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Author Topic: Robin the Rooster  (Read 3447 times)

Offline reinbeau

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Robin the Rooster
« on: May 31, 2009, 11:18:36 am »
I had to get rid of Stumpy, my ginormous, mean, nasty Buff Orpington roo.  The damage he did to the hens, along with me, just couldn't be tolerated.  We didn't want the girls to be without a protector, though, and that's one thing Stumpy did marvelously. 

When I was up at the chicken swap in Rochester, NH a couple of weeks ago a young woman was walking around holding this adorable little rooster in her arms.  I asked her about him, and she said she was trying to rehome him, she had too many.  She called him Skinny, he's an EE bantam roo.  She told me he wasn't mean, was good with his girls, so I decided to take him - he's a third of the size of the late Stumpy!  I couldn't take him that day, I had nothing to bring him home in, so we made arrangements to get him the following weekend.

We introduced him slowly, first in a dog crate inside the coop for a few nights, then the other night I took him out of the coop and put him up on the roost.  The next morning it was like he was always there!  His rooster dance is a riot, and he isn't brutal at all with the hens.  Finally the poor things will grow back feathers.  Stumpy had 14 hens out there, and he denuded 12 - the other two are the queens of the coop, obviously, they just wouldn't have anything to do with his antics, so they are only slightly damaged.

I named him Robin because when he's standing guard in the chicken yard he drops his wings just like the male robins I see staking our their territory.  It's so cute!



Here he is in the run with his new girls, he seems very proud of them!



This is an overall of the run, he's standing right next to the center post:



It's so nice to be able to go out with the chickens and not worry about an attack by a 17 lb devil!

Offline Irwin

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Re: Robin the Rooster
« Reply #1 on: May 31, 2009, 12:49:24 pm »
You have a great looking set up.
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Offline reinbeau

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Re: Robin the Rooster
« Reply #2 on: May 31, 2009, 02:33:30 pm »
It is a great setup, and all thanx to my wonderful hubby, woodchopper!  :chop:  :-*

Offline Jerrymac

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Re: Robin the Rooster
« Reply #3 on: May 31, 2009, 02:36:40 pm »
I haven't figured out yet who or what is ripping the feathers out of my girls. It seems to happen at night. A lot of the ones that were done earlier have now got feathers back and some are just freshly plucked. And then there are all stages in between. It doesn't happen slowly either. They just suddenly have this place on their back that has no feathers. The tail is fine, but start at the base of the tail and up to the mid-wing area on the back, not down the sides, just the top part of the back, the feathers are just gone. Poof!

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Offline Cindi

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Re: Robin the Rooster
« Reply #4 on: May 31, 2009, 04:17:38 pm »
Oh Ann, what a beautiful rooster.  You were right to get rid of Stumpy, (was he yummy or what did you do with him), he would have made an enormous meal, smiling.  It makes you wonder why some roosters are just bad to the bone, as are the drakes too (remember my tales of Whoppo, he was horrible!!!!).  I would do the same if I had a bad rooster.  We have two roosters, Jackson (crele maran penedesenca) and Ivan (light brahma).  They are both very gentle with the females, and me too.  They feed gently from my hand, barely even picking anything beneath the food.  No picks on my hand I mean.  The hens do not run away from these dudes either, they like their daddies, smiling.

By the way, Greg has made a very beautiful chicken coop and yard for your birds, lovely.  It looks great and I bet the house is cool inside too.  Way to go!!  Aren't you glad for that day last year when you took the plunge and got your birds?  I remember your anticipation of getting the little peeps, and worth every minute of the wait eh?  How many you got now?  Elaborate please.  I love to hear of these things and see the pictures, it makes my day.  Keep on keepin' on.  Beautiful and most wonderful days, lovin', livin', and great health wishes for us all. Cindi
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Offline reinbeau

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Re: Robin the Rooster
« Reply #5 on: May 31, 2009, 09:33:04 pm »
No, he wasn't good eating, he was tough as nails even after stewing him for hours (I told you all his name was going to be Stew!  :lol: ). 

I still have the 14 hens, Cindi,  nothing has changed there.  I am very happy I have them, it's been an education, though.  They definitely aren't pets.  They're definitely not what I'd call smart, only in their chickeny way.  I do love the eggs, and so do my clients, who buy them as fast as I bring them! 

Offline Bee Happy

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Re: Robin the Rooster
« Reply #6 on: May 31, 2009, 10:58:32 pm »
17 lbs? wow. I had buff orpingtons a long time ago.  I was away when they finished growing and I think the family ate them all.
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Offline Brian D. Bray

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Re: Robin the Rooster
« Reply #7 on: June 02, 2009, 01:41:24 am »
17 lbs, that's a big rooster.  Buff Orpingtons are only suppose to reach 12-13 lbs as roosters, Jersey Giants are suppose to grow to 15 lbs.  Makes me wonder how big that Jersey Giant rooster I've got is going to get and how big the Brahma/Orpington cross is, he's bigger than his full Brahma father.
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