after the past couple of days, I've decided that the WCBP cockerels HAVE to go. The low-ranking one is relatively quiet, as, if he opens his yap, he's immediately chased. The high-ranking bird, however, has taken to crowing almost constantly. He does. not. shut. up. I don't know what's setting him off like this (I suspect a combination of hormones and sheer buttheadery), but I *do* know it's driving me nuts, as his crow is high-pitched. I'm firmly in
mode.
He's also being challenged now by the SS boys, all of whom outweigh him by a couple of pounds (those dudes are getting HUGE), and actually may have fallen into second place in the ranks, behind the biggest SS cockerel. So, both of them are now confined in the storage side of the coop in my trusty dog exercise pen, as at 2 PM tomorrow, they're being loaded up and taken to the Schuylerville auction (they're too small to bother processing them). I gave it a shot, and I am fond of the silly, poofy things, but his new hobby of yelling his fool head off constantly has earned him a one-way ticket up the Northway. Both of them are going for the ride, as with my luck his brother would step up and take over if we only shipped him out.
On the pullet front, I've had two four-egg days, so it's now between two and four a day.
Go, girls!
I'm also keeping it local for Thanksgiving. There's a guy on the next road over from us who raises Broad-Breasted Whites. We're buying our turkey from him for our Friday dinner (we go to the in-laws on Thursday, then cook what WE want the next day). It's more expensive than the supermarket, of course, but it'll be well worth it. I have to go pick it up on Tuesday, as he's sending them to freezer camp this weekend.
Seriously tho, I would not worry about it for now. I rarely give my chickens medications, although I have them on hand. There are also wormers you can put in their water, but then you should toss the eggs out. There are times when you could give chickens antibiotic injections, although Tylan and some others can also be administered orally. Some people worm their chickens every six months, some once a year, some never. After sitting on this site long enough you'll get the hang of what your strategy will be!
