Chicken update and a couple of questions

[KanoasDestiny]

I posted a couple of months ago about my killer rooster, and some new hens that I had bought. Things have been going really well since then!

My hand-raised hen, Pacey, is now best friends with the two new hens, Jen and Dawson. Although, she does get really jealous when I try to give either of them attention. She cracks me up...her favorite thing to do is to fly up on our shoulder and ride around while we clean the pen. She doesn't "bock-bock" like the other two girls, instead she sqwaks non stop. She's also petite and has really smooth slick feathers like our rooster, while the other two have soft downy feathers. Here's a picture of her, she's six months old now...

This is Jen (red star) and Dawson (americana). Dawson is the one that I almost lost when my rooster attacked her and killed our other new hen. She has healed up beautifully. Both hens are seven months old...

And all three together...

I still have my rooster, Joey, who is enjoying a nice pen all to himself. It's connected to the girls pen, so he can socialize with them through the wire. He is still mean (especially in the morning time when it's time to eat), but we take precautions when we enter the pen and never turn our back to him. He seems more mellow after he eats, so that's when we do most of the pen cleaning. He has flogged my husband once, and me once, but most of the time he just dances at us.

Does anyone have any experience with de-spurring a rooster? Also, the hens haven't began laying eggs yet. Is this normal for six and seven month olds?

 

[susanne]

I've never done it, but I've read that you can trim them just as you'd trim a dog's claws -- I'd double-check that, though.

We are in mourning for our sweet rooster, Russell Crow, who died this past month. No sickness, no injuries -- just bam. I was told that five years is not an uncommon lifespan for a rooster, but it was way too short a time for us.

 

[KanoasDestiny]

That's so sad Susanne, I'm sorry for your loss. I remember you talking about him on some of my earlier posts because I loved his name.

I guess that's another question I should ask. What are the average lifespans for chickens? I had heard up to 15 years, but 5 seems way too short.

I don't think I will ever be without chickens again. Weird, since I am NOT a bird person.

 

[candycar]

You can cut the spurs like you would a dog or cats toenails. They can be tough tho, use dog toenail clippers if you have them. We usually use wire cutters as that's what's handy at the barn.

As far as laying-- the hens might wait 'till spring to start. Laying slowes during the winter.

I have a new "big" hen (long story LOL!) that I'm waiting for to start laying, She's probably the same age as yours.. Some breeds lay at 6-7 months, some take more time to mature.

Life span, I can't help with. I've had a few hens more than 6 years, and had a rooster for about 9. But something always ends up killing them before they die of old age.

Have you checked out www.backyardchickens yet? They might have the answer.

 

[Hosscrazy]

I'm sorry to hear of your loss, Susanne :< That wouldn't be long enough for me either...

Liz N.

 

[KanoasDestiny]

Has anyone seen de-spurring done like this before? (It's about a minute in)

 

[MindyLee]

Never saw that and didnt really look like it hurt them.

I dont think Ill do it, but again, I have friendly roosters.

Always remember, rule of thumb, the old saying goes, If it has feathered feet, its friendly.

 

[Bess Kelly]

Many hens stop laying in winter due to shorter daylight hrs. If young they may not start until Spring. I have 8 4 mo old barred Rocks and I really do not want them to start laying until Spring, LOL.....but, we shall see. No roosters here but, you can trim as others have said and they can be "twisted" off, by turning them like you were unscrewing something. This may be what the video shows, I didn't watch it. The hens will settle in, it's a pecking order thing, like all animals. But, some strains of rooster are just plain aggressive! Both to humans and their hens.

Eventually I will add a roo and either a barred or an orpington, with a couple more hens. My hope is to get one of these gals go broody and put some fertile eggs under her, then keep the hens and ONE roo. Already have both breed lined up with breeders of the type wanted to get the fertile eggs. We'll see how it goes! Hey, until then I will enjoy fresh eggs and guiet mornings.

My girls were raised from 3 day old, so very attached to me and flock mates. I know they will do better with hatched additions from own flock mates.

Have male and female guineas, about same age, so hoping to get a nest of those hatched in Spring.....wooohooo, if I do!

 

[Ashley]

Feather feet and nice isn't always true. I met one nasty silky rooster once.

 

[Kendra]

What breed are Pacey & Joey? They're pretty.

I'm so glad that my rooster is a sweetheart. Though, if he wasn't, he'd be either at someone else's house or some delicious soup ....

My pullet just started laying this week, she's around 7 months old. She's a Partridge Chantecler though, a winter laying breed. Now if my older hens would just finish their moult and start back up again!

