rockdoveranch
Ridin' The Range
Seriously, we HATE our chickens. How long will they live?
We bought 10 chicks April 2005, 5 Barred Rock and 5 Rhode Island Reds; all pullets. As tiny chicks the Barred Rock were so mean to the Reds that they drew blood and we had to separate them until they were big enough to go outside into the chicken yard.
Back then the chicken yard was a ways back through the woods. That first year something killed 5 of them, probably a coyote, and we have had the other 5 since.
They free range during the day and at night they go into a yard that shares a fence line with the big dog yard. They no longer go into the yard out through the woods.
They refuse to lay where they are supposed. They are always under foot. When I go to put them up at night holding a can of gain for them sometimes they fly up at my hand. Sometime they fly at me for know reason. Sometimes they BITE me drawing blood and bruising. I have even had them go at me like an old mature rooster would, trying to spur me with no spurs.
We treat all our animals kindly and with respect so I assume they are simply acting like rural chickens.
Way back when I lived in the middle of Houston I had a lovely Rhode Island Red hen that lived in the yard and house with my Boxer, 2 Goldens and a rabbits. They all got along and in the pecking order, the hen was over the youngest Golden. Poor dog! She thought she was a dog and lived to be 11.
Our hens are 6 now. Am I looking at 5 more years of bad, bad hens?
We bought 10 chicks April 2005, 5 Barred Rock and 5 Rhode Island Reds; all pullets. As tiny chicks the Barred Rock were so mean to the Reds that they drew blood and we had to separate them until they were big enough to go outside into the chicken yard.
Back then the chicken yard was a ways back through the woods. That first year something killed 5 of them, probably a coyote, and we have had the other 5 since.
They free range during the day and at night they go into a yard that shares a fence line with the big dog yard. They no longer go into the yard out through the woods.
They refuse to lay where they are supposed. They are always under foot. When I go to put them up at night holding a can of gain for them sometimes they fly up at my hand. Sometime they fly at me for know reason. Sometimes they BITE me drawing blood and bruising. I have even had them go at me like an old mature rooster would, trying to spur me with no spurs.
We treat all our animals kindly and with respect so I assume they are simply acting like rural chickens.
Way back when I lived in the middle of Houston I had a lovely Rhode Island Red hen that lived in the yard and house with my Boxer, 2 Goldens and a rabbits. They all got along and in the pecking order, the hen was over the youngest Golden. Poor dog! She thought she was a dog and lived to be 11.
Our hens are 6 now. Am I looking at 5 more years of bad, bad hens?
They sound like they would be great for making a bunch of stock - you'd have to cook those buggers for a long time to be able to eat them. I'd say forget it and just make lots of great stock to freeze.
