# Chickens are four months old as of last week!



## poodlecrazy#1 (Jul 2, 2013)

NO! NO! NO! NO! NO! NOOOO! ??Rebekkah is definitely a rooster ??. There is no doubt in my mind, I am actually really surprised you haven't heard him crowing yet. I am so sad now, sHE was my favorite! That tail though is an epic growing rooster tail and he definitely has a great saddle growing. 
At least the others are all definitely hens. Glad to hear they are doing well, especially with this cold weather.


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## lily cd re (Jul 23, 2012)

Yes I knew you'd agree with my sad conclusion. I have heard some loud noises but nothing that is a real crow. I am going to hope to keep Reb through the winter and then try to find a place to send him. He is really handsome isn't he?

When we first moved here I think there was a rooster nearby since we would hear crowing every morning. I wonder if I could try to keep him if I had one of those no crow collars. As a chick this was one of my most delicate little ones in the first couple of days. I thought sHe might not make it at one point. Part of me sort of wishes to have lost a little one rather than having to think about giving away a bird I have come to greatly adore.

Here is some video from this afternoon.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zrMftx0csAc&index=1&list=UUvg0UyN051LpJ436IDB8KNQ


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## patk (Jun 13, 2013)

since i don't know anything about raising chickens, i won't comment on whether rebekah is a hen or a rooster. but i am interested in the no-crow collar. what is it and how is it supposed to work?


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## lily cd re (Jul 23, 2012)

Here is a link for the vendor where I first learned of it. New! No-Crow Rooster Collar

And here is a blog by someone who has used it, which makes it sound both sad and effective. How to keep your rooster from crowing - no crow rooster collar


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## jenniferandtonks (Nov 17, 2014)

Reb is a handsome boy. hopefully, he won't develop his crow and you won't have to worry about no-crow collars or rehoming. never tried the no-crow collars. i'd be a bit concerned having one on when they are free-ranging unless you're right there and he's of the temperament to not panic while waiting for you to come extract him if he does get hung up on something.


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## lily cd re (Jul 23, 2012)

So far he is very mellow. That is one of the reasons I had been holding out that he was a she until that tail came in. I have a pretty easy time scooping all of them up since I raised them from new hatchlings. They have gotten some independence since I turned them outside, but since I worry over having a hawk take them I make sure that either me or me and Lily are outside when I let them out to range.

I am still very sad about this since I am so unsure of whether I will be able to make it work to keep him. My town ordinance says no roosters (although I know there are plenty of roosters around). I feel like I found out somebody has a terminal illness.


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## MiniPoo (Mar 6, 2014)

Catherine, I am sorry that you are in this situation. I did not know when you got chicks, you have to wait until they grow up to see what sex they are. If that is so, guess you are lucky only one of them is a male.

Hope you figure out a way to keep Reb (as we are calling him now). If not, maybe you know someone who can keep him and you can visit.


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## Suddenly (Aug 8, 2013)

Lily how cool it must be to raise hens. They are all beautiful.


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## poodlecrazy#1 (Jul 2, 2013)

I'm so sorry she turned out to be a he. It really is a bummer when that happens. I wish that I could find a way to get him across the states, I would be more than willing to keep that beautiful boy for you. Im sure he would enjoy my flock of hens ? there are plenty to go around for him. I have a homemade no crow collar on my rescue rooster. It works good for him (all roosters are different though) and muffles his crow quite well. It will loosen up after a while and I will have to tighten it but that is ok because it gives me a chance to check on his skin and feathers underneath. He does back up a lot trying to get out of it, I wonder if maybe I had more mesh and less Velcro if that might stop the backing up or if that is just how he handles it. 
I wonder if you can just keep him and see how it goes around your neighborhood. You have heard roosters before but not now? Talking to you neighbors might be a good idea to see if they will tolerate it. Are your yards and house close together?


