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Chickens as Peacekeepers - 1/27/2014 10:12:47 AM

peppermint

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I love winters in Arizona but I sure miss my feathered girls. Frequently I find myself online looking at pictures of chickens to get my chicken fix. Yeah, I know it sounds kind of silly.

Saw this video and was amazed. The chickens certainly seem as if they were working for backyard peace.

Backyard Peacekeeping

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We are stardust, we are golden, and we got to get ourselves back to the garden.

Yes, I am crazy about feathered creatures. I have a dozen chickens, 3 ducks, 5 geese, and 2 parakeets.

Revise that number. Just got 14 new chicks and 5 turkeys.

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RE: Chickens as Peacekeepers - 1/27/2014 10:18:23 AM

TieMeInKnottss

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Or the chickens are taking away all the fun the rabbits were having!!

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RE: Chickens as Peacekeepers - 1/27/2014 3:06:25 PM

Runningkc

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I love chickens. The most entertaining little critters. And boy, there is nothing like fresh eggs.

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RE: Chickens as Peacekeepers - 1/27/2014 3:16:49 PM

tiggerspoohbear

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If and when we get our own home MM has advised me we're getting a chicken coop with about 6 chickens and I guess a rooster since he wants fresh eggs. He knows this stuff, I am going to need an edumacation.

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RE: Chickens as Peacekeepers - 1/27/2014 3:29:09 PM

OsideGirl

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quote:

ORIGINAL: tiggerspoohbear

If and when we get our own home MM has advised me we're getting a chicken coop with about 6 chickens and I guess a rooster since he wants fresh eggs. He knows this stuff, I am going to need an edumacation.

Roosters are a pain in the butt. Growing up we always had chickens with no rooster and we always had more eggs than we could eat. (We had a rooster and he lasted about 2 months before we got rid of him) And without a rooster you don't have the possibility of getting a fertilized egg.

quote:

Does a Hen Need a Rooster to Lay Eggs?

This is the most-asked question by people curious about chickens. Most people are quite relieved to learn that the answer is "no"-- the hen (female) lays eggs with or without a rooster (male) present.

http://vetmedicine.about.com/od/veterinaryqa/a/chicken-health-eggs.htm

< Message edited by OsideGirl -- 1/27/2014 3:30:48 PM >

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RE: Chickens as Peacekeepers - 1/27/2014 3:47:53 PM

SorceressJ

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<-- has 12 chickens as of this posting: 3 roosters and 9 hens. Chickens are awesome! and funny as hell, and eggs warm from under the hens are <BOSS!>

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RE: Chickens as Peacekeepers - 1/27/2014 4:06:39 PM

epiphiny43

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NO roosters. The current set in the yard are getting transported as soon as the weather clears and catching them isn't dangerous in the mud.
Chickens peaceful? Must be a different space/time warp than where I live. Roosters are vicious competitors, hens slightly less. Where do you think the term 'Pecking Order' came from? Many commercial breeders cut their beaks precisely to prevent injury to those not on the top of the dominance chain.
Get pigeons instead. Smaller eggs, less conflict. You can train racers to fly locally and come back after they exercise. Much better entertainment than the constant feeding ground aggression.
Whatever birds, stay on top of insects on the birds or feeding around the cages or suffer the consequences. Bird mites can require a full property treatment repeatedly, most difficult to remove from complicated interior home construction. Some folks just move. Diatomacious Earth is the least toxic of effective substances. See your vet for dealing with internal parasites, bird generally and ocean mammals are the most heavily parasite laden animals on the planet. You Aren't going to be able to prevent wild bird issues from affecting any captive birds that aren't always caged and rarely then. Ground feeders get everything around.

In the video, the rabbits are normally playing, the chickens pretty much have to be sisters or parent/child to be non-competitive, and as surmised, most likely have nests nearby. I've had a number of hens attack me when my feet got too close to their babies or brooding egg nests. I'm considerably bigger than a rabbit. Hens will do strafing attacks on mongoose attacking or holding chicks. They won't stand and fight, but peck at their head moving by fast. All the mongoose avoid a female when chasing, they rarely let go once they have a good bite on a baby. Rabbits do better. Rattlesnakes and coyotes have been injured and killed by a doe jumping over and kicking to the head repeatedly when defending a burrow or young. Don't laugh till you've tried to hold on to a strongly kicking adult rabbit. Hold by the scruff of the neck, let the rear feet alone!

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RE: Chickens as Peacekeepers - 1/27/2014 5:54:52 PM

MalcolmNathaniel

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Oh, yeah. Chickens are nice. Real nice. Just listen to this testimonial:

Relagated to creative writings even though it's true.

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RE: Chickens as Peacekeepers - 1/28/2014 3:04:13 PM

Runningkc

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Okay a couple things here...

1. Roosters are not necessary, and do not determine how often a hen will lay. Most laying breeds (Rhode Island Reds, Barred Rock, Astralops just to name a few), will lay between 4-6 eggs a week... depending on the time of year.

2. If you DO choose to still have a rooster, you can still eat fertilized eggs. You won't be able to tell which ones are and which ones aren't anyways, as long as your collecting daily like you should be.

3. I have never heard of anyone, ever, having more than a mild problem with mites or lice. There are many easily accessible products that should be used regularly in your coop and on your chickens to keep this from happening.

4. I have yet to have an "aggressive" chicken. My chickens would all come running when they saw me pull in the drive and were truly rather attached to me. I had one unintentionally get a little too excited at feeding time and peck my hand as I was putting food down, but chickens understand a "pecking order". You can assert your authority with them just like with any other animal.

There is a really really good, educational chicken forum. Just google it, I forget the name.

(in reply to MalcolmNathaniel)

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