Devonviolet Acres

Our puppies are 7 months old, and in spite our best efforts, we have not been able to keep them from chasing our chickens. There have been no injuries, bit they seem to enjoy grabbing tail feathers and they have been seen holding the rooster down, licking him. Of course, this always happens when we are not close enough to discipline them.

We know that LGD ppuppies tend to chase chickens at this age, and as they get older, they begin to lose interest in chasing.

So, in an attempt to protect our chickens when we aren't around, we decided to put up a fence dividing the livestock paddock in half. We put up the 4 foot, welded wire fence, using T-posts, on Thursday. Yesterday, we made the 4 foot wide gate, which we attached to the same fence post, that the main gate is attached to.


When we let the chickens out of their coop, after the gate was installed, it seemed like they could tell that they were finally safe!
After the chickens were in their coop roosting for the night, we closed them in, and opened the gate so the dog's could guard the whole area during the night. Win - Win!

What a great idea! I'm sure your chickens are breathing a sigh of relief, lol!

WoooHooo! We got our first Chocolate Egg!

DISCLAIMER: Try as I might, I could not upload any photos to this post.

Last April we bought six Marans pullets, which lay chocolate eggs. The lady we bought them from couldn't remember for sure, but she thought they were hatched mid-Feb. I was not sure about that, since our other pullets were hatched Feb. 24th and the Marans were considerably bigger, than the ones we raised from day old chicks. So, it seems they are older than she thought, since they would only be 4-1/2 months old if they were hatched mid-February.

Last week we finally let the chicks and Guineas in the chicken run out to free range with the older birds. I stood in the pen to monitor interactions.

The younger ones seemed to enjoy the freedom and weren't to interested in the older ones. Then the younger roo started hanging around Coco, the older roo, and chest bumping him back by his tail. I expected a fight, but Coco ignored him.

Then, Coco started doing his little mating dance around the Marans. He mounted one, but didn't make contact, because I could see her vent the whole time. What's up with that???

One of the black Copper Marans was so funny! When Coco started his dance and started going around her, she kept turning around in a circle, always facing him. He did a 360° circle and was never was able to get in position. He seemed to be thinking . . . HUH? what just happened???

Once Coco started showing interest in the Marans, Red - our RIR (Rhode Island Red) hen, started tracking down the Marans and pecking them - like she was jealous.

Then later, one of the gray Marans was hanging out in the coop, where the nest boxes are, and Red stayed in the coop, trying to chase her out.

Then yesterday, DH noticed her (the Marans) in the nest box. A check later turned up a very small chocolate egg! WooHoo! I told DH it looked more Milk Chocolate than Dark Chocolate. I hoping their EGGS get larger as they mature. I think they will.

We bought straight run chicks and tried sexing them. We have been watching the younger chickens closely, and were glad that out of ten chicks we only had one cockerel, which started crowing about a month ago. The plan has always been to butcher any Roos we got.

Lately, Coco has been harassing our girls to the point that their backs and necks are raw. For some reason we can't keep the chicken saddle on them, and one of the hens has become almost neurotic, hiding under the nest boxes. When I pulled her out she started squawking. Coco came running and attacked me. A couple days later, DH was in the coop, and Neurotic Chick was hiding again. He didn't even go near her, and Coco attacked him. Then, the day we let the younger chicks out, we were getting them back into the run for the night. One of the hens got into the run and I knew she would be happier spending the night with Coco, on their roost. So, I picked her up to put her outside the run, and Coco tried to attack me again. I can't tolerate a rooster attacking us. So, We decided it was time to put Coco in the freezer. After all, we have decided We aren't going to hatch eggs, but rather are going to buy hatched chicks, at least in the foreseeable future.

I had been planning to butcher the younger roo (whom, BTW, had been seen attempting to mount one of the pullets). But, not until it was older (maybe six months old). However, all the prep work is so involved, we didn't want to do just one bird. I did some research an several sites said they butcher when the cockerel starts crowing.

Since We had decided to butcher Coco, we decided to do the younger roo at the same time, even though he was on the small side.

So, Friday night we put them in their respective areas in dog crates, so they wouldn't eat an have food in their gullet.

The next morning DH was out by the animals. I looked out the window and it looked like the smaller roo was out. I hollered at DH and asked if the roo got out of his crate. He said it looked like he did.

Well, guess what? We checked the crate, and the roo was still in it! It turned out what we thought what was all pullets, actually included another rooster, that took longer to grow his comb and tail feathers! They must not have been in the same place, at the same time. They might even have both been crowing. So, we didn't realize there were 2 of them.

After that, I stood and observed the chickens for a long while, to see if we had any other roo's. We have one that might be a roo, based on the size of it's comb. But, if you look at the older hens, it could be a hen.

I didn't want to make a mistake and accidentally butcher a pullet. So, we decided to just wait on that one, to see how it develops, as it matures.

