My Dumpling is gone :(

[Shiloh Acres]

This would probably fit better on BYC. but I post more often here.

I just got back from putting up all the animals and evening chores and I realized Dumpling wasn't at the coop.

I got a mixed group of chicks from a local farmer, and one of the
was kinda strange. He was much bigger than the others and naturally dominant over the flock. He was oddly colored too and obviously NOT a black Australorp as he was supposed to be. I actually thought he was perhaps a mixed breed and determined that as soon as I found out he was a rooster I would slaughter him, since I didn't want a crossbred rooster. So, I named him Dumpling. He stood out from the group and was the only chicken with a name.

The day came when he started to crow (the first one to crow in fact out of almost twenty cockerels -- I got a bad ratio!). So one day I put him in a cage to feed him up and hopefully he wouldn't be too tough (the last time I butchered a rooster he was inedible).

His longer feathers came in more and suddenly I realized he wasn't a crossbreed at all. In fact, he was a huge, gorgeous Marans rooster. So, Dumpling was spared. I set him free and he quickly took over the job of chickenyard monitor.

I've never had a rooster do such a fine job of it. At only 3-1/2 months old, he was diligent to make sure everyone, especially the pullets, got into the coop at night. He watched me like a hawk, LOL, never challenging me but I guess making sure I didn't mean harm to his girls. He broke up any and all fights and always protected the girls. One night there was a snake hidden in the coop and his ruckus and for once keeping the girls OUT let me know about it.

He was shaping up to be a great little (well, big already in fact at less than five months old) rooster.

Tonight there was some scuffling in the chickenyard as the went into the coop. A Buff roo was mercilessly coming at an Australorp roo that I caged yesterday as the next chicken dinner. I thought it was because that Australorp was such a bully before, which is why he's next. But when I saw Dumpling wasn't there escorting them in, I think it's probably because the social structure will probably crash without him to maintain it.

I'm gonna miss him. That was probably the best roo I've ever had, and he was just getting started. He probably met up with something in the course of defending his flock. Which is what he's FOR of course, but I sure am sad to see it happen.

Part of me is hoping he's out there just a little too injured to make it back and that he'll recover and show up in a few days. But the more practical part of myself is worried, wondering what got him and thinking about the fact that it now knows where my chickens are, and there's no more Dumpling to defend them.

I'm sure one of the other roos will step up, but I had hoped to keep a couple of the nicest for breeding. I'm going to hate it if I lose them too, or any of my too-few pullets.

Maybe having twenty or so extra roosters around isn't so bad after all. Then again, without Duming around to keep them in line, I bet I won't be saying that in a day or two.

I'm really gonna miss having him out there.

 

[ksalvagno]

Sorry about your rooster. Sometimes animals come into our lives and unexpectedly give us something more than we expected which makes it harder to lose them.

 

[Shiloh Acres]

Thanks Karen,

I tell myself it's not as though he was a pet. I'm much more attached to my dog and cats of course, and the llamas and goats as well. I try to be detached from the chickens and rabbits since they do get eaten. But when one does such a great job, I guess it's a big disappointment to lose them. Even a chicken.

Which I guess means you are exactly right. Those that give us more than we expected are hard to lose. Thanks for the post.

 

[Emmetts Dairy]

Im sorry about Dumpling...Its hard when they go...when farming we understand mortality is a fact of life around here...but when one "shines" and steals your heart...its hard and you feel a great loss....I completely understand...We had a Barred Rock named Napoleon...he was a fabulous rooster as roosters go...same kinda of worker as Dumpling...but I couldnt break him...would not allow me or my husband get close to the hen house...so those twenty or so eggs would sometimes be delayed coming to the house...we did however have to cull him...and celebrated him at dinner...he was a fine boy...Sorry for your loss....

 

[stano40]

Sorry to hear about your loss. It's never easy to see any animal or being depart from us.

bob

 

[mekasmom]

I'm so sorry. It's funny how easily you can get attached to a chicken, isn't it? Same with a certain goose or turkey, guinea, or whatever. They have personalities. People think it is funny and look at you like you are a weirdo unless they have had their own poultry when you start talking about how special they are.
I'm really sorry you lost Dumpling. And I know there are people here who understand your feeling of loss. My frizzled cochin roo got all wet one day, and was shivering, so we brought him into the house to blowdry and warm up. I was very upset when he passed.

 

[Shiloh Acres]

Thanks for the replies, and sorry about your roo, Mekasmom.

Head count yesterday shows I'm down three roosters, and one of those was the barred rock I'd planned to raise chicks from. The only roo I have left that I was going to keep is a nice RIR boy. Very tall and robust, but not particularly gentlmanly to the ladies. I still have various other roos that were destined for the stewpot, including the smaller barred rock I will have to use now if I want chicks, and a couple of nice buff orps I hadn't picked one out of yet. I still have all my pullets and silkies, fortunately, but SOMEthing has apparently found out where free chicken dinners can be had.


Now I'm torn between letting them range as usual, or keeping them in the run. It's been so hot though that the run is still pretty much just a dirt area and for much of the day it is not shaded. They can go back in the coop of course, but it's like Ft. Knox and not well ventilated. I risk possibly

 

[Shiloh Acres]

Urg ... I hate when my device does that and I can't edit at the end.

but I risk losing chickens to the heat if I pen them up, to whatever predator is out there if I don't. I can always get more hatchery chicks, but I have time and feed invested in these, and they are nicely bred stock that I don't want to lose those I planned to keep.

And I really, really, REALLY don't want whatever it is to start targeting my rabbits or geese, or young guineas. I wish one of the dogs would be effective at watching out for them but I'm afraid with chicken scuffles being so common, I'm not sure they would alert me to anything going on in the next yard.

So ... I think I'll have some unhappy chickies today. I'll probably leave them penned up and hope I can at least discover what's getting them. At least I won't have to knock them out of trees tonight. Without Dumpling to keep them in line I have at least a half dozen or so that think they can get away with sleeping outside, and that just ain't gonna happen around here.

 

[ducks4you]

 

[More of a BYC person]

Hmmm sorry to hear that... EVERY chicken has his GOLDEN parts weather it be his heart or his skin... Hope dumpling comes back