Ameraucana Rooster

Ameraucana Rooster

Strutting his stuff

Is this my good side???

Its been a while since I have had laying hens and a rooster. Went to Wabash Antiques and Feed Store in Houston http://www.wabashfeed.com/ a few years ago and acquired an Ameraucana rooster

http://www.ameraucana.org/scrapbook.html

and two red laying hens.

Little did I know after taking them home that the rooster actually required a harem of hens to keep him from increased copulation with the two hens. So... I went back and purchased four more hens and then things settled down a bit. At sunset each day, the rooster would gather the hens up from free ranging by spreading out his wings to his sides and they would run with him into the coop.

The coop was actually an 8' by 10' hurricane fenced dog run with a screen mesh over the top. Inside the coop I placed some cinder block into two columns and made nesting shelves with hay. The soil was covered in hay so that edible insects that the hens so savored would have a place to wait until one of the hens came across them. The hens happily laid about one to two eggs each day. I also ran a tree branch across the pen on which they roosted on @ night.

They enjoyed scratching about in the soil @ the perimeter of the compost brush pile near the coop. I so loved sitting under the shade of the oaks watching them carry on. But alas, one day the rooster jumped the fence and the neighbors dog attacked the hens and the rooster fought to save them but they were all carried away to hen heaven before I knew what had happened. We tried to save the rooster but he passed away from the injuries. I vowed not to get more until I had more land for them to roam. That has not happened so, I think I will fore go the rooster and just get somelaying hens that I will protect with wire walkways for them to free-range in order to protect them from predators.

Oh gracious sakes, must he follow our every move cluck, scratch.

Here are some photos of them...

Happiness

I can do all things through him who strengthens me...

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