Okay.. so that I didn't hijack other threads.. I had to just declare this on my own thread.
This is the majestic creature I have had such an emotional turmoil over recently. Now thanks to Haystack.. I've decided to keep him.
I tried to get this pic to show how big he is in relation to the others that were hatched at the same time.
This is how big he was when Catscan hatched him! She said he was the biggest chick she had ever seen!
Oh too bad the pic was a thumbnail..
Anyway.. Today Plum is 4 Months old.
I will try to get a better pic.. I'm busy at work right now.. and need to stop acting like I just got a new toy.
Wow! He is gorgeous. I didn't know Ameracaunas were that colorful.
Dang, that's one magnificent bird! He's clearly "THE ROO"!!! {{the crowd roars}}
So what was the turmoil?
Oh ZZ, he's beeeyooootiful! He reminds me slightly of the colors of my creme brabanter.
I love the name "Plum" - it's as if he was plucked as the best fruit from a chicken tree.
Well.. I've been having a really hard time with the decision.. so I changed it.. It's not a decision, it's a choice.. I choose to keep him.
He was a major problem in the pen where he lives with 12 pullets about his same age.. his hormones are raging and he is NOT a gentleman.. All the pullets his is housed with are not old enough to lay.. but he doesn't care, he breeds them to the point they were just terrified, bloody combs and huddle in the corner not eating..
I love Ameracaunas, and I hated the thought of not keeping him, as he is such a nice prospect for breeding... but I like a peaceful flock, happy California Chickens.. Not just a happy roo. LOL
The other thing was.. (I know I posted this on another thread, but for those that didn't read that thread.. here is another major reason I can't let him go)
When I was getting ready to put him in the "to go" crate and meet Catscan for delivery to his new home.. I reached down to pick him up and he starts doing the "this is food" cluck.. and dodged me.. he was offering me a piece of alfalfa.. he was very insistent that I take it.. He offered it to me 4 times..
So through the tears, I called Catscan and said I can't do it.. He has to stay.
Then a week later, he is terrorizing the pullets again and I'm at wits end with him.. complaining and wanting to get rid of him..
So.. Unknowingly, Haystack helped solve the problem.. He says his Ameracauna roo is the same way.. I'm thinking... If that is just how Ameracauna roos are, (gentle with people, but sex maniacs) if I got rid of Plum, I'd just be facing the same thing with another roo, more than likely, of lesser breeding quality.. I know that's only one person's opinion about Ameracauna roos, but it was enough to sway me towards keeping Plum permanently.
That's my story about Plum. I love him when he is not with the hens.. he is so sweet. I can pick him up with no fight whatsoever.. he talks to me when I carry him and I will never look at a twig of alfalfa the same way again.
Does anyone know if there is evidence to suggest that roosters "mellow out" with age? I mean, male teenagers have raging hormones, but once they get over that, and into their 30s or 40s, they seem to calm down a bit. Does this happen with roosters? Maybe Plum will learn to give his ladies a little less hassle as he ages?
I don't know about roos mellowing out, but I've read that personality should be selected for and it's not normal for a roo to beat the hens. It's a result of past poor breeding practices.
And not all men mellow out... the prisons are full of some very unmellow fellows. =0(
I know personality used to be a major criteria for all the larger barnyard breeds... horses, cows, goats. Because they were big enough to do harm, tractability was important.
I know I cut my one of my baby jacks at 4 mo. cause he was coming at me with his teeth. Whereas his full brother is a laid back honey bun and would have made a easy-handling jack. But one jack on the place is enough. =0) And my great white a$$ is such a lover and so mellow, you'd have to go a ways to find another as kind.
Good luck with Plum, ZZ's, hope it works out.
Jay
ZZ, it's really quite simple . You need more hens. Lots more hens. Then Mr. Plum will be tired, and very, very happy...:)
Don't bother to thank me, I was glad to help:)
morechickensmorechickensmorechickensmorechickensmorechickens
Thank you Jay.
I am hoping that the main reason he is not mellowing out is cause the pullets are not old enough yet..
Our Barnevelder had to learn to be a gentleman, and he did very well. It does make a huge difference when the pullets start laying.. they submit and don't seem to mind.
I understand that if he beat the hens, he wouldn't be worth keeping.. but I am taking the gamble for now that it's his age.. (4 months) and the age of the pullets.. when they are old enough to breed, they may submit.. rather than totally freak, crash into the fence, and go nutz.
He is not mean or rough in the actual act of breeding.. just that it seems he wants to do it every 3 to 7 minutes, and the pullets are terrified..
So far, all the evidence points towards age.... I appreciate the input from everyone.. even if it does end up he is just not desirable.. I intend to exhaust all my options first. I believe he is worth it.
LOL @ Catmad
Let us know how it goes... when can you expect to be able to finally tell? I know when the pullets start to lay, but how far off is that?
=0) Jay
I named him "Plum" because he was such a big, plush, complacent chick--very Plummy. He was a partridge chick but now has the most amazing mix of colors including teal on his saddle.
He was alright with the pullets at my place, but I have a lot of layers and the others had the whole yard to escape him. ZZ's are just babies and are in a small yard with him and he is very enthusiastic:0) I think it is less his technique, which is improving, than the fact that the girls have no idea why he is attacking them and get very stressed.
ZZ is so tender hearted that she can't bear seeing him separated in a smaller cage--he keeps offering her presents and she melts. LOL.
He should move in with her! Come on, ZZ, take the poor love struck roo into your living rooooooom. LOL Poor ol' Plum thinks the sun rises and sets with you....
and the pullets will be eternally grateful and maybe give you eggs sooner.
