We made the 3rd move of the pasture pen on Sunday morning. You can see how the birds’ scorched earth policy affects the pasture. But in 1 month you won’t be able to tell.
The broilers are 12 weeks old now. We have 6 Australorp roosters and 1 Barred Rock rooster. The poor hens! There are 4 roosters in the above photo. Can you spot them?
Roosters have a pecking order also. It’s so strong it suppresses the expression of rooster characteristics to some degree. This rooster is a junior. He’s slim, shorter tail feathers, and not hanging with the crowd bossing around hens.
This is a more senior rooster, but not the top dog. His body is fuller, tail feathers longer, and exhibiting typical rooster behavior. (I didn’t have my hat on, so was not recognized.)
I couldn’t get a photo of the big rooster. He appears to be nearly twice the size of the first photo. He looks nearly full grown, at 12 weeks, and makes the hens miserable.
The Barred Rock rooster has always been a wimp, and that hasn’t changed.
My husband caught a Buff Orpington hen on Sunday and we checked her out. She still felt like a gawky teenager, thin breast and thighs and light weight. But they have another month to go, so hopefully they will fill out properly.
