[darcyhen]

My poor girls! My lovely buff orpington boys have been terrorising my girls. Our last cock was lovely. Didn't hassle them when they were eating and though brutal he didn't seem to overly peck them.
My gentle Orpies gang up on each girl and whilst one treads the others peck!

So, I have had to isolate them and will probably eat them! Interestingly one of them(there are three) may have been a girl. She still looks like a girl but crows and has attempted to tread the girls. I have left her with the girls to see if her behaviour changes, with plenty of warnings that it will be the pot if she doesn't!

These were grown from egg and apart from the terror and pillage have lovely natures. It would be a shame if they were all boys.

Now i am hoping for a broody so i can start some more eggs.

Michelle

[too many girls]

and get more cockerals

[darcyhen]

yes... tally so far is three girls, six boys and the one that seems to have gone from girl to boy! So it's either 4 vs 6 or 3 vs 7.

michelle

[Roughlee Handled]

I would say you should have less cockerels to hens. 
So either more hens or .... get rid of some cockerels.

[darcyhen]

...thats just from the eggs we have hatched. we have more chickens. but i'm afraid its the end of the road for the cockerals. Our beautiful lavender aracuna escaped the pot. too beautiful and too skinny! So he is very happy at Joyful's with her girls.
 
When Beau - now Gene Vincent was around he seemed such a gent. I assumed that having more than one was bad because they fight. My major issue is the ganging up they did on my girlies...and they are so much bigger.

However, really the biggest issue is noise. It's not too bad for me, some mornings i dont notice it by my husband hears every crow and at the mo they are even doing it at quite respectable times.  He would be really grumpy by summer!

michelle

[joyfull]

Michelle, I think you need to remove those cockerels by summer they will be crowing before 04.30 in the morning. Gene Vincent (formally Beau) is still quite the gentleman 

[darcyhen]

The axeman cometh tomorrow morning!