LOL
Jay
That is so sweet, about the alfalfa. I have an RIR roo who lost all his toes on one foot to frostbite this year. Since then, he has become very interested in offering me presents and fawning all over me when I am outside. I wonder if it's because the hens think he's no good now that he has foot issues. I have never seen him taking on a hen since that happened.
Birdbrains... bribery.... corrupt governments... hmmmm
You know what Claire? I bet he can't.. The Roos grasp the hen's wings right at the base with their toes.. That is how they maneuver the hens into position..
LOL You guyz.. LOL
It's true.. I've been around animals all my life.. I got hardened to not falling in love with every horse that came along.. it was a job, I had to let them go... They only stayed for a short time.. I thought I would be that way with the chickens, but NOT.. I am pretty critical, in that they need to be of some use.. but Plum caught my attention the first time I saw him.. He is my favorite color.. and when I visit him, he is just the best.. he talks, looks me in the eye, etc... Cody really loves him too..
I would bring him in if this was my house... You gotta know he'd have his own room! LOL
OMG, ZZ, you are sooooo gone on him. LOL
This is beyond mere intervention. I think we need to take you to a spa and remind you... huuuuuuman, you are huuuuuman...
=0)
Jay
I`m having the same hard time about giving my rooster away,he is so big and he has the feathers tore off the backs of a few of the pullits,they are all the same age and brought up togather,they will be a year old in May.I was hoping with age he would quiet down but I guess not.I will have 20 more to put in with him in a few months he has eight with him now.I hope I don`t have to go through the same thing and watch him terrorize the new ones when I put them in with the others.Would three months be old enough to put the new ones in with the other eight and the rooster?The coop will be 12x16 and the run 12x60.Acual coop space will be 12x12 as I need stroage space for straw and feed and such.
I really can't answer that one.. I've never had chickens penned up till this year.. they always free ranged and did whatever they wanted..
My big Barnevelder roo will not breed with the young ones.. He doesn't even bother going after them..
But then, Plum has no laying hens, his are all pullets..
Someone else would have to give you an answer on that one..
Good luck!
Yes, Jay... I can usually haul them outta here without much of a second thought.. I am putty now..
Same here - all free rangers. 28 total birds in a 12 x 12 coop is starting to get tight, but OK. 3 months might be pushing it for the younger pullets, but the older hens may keep him occupied. Watch for the same thing ZZ has experienced with terrorizing the little ones. I suggest some hen aprons in the meantime.
I don't want to be reminded I'm human..
I must tell you ZZ's, You are an Angel. Perhaps made out of Putty, but, an angel none the less. My wife and I just finished reading your thread and I was laughing so hard she had to read it to me. It's true ZZ's I have a Roo just like yours, he has to weigh between 15 and 18 pounds. I loved the pic of yours, he is absolutely beautiful. Did you notice how I limit his time with the girls. I sure hope it all works for you, and I seriously admire your willingness to give him another chance. Your animals are fortunate to be yours. Haystack
Spaaaaaa, ZZ, massaaaaahhhhge... sooooaking in the hoooooot tub... steam drifting quietly up into the cool spring air, the gently bubbling of the water, the lilting little birdsongs...
=0)
Pretty Roo ZZ.... Intresting Thread..
Not to highjack your tread, but I cant find the other thread where it said a true Americauna egg will be blue inside the shell. So last night I was making eggs for Billy and when I broke our eggs on the outside they were green, there was a pretty light blue color on the inside... It was so pretty...
Ok Back to Plum,,, hes pretty, and now I know to watch Spiderman for the same behavior when he gets a few months older...
MissJestr - the green eggs come from a cross between a blue layer and a brown layer.
Brown eggs are white on the inside. That's because the brown color is deposited on the eggshell during the laying process.
Blue eggs are blue on the inside, so when they are crossed with a brown layer, the brown pigment gets deposited onto the blue shell during laying. That's why they look green - they are blue plus a layer of brown.
Hope that makes sense!
Claire, that so totally makes sence.... To me they look more of a Turquoise than green, but not quite as blue as I think they should, but the inside was blue....
LOL Haystack.. I'm glad you got a good laugh.. I even crack me up sometimes! LOL
Well.. I am wanting Blue Blue Wheaten Ameracaunas... I've been wanting them for a long time. I think I am going to invest in a good breeder, but will still keep Plum for EEs. He has been out of prison for 2 days and the girls are okay..
I noticed some nests in the coop! I'm gonna hit Pay dirt soon I'm sure.. No wonder it has been relatively quiet out there...
That was a great idea Haystack.. it's gonna fit my program just fine! The girls will love me for it..
Coupla things coming late to the thread -the blue goes all the way through the shell while the brown is surface only color. That's one special thing about the blue eggs the shell is supposedly solid blue (unless I'm mis-remembering which I don't think I am).
I have had roos like Plum who mellow with age. I sorta think of it as Teenage Boy Syndrome. Once they are mature enough that they no longer feel they have to constantly prove themselves they mellow out. I'd be inclined to let an older, less dominant male have access to the pullets while keeping Plum in solitary for a short while -or maybe switch him in with an older group of hens. Having to woo them and win them back would do wonders for him. You'd lose the pure eggs for a month or so, but the older hens put up with less and older roosters are generally more gentle.
Now that I've done hours and hours of reading.. I need to clear this up. Plum is an Easter Egger... which is NOT a bad thing.. it's not like he is any less valuable to me.. but I'm glad I learned about them.
Ameracaunas only come in certain colors, and breed true.. so a wild color like Plum is obviously not an Ameracauna.
Just thought I'd post this.. It was so confusing at first, but now I finally got it..
An eggercauna...
The spelling police would like to gently point out that it's not Ameracauna, and Ameraucana. But.....no worries!
Thank you!! I see I've been doing that for a long time! eeew.. I hate it when that happens! LOL
