Sometimes you have to eat your words!

[Hillscreek]

About last August I posted re cairns and chickens in reply to someone introducing their cairn to chicks. I went on and on about building a pen, keeping them separate etc.etc. I used to have chickens and thought I knew it all!

Well .....only a few days later I had the chance get two young chickens. A cockerel and a pullet about six months old. They are Gold Laced Wyandottes, developed in Wisconsin in the 1870's.

I have them for their beauty but a plus is she lays me delicious tan colored eggs

They free range, are not in a pen. They go wherever they want. At night I lock them in their coop for safety against marauding foxes and other predators. They go everywhere together. They "weed" by me in the garden. They are BIG (7-8lbs) gentle and friendly. They are not afraid of anything. Grazed together with a couple of deer. Stood and watched the school bus go by without flinching. Came up to Angus (on a leash) and stared him down. The cockerel is taller than Angus when he rises up and flaps his wings. Never in his life has Angus had anything stand up to him. From rabbits to crows to deer to bear when he says go they go. We did have to have lessons on the subject of 'they are our chickies Angus it's OK'. Now some months later and lots of practice walks, with treats for walking nice, the chickens stand and watch as Angus walks by on a loose leash on our way to the garage ........ totally amazing to me.                            

 What do you mean they are 'our' chickens?

[Sam I Am]

Good boy Angus!  Such a handsome boy. I think once they understand that they are " their chickens" cats, etc, the attitude changes as to whether they should be chased. By the way those are absolutely gorgeous chickens! And yum...fresh eggs.

[hheldorfer]

I'm jealous - always wanted to raise chickens ever since spending a lot of time at my aunt and uncle's farm when I was a kid.  Your are beautiful, though - not the run-of-the-mill barnyard chickens with which I'm familiar.  

Congrats to you and Angus for raising them successfully without any chicken-attacking incidents!

 

[pkcrossley]

I don't think you have to eat your words --I think you are right on both sides. your Angus was instructed that the chickens belonged to you (or to both of you) and you taught him how to behave around them. also, the presence of a prepossessing rooster instills a lot of respect. but an uneducated cairn with access to a bunch of hens without the protection of a rooster is likely to be a real menace.

around here, we have chickens picking happily through horse paddocks and cow pastures and pecking past grazing sheep. in few cases are they penned during the day, though at night it is necessary because we have a variety of beasts that will blow through a flock, rooster or no. your birds are uncommonly good looking. I was raised around a few terrifying roosters, and that was decades before DNA proved they are direct descendants (no detours) of tyrannosaurus rex. The t-rex is still here, guarding his hens. Don't mess.

[Malcolm's Dad]

Holy  Cow! A rooster standing up to a Cairn. And Angus learning to put up with it. Yes this is amazing! I had to  look up Wyandotte chicken. They are not the usual white chickens. Have fun with your feathered friends.

[Autumn & Lola]

Not that I've been around a lot of chickens (except for at the grocery store ), but they are the prettiest chickens I've ever seen.

Edited December 6, 2016 by Autumn & Lola

[Bridget]

I grew up on a farm with lots of chickens.  Laying hens are temperamental creatures and won't lay unless they are safe, happy and confortable.  Our dogs learned early on that chickens were not for chasing.

[Hillscreek]

Update
 Snowing today. Angus always loves snow and so it appears do our chickens. They have been out all day to day with snow on their backs their feathers fluffed out. Angus walks on by then looks at me for a treat - which I always have ready for him. I remain amazed that he tolerates them. Trying to get pic with Angus and chicks both in it. Feel I still need to be watchful so not easy . She is still laying now and then even though shorter days. Yesterday a double yolker! Great for scrambled eggs!

 

Edited December 11, 2016 by Hillscreek

[LindaMC]

Your chickens are beautiful and head scritches to Angus for being such a good boy around them.  It's funny that I should log on and see this post, as I just finished watching a segment on NatGeo's Unlikely Animal Friends about a little autistic boy who is coming out of his shell due to two chickens named Snow and Acorn.  The bond he has with them is amazing, he rides them around his farm in a little police car, it's adorable.  Chickens supposedly make wonderful pets and if they lay eggs too, wow!

[kieiras mom]

Beautiful

[tlwtheq]

On 12/5/2016 at 6:12 PM, Malcolm's Dad said:

Holy  Cow! A rooster standing up to a Cairn.

You should have seen my doe rabbit, Cadbury stand up to Cairn terriers a number of years ago.  Cadbury did not stand up to the cats; she chased and nipped at them until they got out of the line of fire!  The kitties did not expect that!

Doe rabbits who haven't been spayed tend to be very aggressive, pushy little beasties.  I lost a lot of manuals to that one. 

Edited December 26, 2016 by tlwtheq
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