Shadrach's Ex Battery and Rescued chickens thread.

[BDutch]

Here the Rosca de Reyes is a tradition.

What is here? Please put your country or state in your profile.

I looked up info about Rosca de Reyes in the US.

I'm beginning to think that the usual blurb about dominant roos is based on partial evidence.

Most people have their flocks confined within a run with limited space, at least several hours a day. From reading lots of experiences and advices I think this makes a huge difference in the way the roosters behave.
You flock is one of the few who has no limits after sunrise till dusk. Or even 24/7 if the chickens prefer to sleep outside.

What also might play a role is that is custom among many chicken keepers to harvest (kill and eat) all the surplus cockerels. It’s reassuring for people to know there is no other solution to keep a peaceful flock than to harvest all cockerels but one. It makes the task to kill easier. Not many people like to kill a healthy animal they raised themselves.

 

[RoyalChick]

thanks for the forewarning. Just an hour or two after the clash at breakfast they were both standing preening with the rest of the flock in the border, a couple of feet apart and apparently all made up, and I've seen no aggressive behaviour since. But I'm sure Tintern is the heir apparent. Fforest has always been happy to play second fiddle to Killay and now to Tintern too; he just keeps out of the way, and usually enjoys more hen company too, both day and night. He's got at least as many offspring as well, so I'm beginning to think that the usual blurb about dominant roos is based on partial evidence.

Damn. I can’t remember the source. May even be back from the Selfish Gene. I read a whole thing about how ‘sneaky males’ did better at furthering their genetics across several species.
Some went so far as to mimic female behavior.
While the more standard males were busy fighting or protecting or whatever, the sneaky males ended up having their choice of partners.
Wish I could remember where that came from.

 

[Perris]

Wish I could remember where that came from

that happens to me a lot these days! no worries. I have read/seen natural histories about that too.

I wouldn't describe Fforest as sneaky though. He just avoids most conflict and keeps his distance. And, whether causal or coincidental, he's much more popular with the hens than any other roo here. He roosts in the large coop, which most of the mature hens pack into around him. Killay often as not is roosting in one of the 3 smaller ones, with one or two hens (Rhondda sticks with him like glue at the mo) and his son Gwynedd; Tintern's in another with more female company; and the two cockerels are in the 4th with other youngsters. Usually. At the moment. And it's a similar picture during the day; most hens are to be found foraging around Fforest. Killay meanwhile will be with a laying favorite, with whom he spends a lot of time considering potential nesting sites here, there and everywhere (found a hidden Fez nest with 4 eggs in this morning ), and Tintern is watching everyone. The youngsters barely know what they're doing yet so they're all over the place, getting a slap round the wattles for impertinence from the hens, now and then.

 

[notabitail]

What is here? Please put your country or state in your profile.

I looked up info about Rosca de Reyes in the US.

El Paso, TX. Right next to Juarez.

 

[Shadrach]

Not sure why the pictures are crap. Never mind. I had J and their partner over for dinner tonight. Not too shabby on the cooking front. Three courses, all edible. Even the cheesecake looked the part but virtually no sugar is a taste shocker.
J and partnerjust left and I'll make a start on the clearing up.

 

[Shadrach]

Two hours today. Freezing, or very close to it this afternoon. We did see the sun though and when it shone, the crew came out; when it didn't, they headed for the shelter of the coop and extension.
No new eggs today which is good. If all that lay do it every other day that could push their annual egg count to under one hundred next year assuming a long winter break which has been typical with the adult hens so far.
One thing is certain, despite all the chickens don't feel the cold posts, this lot mosr definitely do.

 

[HiEverybirdy]

It helps - a LOT - that Nannies are so mellow, and that my main and bachelor runs share a wire wall, so the birds were already well acquainted with each other. The bachelor run is actually my grow-out pen. It separates from the main section by simply putting up a removable hardware cloth wall and/or barricading a small coop door.
I think the "secret" of that particular bunch though, was numbers. The five younger boys - ages 5m (3 of them,) 12m & 18(ish)m - were mostly flock-raised and added in with the established older fellows together. We had some squabbling while the roosters taught the youngsters some manners, but all-in-all, it went pretty smoothly.
I've done that several times, but never with so many at once. That was definitely the easiest!

EDIT to add overdue Picture Tax:
The bottom half becomes my bachelor quarters when needed. At the moment it just looks pretty in a rare "real" snow ... while the flock hides upstairs in the warm, dry coop ... the lightweights!
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Thank you for sharing!

I'd read (online, so taken with a big grain of salt) that a bachelor coop can't accept newcomers, i.e., grown male chickens will never, ever accept new male roommates they didn't grow up with. AND that bachelors can't peacefully co-exist if there are hens anywhere nearby. But it sounds like your boys live directly next door to the girls?

That's interesting how acclimating through the hardware cloth smoothed the guys' transition to the bachelor pad (unless Nankins are just total teddy bears and would find any reason to get along ).

 

[fuzzi]

Two hours today. Freezing, or very close to it this afternoon. We did see the sun though and when it shone, the crew came out; when it didn't, they headed for the shelter of the coop and extension.
No new eggs today which is good. If all that lay do it every other day that could push their annual egg count to under one hundred next year assuming a long winter break which has been typical with the adult hens so far.
One thing is certain, despite all the chickens don't feel the cold posts, this lot mosr definitely do.

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Looks like the coop now has a telly!

 

[notabitail]

Looks like the coop now has a telly!

Mine have been demanding one. They want a 4k OLED display and a gaming PC with a high end graphics card to use as a heater.