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## lily cd re (Jul 23, 2012)

MiniPoo said:


> Catherine, I am sorry that you are in this situation. I did not know when you got chicks, you have to wait until they grow up to see what sex they are. If that is so, guess you are lucky only one of them is a male.
> 
> Hope you figure out a way to keep Reb (as we are calling him now). If not, maybe you know someone who can keep him and you can visit.



MiniPoo thanks so much for those words. For some reason I am really bothered about this and didn't sleep well last night because of it. When you buy chicks at hatching you can order straight run (sex not checked) or all male or all female. Some breeds are very obviously male or female at hatching and others are a bit harder to tell apart. When you order sexed birds you do so knowing there could be a "mistake" in the group. I hate the idea of having to give him up, but if I have to I will try to find someplace close by so I can visit. He has to stay quiet and he has to stay mellow. If he is crowing like a fiend at first light every morning he will have to go and if he starts really harassing the girls or tries to chase me or Lily or whoever around the yard he will also have to be rehomed. He was my little delicate bird when they were in their first few days. I was so happy that they have all been able to grow up since it is not unusual to lose a bird or two along the way. This is very hard right now.

My neighbors are very close so they certainly are already aware that the birds are here. So far no complaints, but they have been very quiet by comparison to some of the crazy stuff in my area. I am hoping it stays that way. Poodlecrazy if I have to send him somewhere that I couldn't be close to I would most certainly send him to you.


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## Tiny Poodles (Jun 20, 2013)

Aww, sorry about this problem - I hope that you find a satisfactory resolution. They sure are pretty.


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## jenniferandtonks (Nov 17, 2014)

it's kind of ironic, last year when we first had roosters (i could only get straight run for the lavenders), some of the neighbors complained about the crowing. we rehomed one of the two and that helped cut down the crowing some. it seems they've gotten used to it now. i didn't hear any complaints when we were growing out this years chicks. 7 of my 8 black split to lavender orpingtons that hatched turned out to be roosters so patience got tested a bit. 2 of the earliest crowers ended up going to the deed-doer guy to be processed as they were also showing signs of aggression. things quieted down quite a bit with those two not stirring up trouble and the rooster we kept from last year got used to hearing the other boys (and realized they're not going to go away). we're down to 3 mature roosters now. though, i think it also helped that we started acting proactively when this year's boys started to crow and another neighbor had 2 for a couple months that he kept saying he was going to butcher when he got around to it... i did do better this spring with parting with the boys because i was prepared ahead of time to send some to freezer camp. i did still struggle some because of wanting to make the best choices of who i kept for breeding- i've come to terms with selecting for temperament now and i can work on cleaning up the details of conformation and feather structure later as i have more genetic diversity to choose from. it was a lot more stressful last year when i wasn't prepared from the beginning to have to send some to freezer camp. i haven't yet come to terms with having to rehome pullets- that will probably be next fall's struggle depending how my hatches turn out. it's funny how attached we get to these silly birds, especially the ones that we anticipate being around for awhile.

i'm not going to say anything about the 15 week old delaware boys for fear of jinxing myself. at least, there won't be as many since 5 went to the deed-doer guy last week so i could have "jennifer-safe" chicken to eat again (had mom ask for the feet to put in the freezer for when we get a dog again- or someone's dog will get a nice treat if we're too long in the search). the rest still need at least a few more weeks to grow a bit more, would like to get as many as 6 more weeks on at least half of them.


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## lily cd re (Jul 23, 2012)

I am hoping that since there is only one roo that he won't be pushed to be too much of a bad boy. The rooster(s) that I used to hear crowing close to my house seem to have moved on (one way or another), so he won't hear anyone else crowing. I only hear roosters if I am at the other end of my area walking the dogs.

I just don't think I could make myself eat him, or even feed him to the dogs. I bet BF would eat him though. He does not have the attachment to them that I do by any stretch of the imagination. Talking to you all about this is helping. BF is, as I say, not so sympathetic.

Tiny they are really pretty, aren't they? And of course my boy Reb is the most glorious of the bunch. He is like a parti poodle!


