Guess what DrakeMaiden?? She's in business!! Ah Ducks...

[ksalvagno]

That is interesting that you are having trouble with your Ameraucana rooster. My Ameraucana rooster is giving us some trouble too. But not with the hens. With us. He is starting to get aggressive towards us. So far it hasn't been bad and we can put up with it but if he keeps it up, he will be on our table for dinner.

What chicken breed roosters have more of a tendency to be docile? I wouldn't mind having a rooster as I would love to have some chicks some day but we really don't want a mean rooster that we have worry about attacking us.

 

[Hattie the Hen]

My Dorking roos are very polite to me & fly up to sit on my shoulder. But I have too many of them so most of them are going to become dinner. They make great eaters -- I just have to do the dead but I am determined....


Hattie

 

[big brown horse]

That is interesting that you are having trouble with your Ameraucana rooster. My Ameraucana rooster is giving us some trouble too. But not with the hens. With us. He is starting to get aggressive towards us. So far it hasn't been bad and we can put up with it but if he keeps it up, he will be on our table for dinner.

What chicken breed roosters have more of a tendency to be docile? I wouldn't mind having a rooster as I would love to have some chicks some day but we really don't want a mean rooster that we have worry about attacking us.

This is my very first rooster. (I've had chickens my whole life, but not roos.) I was told to always use every opportunity to show him who is boss now that he is full grown and um, randy.

I will walk by him and suddenly chase him, I've squirted him with the hose, I've grabbed him in the act and held him upside down for a second or two. I've even held him down like he does to the chickens. I am not hurting him or torturing him, just letting him know I'm the boss rooster/pack leader, not him. When I walk by now he trots the other way...if not I chase him away. He has been a nice roo, well as nice as a roo can be, but he has it in for just one of my hens. If he keeps it up, he is out of here.

Based on my new black copper maran chick's behavior so far, I am very pleased...they are the most docile chicks (now young chickens) I have ever had. They coo like little song birds, it is wonderful. My Ameraucana chicks were always flighty, messy and scatter brained as chicks, and now as adults. They also fought with eachother in the coop, even though they had plenty of room. The new chicks are so wonderful with eachother, they are really very gentle. (I do get lovely light blue eggs though from my Ameraucanas.)

 

[big brown horse]

Hey Hattie!

I've got to get a dorking!

 

[DrakeMaiden]

That is cool that you are getting the blue-green eggs from Franchesca! I think one of her sister ducks is laying them here, but I know that one of her other sister ducks is just laying white eggs. I am waiting for the rest to lay to see how many lay blue-green eggs.

The other advantage of ducks to chickens is that when they free-range they don't dig up your garden beds! I had to quit free-ranging our chickens because they were getting on my nerves. Ducks do their own damage, but at least they don't dig plants up or rearrange your garden beds.

 

[big brown horse]

rearrange your garden beds that is a funny way of putting it.

Yeah, you have to keep chickens out of the garden during the growing season. I totally fenced in my garden so I could start planning for spring planting. Bye bye chickens, move along. They still walk the fence line looking for a way in.

They kept it weed free all winter though, good girls. I still let them play in the compost pile.

Francie's eggs are beautiful...and strong, I had to hit it hard to crack them open!

I'll take a photo of it and post it.

 

[DrakeMaiden]

Well, the chickens are not allowed in the veggie garden, because there is always something growing in there, but they are re-arranging my flower beds and digging up my bulbs! And since those beds are raised . . . well, they are re-landscaping for me.

 

[ducks4you]

Ok. I'll post a photo of her egg (we ate the other two already) and I'll throw in a photo of them too. Here is a sneak peak, if you look in the back ground, that is Philippe.
http://www.sufficientself.com/forum/uploads/912_this_little_piggy_073.jpg

You have GOT to get that photo up for more people to see! You couldn't pose that on purpose for a million bucks--it is SSOOOO CUUUTTEE!!!

 

[big brown horse]

Thanks D4Y, I already have it printed and it is up on my wall.

My mom posted it on face book too. Where else should I post it?

(She was just out there reading a magazine when all the animals just showed up...you know how nosy farm animals are. )

Drake, chickens can seriously do a number on landscaping.

 

[ducks4you]

Maybe, some of the farm publications--Hobbie Farms publishes, for one. I know that there isn't any rush--I almost think you could contact children's book publishers, BUT, you will want to create a copy with a watermark, like this photo that we bought from a local newspaper~

I found it like THIS online, then puchased my own copy--this is from a small CW event last September. (BTW, first event for my now 4 yr old gelding--he handled all of the noise and action with great aplumb.)
YOUR photo is almost a cover for a classic like, "Charlotte's Web."