Meet our rooster. He is a two year old New Hampshire Red and the lord of our flock. Out of our twenty-six contestant roosters he was the winner – the others are stew or soon to be. He won because he has good form, performs his duties with the hens giving us fertile eggs which are needed when we hatch our own, he is alert and warns the sisters of danger, he survived our winters without getting frost bite on his comb, he gets along well with the other animals and is not mean, he does not crow obnoxiously at all hours, he does crow in the morning as he should (4:30 am rain, shine or darkness) and he is a beautiful bird. (No, he is not one legged – he’s just holding one foot up off the snow.) There was a lot of competition for this top slot so he deserves some applause. Now he needs a name as the official head chicken…
“The Mob is a form of government – consider what happens if you don’t pay your taxes.”
5째째F/17째F, 2″ Snow, Partly Sunny
Walter Jeffries Tinker, Tailor… A bit eclectic & a tad eccentric, polymath, quantum mechanic & Farmer. Also lucky at cards.
He’s a handsome one at that! Lucky too, it sounds like.
I had a rooster that looked like that. I think it was a Rhode Island Red. One rooster and three hens. They would follow my daughter and her friends around like baby ducks. She got a kick out of it. Her friends were a little leery of them though. Ah, the good ole days…
hello, i have been lurking here a while…. LOVE THE SITE! anyways, any advice why my chickens have stopped laying eggs? They are not molting. have 18 hens, one rooster and they laid until the bitter cold so we moved them to an inside coop with a heat light, give them oyster shells once a week and feeding them as normal with fresh water, etc. We used to get 12-15 eggs each day, we cannot figure out what has happened. we did start using cedar shavings for them but I cannot imagine that would make a difference at all. We were using “normal” shavings for the bedding. Looks like you might be an expert…Any advice would be great!
thanks
Eclectic Culture Farm (TM)
Homemakerang
Quite a good looking fellow.
Copper came to my mind as a name, not only because of his gorgeous orange/red color but also because his tail feathers remind me of the look of older copper that has turned green. :-)
I thought about helping you out in this department, but I’m not quite “the name guy” as our Goldfish(s) was named Fred, Fred the 2nd, Fred III. (Each Fred is now dead) Our 1st cat was Wally who ran away so we picked up one just like him (a kitten) and I named him Wally 2.0 (an upgrade) Perhaps “kip” or “Haan” which respectively is “Chicken” and “Rooster” in Dutch. (why I know this is really what worries me!) ;)
Your rooster reminds me of a story my mom tells(she was raised on a farm)they had just recieved a bunch of chicks and my grandpa was putting them in their pen, my aunt who was about 3 years old at the time was helping. She looked at the chicks and said “Thems some pretty chickens…I wish I was a rooster!”
If he was my rooster I think Id name him Bob or Eugene
My sister names all her bulls “Dudley”, one after another, one Dudley per year, year after year. Our only rooster was named “Rooster-booster” by the 4 year old. He was vicious, though, so he went the way of all flesh.
Sounds like we have a Rooster Naming Contest – Brad Pitt, Copper… Keep those entries coming. The winner gets the first egg laid by the rooster! :)
Eclectic Culture Farm, my best guess is that they are upset over the move. I have had this happen when I make major changes the hens will stop laying for a while. Usually within a week or two they are back to full production. I have learned to make small gradual changes when possible as that upsets them less. In the mean time, do all the ‘right things’ like providing them with fresh water, food, 14 hours of light per day, calcium, grit, etc. We also spred some hay on the snow in front of the coop. They are not terribly fond of walking on the fluffy white stuff we get in this neck of the woods. Cheers, -Walter
i like the name Stew for a rooster. it is a constant reminder of life’s brevity.
We have a banty with that color and form. His name is Satan based on his attitude. Isn’t it amazing how a bird with tropical origins can handle almost any climate?
As for a name, how about Ego? He must have a big one to have beat out all the other guys and have a bevy of ladies to please.
He’s a handsome, regal fellow. The name Caesar leaped to mind.
You have a beautiful cock.
How about naming him Rex?
He is the kimg of the hill!
what about Rocky like the movie “Chicken Run” ~ what was that old rooster in it called? was it Sargent?
All the perfect attributes of a fine rooster!
THANKS for your advice! They only moved one foot in, actually we just closed their door so they cannot go outside, maybe that is the issue… I will open their door tonight!
warmly
Eclectic Culture Farm
We have an Americana rooster named “Mr Rooster Sir” He runs his hen house like a military school ;)
I wish our rooster was brave enough to go out in the snow – he stays in the barn the minute the white stuff hits!
Hello Walter,
I’m curious about how selectively breeding chickens works. When trying to decide which hen lays the most/best eggs, how do you know who’s eggs are who’s? Do you restock your flock with purebreds from a hatchery at all to diversify genetics? I read in another post that you use an incubator at least part of the time to hatch eggs. But when you leave it to the hens, have you ever intentionally had a broody hen incubate the eggs of a better layer, and if so how? Or, do you take a more hands off approach and wait for a broody hen to take it upon herself to raise a clutch of eggs out in the brush?
I love your website! Thank you for all of the information and great stories. I can’t wait to have my own (very small) farm one day!
Jessie N.
Jessie, we’ve had a hen brood on occasion, both on purpose and by accident. It works and is the easiest method in the warm weather. The incubator I made out of a cooler is good for cool months. The selection factor comes from the fact that a hen who lays more eggs puts more marbles in the bag to be drawn out when and if we did a random selection. The reality is I can tell the eggs apart from many of the hens by shape, texture and color so the draw isn’t even quite random – the house is setting the odds. :)
I can see why he has won so many awards, almost perfect type. Close to the standard. Do you mind if I use the photo to juxtapose the standard’s photo with your? I am working on a Intro to Purebred Poultry powerpoint in Florida.