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## jenniferandtonks (Nov 17, 2014)

yeah, even with some of the insecurity issues my first rooster developed, i don't think i could knowingly eat him. with age and experience, he seems to be slowly coming back around. one of the biggest things we did wrong with him was making his schedule too predictable. his routine got really mixed up the day mom fell and dislocated her shoulder. it was very traumatic for him when the wrong person came late to do his morning feeding...


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## poodlecrazy#1 (Jul 2, 2013)

I have had all sorts if different crowers in the past. I really think it is a very individual thing. I have had some horrid crowers the two worse ones we hatched from eggs, they were Easter Eggers, both turned out to be boys. When they got to crowing age they would literally crow for an hour straight at like 1am! OMG it was so annoying, they got a new home very quickly. The worst temperament wise was my first blue silkie, he would get very territorial and he would chase you around the yard and attack if you let him,he never did it to me because when he tried I would just (don't get mad at me for saying this) kick him, not hard just more like scooping him up with my foot and tossing him away from me. He got the picture after a few times and never did it again. I always said he had little man syndrome since he was a batam. I think Reb will be a very nice rooster as for crowing I have no clue, that is always wait and see thing, (I want to try raising a capon to see if/how that would effect the crowing). The way he was raised and how close they all are with you will definitely help. They really all are so pretty, I think Salome is gorgeous, I love her color and her stature. I really like the heavy breeds. Reb really does bring it all together though. He is just so gorgeous!


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## lily cd re (Jul 23, 2012)

Jennifer thanks so much for your comments about routines. Thankfully since I have a different class schedule everyday and also travel a fair bit with Lily on the weekends by accident there isn't too much routine for them. Most days I start their day, but it could be BF who sends them to bed. He also has fed and watered them. Poodlecrazy I totally get the scoop the bird away "punt" and can see how you could do it very gently and send the right message.

I feel better about all this today. You all have been so nice and supportive. No crowing this morning either, hooray!


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## Manxcat (May 6, 2013)

You are going to have to rename that birdie Rebel! 

Fingers crossed that he won't cause any problems and have to be relocated. We've got a rooster knocking around the estate somewhere - he doesn't crow that we've heard so maybe Rebel will be a quiet one too.

Mind you, our wild chick hasn't got any girlies round about either so that may be why he's quiet.

We have a lots of wild chickens here as there are no predators apart from cats and looking at this guy I'd bet on him over a cat any day... Spurs, BIG and tough looking!


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## lily cd re (Jul 23, 2012)

Manxcat, I've just taken to calling him Reb (but Rebel works too since he is rebelling against have supposed to have been a girl). He is a handsome lad isn't he, although no spurs yet! And still quiet and pleasant.


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## Charmed (Aug 4, 2014)

Yup, beautiful roo you have. We used to bring our roo into the garage in a crate every night and take him back out in the morning, so that he wouldn't bother the neighbors. Then, we decided we were being ridiculous as one of the neighbors ran a daycare and her parents dropped kids off starting at 6 AM by sitting in their cars and blowing the car horn. Another neighbor had dogs that were left out 24/7, so we figured we might as well let our banty roo contribute our noise to the rural atmosphere. Since then, cock fighting has become a hot button issue and now roosters are banned, but we have a big enough lot for three roosters and our guy is grandfathered in. Yippee! I could never eat him. He's a scrawny little thing that wouldn't be worth the work of processing. With the kids gone and my own health issues I am not getting any new chickens now. With my luck, though when this guy dies, one of the hens will step up and start crowing. It has happened twice before when we were without a rooster. The crowing hen liked to answer someone's distant peacock... now that's a noisy bird! I have no experience with a rooster collar; I did look into "caponizing" them and "decrowing" but I just couldn't do it. To me, when a rooster crows in the morning he is saying how happy he is to be alive to greet the morning.


