What a weekend! Background: the young roosters were getting a bit too frisky so I had planned to cull the excess next week when the forecast was looking warmish. Then, the weatherman changed his mind on the warming trend and the roosters went into overdrive. It was so bad that the older rooster wouldn't even get off the roost and 90% of the hens wouldn't leave the coop. Culling day got moved up to Saturday.
This is how things look minus six extra roosters.
It will be awhile before some of the hens recover their feathers, but at least they are outside.
Kracken is not only off the roost, but is dominant again (helps when there is only one other).
This is Copper taking up his duties. I will keep an eye on him to make sure he doesn't develop any mean streaks. His best friend, King, moved to the farm and has settled in happily.
A glimpse of a multi-generational meeting. The gray is an ancient. The white hen hatched out the two youths across the pool.
Turkey is still camera shy, but she is much calmer now that there isn't so much fighting in the pen. This morning she was trying to get back inside from my yard. Since I hadn't let the chickens out yet, it was easy enough to open the gate so she could enter on her own. People joke about turkey dinner, but I like her alive too much.
A side note for anyone else who struggles with killing birds they have raised from eggs: look into the broomstick method.
2 comments:
Nothing makes a chicken yard more full of turmoil than too many roosters. Unless it's a marauding hawk which is what we're currently dealing with. Arrrrgh!
Oh no! I hope you find a way to keep your flock safe. So stressful.
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