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Okay... I think I know what is causing this, and I think there is nothing I can do about it. But I wanted to ask anyway, just in case.
Of the four French Black Copper Marans chicks I bought in January, one of them has grown up into a fine young rooster. Actually, I went to buy two, and ended up with two free ones from yard eggs (she gave them to me, because she couldn't sell them pedigreed... she knew their mother was one of three French Black Copper Marans, but didn't know which). Anyway, he started trying his pipes out a few weeks ago, and can now crow pretty well, albeit in a lower key than the neighboring roosters use, and still a little hoarse. He's getting there, though.
Backing up a little... when we first added the new chicken coop/run to the rabbitry, and cut the door into the rabbitry, the very next morning one neighbor's free-range rooster was right there on the other side of the wire from all of our young girls, all of whom were still too young to start laying. That didn't stop him from showing off big time, trying hard to woo them.
Here he is outside the run in the morning light, looking like he's auditioning for the Corn Flakes box:
Close-up:
As you can see, he's quite showy... a gorgeous rooster. He's a Kelso, the last one left of a line of fighting roosters the neighbor's father raised before it was illegal to fight them. He spends his days over here now, and has ever since we opened up the run. :roll: He does not have access to our chickens, but that doesn't stop him. He'll run home to check on his own harem occasionally, and then he's right back. One of his hens joined him for a couple of weeks, but she hasn't been over in a long time.
We call him Fancy Pants.
As for our rooster, his name is Galaxy:
The picture doesn't do him justice, as the light ended up all out of whack (as you can see, Bunny-Wan Kenobi looks like he's glowing). He's a slightly iridescent black, and he's starting to get his copper in. If I recall correctly, he hatched on December 22nd.
So anyway, Fancy thinks the girls are his, even though he has no access, and Galaxy is very young, but understands that these are his girls. I know that they fight through the wire sometimes, as my beloved Shay looked out the window recently to see Fancy flopping around on the ground, his spurs caught in the wire. He said Fancy was pretty foolish looking, and I can only imagine! :lol: Fancy got himself unstuck... there was no way Shay was going to try to free a hormonal rooster, even though he follows us around like a puppy the rest of the time.
I have also witnessed lesser squabbles between them through the wire, and they last only briefly -- they get broken up when one of the girls pounces on Galaxy as if to say, "Cut that fighting out!"
Here is a picture of the run, with Galaxy inside with the girls (he's in front, next to the water bottle), and you can see Fancy outside. There is 2"x4" wire around the run, with chicken wire inside of the lower part.
The issue is that Galaxy has raw skin on his legs. I think it's from fighting through the wire. I think the feathered shanks and feet contribute to the problem. Sometimes it looks more red, sometimes less.
Left leg (you can see one of his little button spurs :lol: ):
Right leg:
I don't know what I would do to prevent this... I don't think there's really anything I can do. But does it seem that this is probably what is causing the issue?
Of the four French Black Copper Marans chicks I bought in January, one of them has grown up into a fine young rooster. Actually, I went to buy two, and ended up with two free ones from yard eggs (she gave them to me, because she couldn't sell them pedigreed... she knew their mother was one of three French Black Copper Marans, but didn't know which). Anyway, he started trying his pipes out a few weeks ago, and can now crow pretty well, albeit in a lower key than the neighboring roosters use, and still a little hoarse. He's getting there, though.
Backing up a little... when we first added the new chicken coop/run to the rabbitry, and cut the door into the rabbitry, the very next morning one neighbor's free-range rooster was right there on the other side of the wire from all of our young girls, all of whom were still too young to start laying. That didn't stop him from showing off big time, trying hard to woo them.
Here he is outside the run in the morning light, looking like he's auditioning for the Corn Flakes box:
Close-up:
As you can see, he's quite showy... a gorgeous rooster. He's a Kelso, the last one left of a line of fighting roosters the neighbor's father raised before it was illegal to fight them. He spends his days over here now, and has ever since we opened up the run. :roll: He does not have access to our chickens, but that doesn't stop him. He'll run home to check on his own harem occasionally, and then he's right back. One of his hens joined him for a couple of weeks, but she hasn't been over in a long time.
We call him Fancy Pants.
As for our rooster, his name is Galaxy:
The picture doesn't do him justice, as the light ended up all out of whack (as you can see, Bunny-Wan Kenobi looks like he's glowing). He's a slightly iridescent black, and he's starting to get his copper in. If I recall correctly, he hatched on December 22nd.
So anyway, Fancy thinks the girls are his, even though he has no access, and Galaxy is very young, but understands that these are his girls. I know that they fight through the wire sometimes, as my beloved Shay looked out the window recently to see Fancy flopping around on the ground, his spurs caught in the wire. He said Fancy was pretty foolish looking, and I can only imagine! :lol: Fancy got himself unstuck... there was no way Shay was going to try to free a hormonal rooster, even though he follows us around like a puppy the rest of the time.
I have also witnessed lesser squabbles between them through the wire, and they last only briefly -- they get broken up when one of the girls pounces on Galaxy as if to say, "Cut that fighting out!"
Here is a picture of the run, with Galaxy inside with the girls (he's in front, next to the water bottle), and you can see Fancy outside. There is 2"x4" wire around the run, with chicken wire inside of the lower part.
The issue is that Galaxy has raw skin on his legs. I think it's from fighting through the wire. I think the feathered shanks and feet contribute to the problem. Sometimes it looks more red, sometimes less.
Left leg (you can see one of his little button spurs :lol: ):
Right leg:
I don't know what I would do to prevent this... I don't think there's really anything I can do. But does it seem that this is probably what is causing the issue?