Then today, I was watching the one that might or might not be a hen, and realized HE had rooster tail feathers! DUH! So, I continued to watch the other chickens and realized we actually have TWO more roo's!!! DRAT!

I won't go into the details. But, suffice it to say, we butchered 3 roo's this past Saturday afternoon. Coco was 4.10 pounds, the other two were 3.3 and 3.0 pounds

Oh well, we are planning to get a batch of Cornish Cross to raise and butcher in October, so we will keep these two to butcher at that time. You live and learn.

Congrats on the Marans egg! They should get bigger over time as the pullet lays more

Awesome on the Marans eggs! I can usually tell a little roo by his roo feathers before I can tell by his comb. And, if he starts crowing early - bonus!

Sounds like things are coming along in your corner of the world.

frustratedearthmother said:

Awesome on the Marans eggs! I can usually tell a little roo by his roo feathers before I can tell by his comb. And, if he starts crowing early - bonus!

Sounds like things are coming along in your corner of the world.

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Yeah, I should have known better, because I know the difference between roo and hen tails! Well, I'm not going to beat myself up over it. Next time, I will follow your lead, @frustratedearthmother, ignore the comb and look at tail feathers! And of course check to see which birds are crowing!

I was playing catch up on your journal and read about the keet with the bad leg. I have raised quite a few keets, some from incubated eggs, some from Guinea Hens and I often have ones with bum legs. They start out fine, start limping and then their knee gets twisted and they walk with their leg out to the side. I mentioned it to the feed store owner when I was buying keets a few weeks ago and he said that I need to raise them on higher protein feed than I do chicks. He said to get game bird feed or turkey feed. Not sure that was your problem but thought I would share.

babsbag said:

I was playing catch up on your journal and read about the keet with the bad leg. I have raised quite a few keets, some from incubated eggs, some from Guinea Hens and I often have ones with bum legs. They start out fine, start limping and then their knee gets twisted and they walk with their leg out to the side. I mentioned it to the feed store owner when I was buying keets a few weeks ago and he said that I need to raise them on higher protein feed than I do chicks. He said to get game bird feed or turkey feed. Not sure that was your problem but thought I would share.

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Wow @babsbag, thanks for letting me know. We lost a total of three keets - one just the other night. The first one was the one with the bum knee. The next one was a victim of pecking. We put it in a separate cage until it was healed up (not easy to do, because it hated being in the cage!) shortly after finally letting it out, one morning, we found it dead and partially eaten (flattened). So, apparently it got pecked to death overnight.

The most recent one started crouching as it walked and this past Saturday morning, we found it dead with signs of pecking. Although, not as bad as the first one.

We had looked for Turkey/Wild bird seed, But couldn't get it at the local feed store. I think it is more expensive than lower protein chicken feed. The other problem, is how do you feed the Guineas and keep the chickens from eating it? We can't afford to feed 16 chickens, one turkey and four guineas on the more expensive wild bird feed. Of course, the chickens wouldn't eat the Layer pellets if the expensive stuff is out.

Feeding them separately would be impossible. They told me at the store that they could eat the same feed as the turkeys. I just looked at the tag tonight and the turkey starter was 26% protein. The price wasn't that much different but a 50lb bag of that would last me a long long time with only 10 chicks. Storing it mouse proof is my challenge right now.

Fortunately my 10 keets are in a brooder I just bought and my 17 teenager chicks are in a grow out pen that they are about ready to vacate. My biggest concern is that my chicken pasture is right next to the goat pasture and the small chickens can squeeze through the 2x4 no climb for quite a while. My LGDs do not take kindly to new chickens in their field; they are getting better, (at 2.5 and 5 years I would hope so) but I think that a keet would push them over the edge for sure.

I really should move the guineas into a pen in the goat pasture as I would love for the dogs to accept them. I have lost 3 adult guineas since I have had them, 2 to the LGDs and one to the Border Collies. Very frustrating to get them to adult hood only to have the stupid dogs kill them. I would like all of the Guineas to free range all of the time so they can eat the ticks and other nasties. The three adults I have do free range and sleep in trees but they never seem to wander into the really far off pastures, they stay pretty close to home; but always together. I only had two until a few weeks ago when a new one showed up at the fence. No other Guineas around that I have seen but it came from somewhere and it just moved on in. My birds were talking to it, pretty interesting to watch, and DH finally herded it to the right side of the fence and it just stayed.

WooHoo! THREE chocolate eggs today!
After learning that our Guineas need higher protein in their feed, we started checking with local feed stores, to see if We could find wild game bird feed, that is at least GMO Free, or (hope against hope - organic). Okay, I won't hold my breath.

Not ONE feed store in our area sells GMO Free game feed. However, now that I think of it, I think I remember @Baymule telling me about a feed store in Emory, between us and where she lives, where I might get organic feed. I'll have to check with her, for more details.