I just don't understand it -- up here, there is zero tolerance for asshole roosters! They just pass those nasty traits on to their offspring. I get wanting a good flock guardian, but a good rooster can be gentle with his hens and people, but still stand up to predators and other potential threats.

But just to be on the safe side, since I have a toddler, I got an adult roo who was of proven good temperament. I didn't want to raise up a young roo only to have him mature into a risk. It made it easier to integrate him into the flock, anyway, since they're all adult hens.

Spurs, yikes!

This rooster's people didn't have the heart to get rid of him. He was lovely to the hens. He just didn't like people. They didn't raise chickens anyways - just had them for the eggs.

I'd try "chicken whispering" with him, and if it didn't work, off to freezer camp. There are other roos who are lovely to hens AND people. Just a big fat NOPE.

Also, - I am slightly frightened of geese! Haha.

You'd probably cringe at the sight of me getting bitten. I don't show much about it (apart from bruises). At most an "Oh,you!"

I tend to see a lot of corvids here. Or vultures...

We have lots of corvids up here -- ravens and gray jays, mostly -- so I'm a little concerned about them spreading lice to my flock. I love love love love love corvids, but I do not like bird lice. xD

That is sooo cool! We just bought a house and an acre. My neighbor has chickens and brought me some fresh eggs. I would love to have chickens but don't have the first clue where to begin!!!

Backyardchickens.com is an amazing resource!!! Also check to see if there are any local "flock talk & swap" groups in your area, because those are wonderful sources of information, too. And I'm always happy to answer any questions, though I'm by no means an expert yet. xD

Thank you!!!! Bookmarking it!!! I've seen some poultry groups in my area on facebook. I guess joining one of those would probably be a big help as far as finding what I need.

Yes, my local poultry group has been so fantastic as far as determining challenges that are specific to my area! Plus it's good to know if people locally are having problems with certain diseases, pests, etc., so I can keep an eye out for those issues in my own flock.

Now if only I could get them to stop picking on 3 particular hens. It wasn't an issue until they moved here. A friend/neighbor says she thinks they're just all still stressed out from the move, but IDK, it's been a couple of weeks!

I hope they settle in to their new home :) that's what I'm going to do then is start doing my research. Checking out the site you sent me and join one of the groups. Then I can approach hubby with facts and sound like I'm not going in blind. LOL

That's totally the way to do it! And if you haven't gotten it yet, Storey's Guide to Raising Chickens is super handy!

I wore my husband down over a period of several years, then got him to agree to it when I found a great deal (coop + grown laying flock for less than it would cost for us to build just the coop ourselves). And then I found out he's a little scared of chickens. xD

YOU CAN DO IT

FOR THE BOCK-BOCKS

We go to Atwoods here a lot and they have all the chicks and the cool henhouses! It's so so temping. LOL My hubby has already figured out and even joked about I'd probably want chickens soon so it won't be a giant shock to him.

See, we can't do the cute storebought coops up here. They have to be built for our uniquely challenging climate (insulated, but with good ventilation). It makes building them SUPER EXPENSIVE, too. :( And then because of our large number of predators, even the runs get pricey because they have to be fully enclosed and use hardware cloth (chicken wire is big enough to let ermine in)!

Yep I'm in Texas so the weather is not an issue but we just saw a coyote go through the back of the property this week. Ugh!! So would have to make it coyote proof. I think it would be very rewarding though and worth all the issues.

Oh you'd definitely want to make it sturdy, then! I can't recommend that 1/2" hardware cloth enough. I imagine you also have to worry about snakes there, and that would keep most of them out, too. And if you just use treated lumber posts, you can just staple the hardware cloth (it's actually galvanized metal, don't let the name fool you) to the lumber, and you'll have a sturdy and predator-proof run for the chickens to hang out in! We had to put ours over a chain-link dog run, and THAT was a challenge. No staples for us.

And it is so rewarding, though omg, I may never get adult hens from someone else again. I've discovered who the butt-plucking culprit is, and she is THIS CLOSE to being sent off to freezer camp if she keeps it up. I've got a new cream to put on the plucked hens, and I'll put some peepers on our guilty hen if all else fails, but my patience with her is running thin!

you might want to separate the hens for a while. take the ones that are bullied and place them in a different enclosure for a week or so - so their wounds would heal. you could try take them to the vet too - i remember reading somewhere [on a bird related forum] that birds would pick at others if they're sick or something [=the sick birds would be picked on by the healthy ones]. birds can hide their illnesses quite well.. until it's too late. i know it's a scary thought, but better be safe than sorry later.

i'm moving to france this year. i'm praying that i'll find a job there fast to be able to buy a house in the countryside. i'd like to raise chickens for the eggs. i don't think i'd have the stomach to kill it for meat. [i helped my friend take care of an ill baby crow some 3 years back, and i can barely eat bird meat since then]..

rip caiman. i know it must be hard :(

Turns out, they came with an infestation of poultry lice. Once we deal with the lice, they should stop ripping feathers out. But I've got some wound-kote and pick-no-more to apply to the bare spots once the lice are gone. I'm pretty angry at the lady who sold me the setup. Coop is smaller than she said it was, the nest boxes are NOT insulated, and now it turns out they were all infested with parasites. Fantastic!

omg! im so sorry! i hope it will get fixed soon :(

We'll need to treat them once a week for the next three weeks, and then it should hopefully be resolved (except for applying medicine to keep them from picking at the bald spots while their feathers grow in). The good news is, they're still laying really well. I guess it's common for hens to stop laying when they have lice, and I'm still getting up to 7 a day from my 9 ladies, which is great!

my grandparents had hens. sometimes they might have had lice? i cant remember a thing from what was done back then to prevent this from happening. i dont even remember what were they fed with :(

make sure to clean their house too, if possible.