New Roosters!

Well, I adopted four roosters from a woman who didn't want to feed them over the winter.  That seems to be a common occurrence with livestock and Montana.  These roos are skinny and need to gain weight.  I suspect they were primarily free-ranged -- if not totally free-ranged.  I figure in a month's time, they'll be ready for freezer camp.

Two Barred Rocks and the Brahma

I will admit that they're awfully pretty.  They are two barred rocks, one bird that looks like a Rhode Island Red to me but the woman said was a New Hampshire Red, and a Brahma.  I'm really partial to the Brahma which is a very big bird.  He's very impressive and has feathered feet.  Anyway, I thought I'd post picts of the birds.

Light Brahma

These guys were starving when I fed them, chowing down on 10 lbs of food in 24 hours.  That's a lot.  Now, granted I have a turkey and two ducks with them, but these guys don't suck down that much food.  I think when they get used to eating on a schedule, they'll chill out.  In the meantime, they'll just get fat.  Oh well -- that's really what I want.

They're pretty mild-mannered roosters too.  This morning I got up and found that I had 3 roosters in the pen.  One was missing.  So, after looking around, I found the RIR in the geese pen, cowering by the dog houses.

The barn went from being only moderately noisy to very noisy with five roosters crowing at each other and when I picked up one rooster, they all went into an alarm cluck which sounds like an egg song.  All the chickens picked it up and I got to hear buc-buc-buc-BAWK! at the top of their lungs.  It was cute, if noisy.  Even the 4 week old chicks cheeped in.

The RIR or NHR Roo

On another note, I have 10 eggs in the incubator.  Hopefully Blue Orpingtons and Easter Eggers.  I want an Easter Egger roo and a couple of blue orpingtons.  I'll take splashes like the last chick.