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## lily cd re (Jul 23, 2012)

Charmed, I am still adjusting to not calling them all ladies and calling him Reb, but have made mindset adjustments about the whole thing. My neighborhood has plenty of barking dogs and guys buzzing around on motorbikes, etc. so unless he is crowing in a way that really draws attention to himself I don't think I will worry about that too much. I will have to pay attention to his behavior towards the girls, dogs and people though. I looked up caponizing last night and read a thread by someone who seems to do it on his kitchen table (not happening here!). If I were ever to go down that road I would have a vet do it.


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## Charmed (Aug 4, 2014)

Our current roo is very well behaved and has only mad a run at my adult son... according to my son's unverified story, ha-ha! We have had roosters that went back to the feed store because they were just too rough on the hens. I think if your rooster was going to be like that you would already be seeing signs of it. I used to dremel the spurs down when they got too big, though. There is a way to twist them off with a hot potato, but I was more comfortable with the dremel. Your Reb looks like he is going to be the benevolent guardian type. Have you seen him find a choice tidbit, grab it up and then offer it to a hen?


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## lily cd re (Jul 23, 2012)

Aww thanks so much for that view on roos Charmed. Reb seems to be pretty low key with the ladies. He hasn't offered anything special to anyone yet, but Sarah, Rachel and Ruth (the blue ameraucanas) haven't been showing too much in the way of ready to lay behavior either yet. We are having our shortest days of the year too. 

Salome, the orpington, has been doing a bit of wing spreading squatting when I pass by so I think she will produce the first egg. Hers will be easy to recognize at least. She also seems to have acquired a great interest in Peeves in the last week or two. She stares at him when he passes close and I have even seen her follow him from the other side of the fence (I still don't let him loose in the yard when they are loose). It is really pretty odd to me that she is the one choosing this interest since she is the one who was loose and got tangled up under his feet one day when she sneaked out of their run while he was loose in the yard. She wasn't at all hurt, but it was a dramatic moment for all parties (me screaming at Peeves, Peeves bouncing around to figure out what was going on under foot and Salome hunkered down underneath it all).


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## lily cd re (Jul 23, 2012)

Well, they are really getting to be all grown up in behavior as much as in size now. This morning when I let them out to the run, Reb made a couple of lame attempts at courting Sarah and Ruthie. They were none too impressed though, just squawked and ran away. Still no crowing though, good boy, stay nice and quiet please!


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## Charmed (Aug 4, 2014)

Your mention of short days reminded me that chickens love a treat of a hot oatmeal breakfast on a cold morning. They go crazy for it! Also, if they happen to go into an a molt at the wrong time of the year, you can help them through it by supplementing their regular diet with cat food. I have used small cans, just because they were on sale, but other people have used dry cat food. The key is to give them higher protein to help produce more feathers quickly... and feathers are made up of mostly protein. I have to admit that I couldn't make myself feed them cat food containing chicken-- too creepy.


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## lily cd re (Jul 23, 2012)

Charmed thanks for those suggestions. I also think it is creepy to feed them chicken or hard boiled eggs, but I am sure they would love oatmeal when it is cold. I guess grits could be good too.

They all seem to be dropping a few feathers so I will get them a bit of cat food when I go to the market tomorrow.


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## lily cd re (Jul 23, 2012)

So in a freaky sort of a way it was beautiful here the last couple of days. It was bright and sunny and around 60 this afternoon. After a midweek deluge and busy days for Christmas and before that finishing grades the birds haven't been out in the yard too much. Clearly they were dying to get out to stretch their legs, so out they came. For the first time they went down by the pool end of the yard. It is interesting how cautious they are with anything new. If it is something small in their environment. If it is someplace new to go they all go together and are very wary. They ended up under the evergreens in the corner of the yard. After a while I wanted to go back inside so when Ruth and Rachel came out from under the trees I was able to scoop them up to carry them back to the other end of the yard where their coop is. The rest of them followed like I was the pied piper, or maybe St. Francis of Assisi. A bribe of some scratch & ultra-kibble treats along with a little directions given by Lily and they all went in their run for their snackies. Lily's real interest was in the kibble which she has decided is really dog food.


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