 

[WendyJ]

KD,

I had a mean rooster several years ago that we "hulled" the spurs like that. We actually put a mask on him and let him breathe an isoflourane first, so he was asleep for the procedure. I really think the more painful part is the healing phase. But for a really mean rooster, at least he won't be coming after you if his "toe" hurts. It worked for our rooster, as he backed off the attack mode and became a much better behaved rooster without his spurs.

Wendy

 

[KanoasDestiny]

Thank you all for the replies. I'm not sure what breed Joey and Pacey are. A couple of boys brought them to school one day when they were a day or two old, and I brought them home and hand raised them so that the school wouldn't call the humane society to come pick them up. I fear that me being their 'momma' might be what ended up making my rooster mean and my hen a sweetheart. He never had older hens to teach him what was and wasn't acceptable behavior - just a human momma who showed him nothing but love. It breaks my heart that he turned out like this. I read something about 'rapist roosters' and the description fits how he acted towards his sister and the other hens. He never allowed Pacey to eat first or even with him, and even now he gets upset if we feed the females first. He seems pretty happy being in a pen by himself. The girls go over and socialize in a corner with him, and strangely the hen he almost killed is by him the most. We won't be allowing him to keep his spurs when they grow in (for his safety and ours). Sure do wish I knew a vet who could remove is 'nuggets' too.

 

[WendyJ]

KD

Maybe your rooster hasn't developed his "chivalry" towards the girls yet. I hope he does, because it is fascinating watching how a good rooster treats his hens. One of the things I've always loved about my roosters is how you could give them a treat, and they would run over and drop it at the feet of a hen.....sharing it with them and letting them eat first. Which I loved pointing out to my husband, who is not a good "food-sharer"!

Wendy

 

[Miniv]

We are fortunate to have a friendly, gentle rooster. He's a Buff Orbington - big and beautiful. I think if we got a mean one, we'd get rid of him.

Our hens have all stopped laying for winter. We COULD encourage them to start up again by puting a light in the coop, but haven't.

 

[KanoasDestiny]

That makes me feel a lot better. I was worried that we had three baren hens or that I'm doing something wrong.

 

[Marsha Cassada]

So glad your hens are doing well and you found a pen solution for your rooster.

Two of my hens are laying and one is not. Her comb is tiny. I see her in the nest box, but zippo..

I don't think the weather/shorter daylight will keep yours from laying. They may just not be quite ready. One of mine lays every day and the other about every other day. They are 9 months old. One has only been laying for about a month. We're hoping the non-laying one will not be a dud. She is smaller than the others and scaredy.

I lost my best hen recently; I was boarding a friend's horse while she was away for a week. She brought her vizla dog while delivering the horse, and I didnt' even think about the chickens being out. The dog killed her. It was so traumatic. She died in my arms. She was really the only "normal" one out of that bad batch we got this summer. She was my friendly one, running up when she saw me. She liked to sit in my lap and eat out of my hand.

Needless to say, that dog will never be welcome here again. I could forgive her attacking the chicken as she didn't know any better, but she would not come when called by her mistress, kept trying to jump on me to get the hen, and generally was a very bad dog. So I can relate to how badly you felt when the rooster got one of yours.

I do not know anything about spurs. It's been interesting to read about, though; we might take a chance on having a rooster when we get our new chicks.

 

[KanoasDestiny]

IT'S SOOO TERRIBLE!!! I was cleaning up breakfast this morning and tidying up the house while my husband went out to feed the animals. He comes back inside and presents me with TWO brown eggs! I have been waiting MONTHS to be the first one to find eggs when they start laying.

I thought for sure they were going to wait till spring. The hen who layed them was not sitting on them, and the eggs are cold. We've been dropping down in the 30s here. Would the eggs still be good? Also, does this mean that she probably isn't going to be brody?

 

[Kendra]

Congrats on your first eggs! So exciting, even if you weren't the one who got to find them. I'm new to chickens too, got my first in May, and I still love going out and finding an egg!

We've just come through a week of -20 or colder - I managed to collect my eggs before any of them froze enough to break, but I'm they were certainly cold! We ate a bunch of them yesterday, and they were perfect! The cold just means they were pre-refrigerated. ;-)

The very soonest she might go broody would be 2-3 weeks after she starts laying, but that would be unusual. What breed is she? Some breeds hardly ever go broody at all, and this isn't a likely time of year.

 

[KanoasDestiny]

I'm not sure which hen laid them. My bet is on my red star Jen. She just overall seems/looks more mature then the other two. Pacey is still rather small - she doesn't look like she could have laid one egg, let alone two. She's our slick feathered one and I have no idea what breed she is. Dawson could have also laid them but she's supposed to be an Americana and I expect some pretty green or blue eggs from her.

 

[Kendra]

Red stars aren't a heritage breed, so as I understand it, she probably she won't go broody. Enjoy those eggs!