That's what roos are for, to protect the hens. They do an OK job, but Barred Rocks are known to be laid back and sweet (mine was a total sweetie). I think that breed is wonderful. :) Usually feral cats aren't a problem unless there are chicks--adult chickens are too big for them to take on. At 5 weeks your birds are still very much on the menu. I wouldn't let them roam full-time until they were at least 2 months old. Youngster chicks are very adventurous and love to explore. I'd think the roos will work once they are adults, but any time you let your birds free range you have to be willing to accept a partial or complete massacre by predators--around here I worry about hawks and possums more than feral cats, although we frequently have cats show up in the back yard. My Barred Rock roo once successfully fought a Red Tailed hawk off of one of my buff cochin bantam hens--all this while I was standing not more than 6 or 7 yards away! His courage and instant action was amazing. Velvet ~:>

Poor Fred! It sounds like he suffered not only a physical injury but maybe a brain injury as well. Does he seem to have trouble balancing or walking? This problem is called Crookneck, also sometimes Twirling and/or Stargazing, if you do some research online you can fine out more and see if it fits. After all this time I don't know what you could do for him...A Silkie breeder friend of mine has a treatment involving Selenium and Vitamin E for head injuries to crested breeds, you could try it I guess. For what it's worth, here's his advice for treating Crookneck, caused by a blow to the head or bad feed, the text between the rows of **'s is his advice: ******************* Here is my theory and therapy for what some call "limber neck" and I call crookneck. The symptoms first show as a crook in the neck. It progresses to tucking the head, then tucking the head between the legs, then backing up, and tumbling over. It usually hits young birds but can happen at any age. It is unclear what causes crookneck. American Silkie Bantam Club members suggest water on the brain, vitamin E deficiency, and injury to the brain that is outside the skull and forms the knob on the top of Silkie's heads. Water on the brain was seen in a necropsy of an affected bird. Prednisone was suggested as symptomatic relief. Vitamin E and B complex are both good for neurological disorders. Selenium helps absorb vitamin E. Here's what I do for affected birds. If started before symptoms get severe, the bird will totally recover. To give vitamin E - just cut the end off a human capsule and squirt it in the bird's mouth. It is important to be sure the bird gets enough to eat and drink while it has this problem. Birds with severe cases of crookneck can't eat and drink enough to survive. You will need to gently place their head in the feed dish and carefully dip just the tip of the beak in water. Be careful not to dip too far into the water and to not stress the bird while trying to help. For the first week I give Twice a day 2.5 mg of prednisone 400 IU of vitamin E Once a day A piece of human vitamin B complex pill or a squirt of human liquid vitamins Selenium (50 micrograms/day for half size juvenile for 3 days) For the second week I give Once a day 2.5 mg of prednisone 400 IU of vitamin E A piece of human vitamin B complex pill or a squirt of human liquid vitamins Every other day Selenium (50 micrograms/day for half size juvenile for 3 days) For the following weeks I give Once a day 2.5 mg of prednisone 400 IU of vitamin E A piece of human vitamin B complex pill or a squirt of human liquid vitamins Every third day Selenium (50 micrograms/day for half size juvenile for 3 days) Do not abruptly stop prednisone, the swelling rebounds, decrease dose gradually. Vitamin E recovery can be slow; continue the vitamin E for several weeks at least. You can get the prednisone from a vet; just describe the problem of swelling in the brain probably due to injury. Yes, Silkies' brains do stick out through a hole on the top of the skull. You can get the vitamin E, selenium, and vitamin B complex or liquid vitamins at any pharmacy. ****************** When I used this technique I could not get Prednisone and had to stick with just the Vit E and Selenium, it worked out fine. Good luck! Velvet ~:>

When someone just says Alum I think it typically refers to Potasium Aluminum Sulfate KAl2(So4)4·12H2O, which is what is typically offered in the spice section of a grocery store, its also the name of the class of compounds that that belongs too (and that's where your formula comes in). Making Alum is the first chemistry experiment that I did in highschool that I remember the procedure for (I remember doing others before, but can't remember the procedures) So moving on, is this being used here as a styptic/ antihemorrhageic and do you see any problem with the potential use of black pepper in its stead? I shave with a straight razor and will occasionally cut myself really well and when my alum block doesn't stop the bleeding I go get my pepper grinder and rub the cuts down with some fine ground black pepper, it does the trick when Alum fails me, it was also vital to me stopping the bleeding when I cut off the tip of my thumb two years ago, and it slowly bled for the next 36 hours because a scab just couldn't form. I lost like three quarters of a cup of blood before one of the guys who runs food services here suggested that trick to me.

Butch Taylor grew out some Trinidad Scorpion seeds next to some Cumari pepper plants in 2005 or so. The next year he noticed some of his Scorpions from the seed he saved were hotter and looked different than the other Scorpions he grew. Butch T's may or may not have crossed with the Cumari. He doesn't know but the Scorpions that were later known as Butch T's were stable and were tested by Hippy seed Co. for the world record. I'm not positive but I think the original Scorpions were Trinidad Scorpion Jonah. Jonah was given as a name to a 7 pot and Scorpion seed because a guy named Jonah brought them to the U.S. with him from wherever-Trinidad...