- Oct 21, 2009
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Hi,
After the wind yesterday, my coop fell over (this is a normal occurrence). Usually my rooster and hen leave me and any helpers alone until the coop is righted and I try to get them back in. Not today. My rooster, who has shown dominance in the past, but is usually manageable, started following us closely. When we reached the coop, he did, too, and started to spar with me and my mom.
I read that after a fight, whichever rooster wins, stays winner for a while, so I thought I would just give him a couple firm, light nudges with my foot as I had done before and he would stand down. No, he kept on and on. So, remembering some other advice I had received, I picked him up and held him by his feet upside down. He seemed okay while hanging there. I had heard that it doesn't hurt them, but it helps establish dominance in a nice way.
Well, when I flipped him right side up to hold him and stroke him (he is usually so nice when I hold him), I saw some blood on his lower beak. Before I could pet him any more and check if he was okay, he reached out and bit my free hand. I was surprised, I thought he would have already been tamed by the flipping!! We stuck him in a garbage can with some food an scratch for now, until I release him in the coop. He seems okay in there because he is crowing.
Is this regular behavior to happen all of a sudden? (My first thought is "rabid chicken!", but that is probably not true) Is he just being over-sensitive because of the time of year or something?
Does flipping him actually lead to worse behavior?
I unfortunately don't have time to hold him everyday, or I would and tame him that way. Is there something else I can do, to protect myself, and not let him win, at least for the immediate time? If I held him like 20 minutes/ 2 times a week, would that be enough to tame him?
Is the bleeding okay? I am a newbie at all this, and I really hope I didn't hurt him.
After the wind yesterday, my coop fell over (this is a normal occurrence). Usually my rooster and hen leave me and any helpers alone until the coop is righted and I try to get them back in. Not today. My rooster, who has shown dominance in the past, but is usually manageable, started following us closely. When we reached the coop, he did, too, and started to spar with me and my mom.
I read that after a fight, whichever rooster wins, stays winner for a while, so I thought I would just give him a couple firm, light nudges with my foot as I had done before and he would stand down. No, he kept on and on. So, remembering some other advice I had received, I picked him up and held him by his feet upside down. He seemed okay while hanging there. I had heard that it doesn't hurt them, but it helps establish dominance in a nice way.
Well, when I flipped him right side up to hold him and stroke him (he is usually so nice when I hold him), I saw some blood on his lower beak. Before I could pet him any more and check if he was okay, he reached out and bit my free hand. I was surprised, I thought he would have already been tamed by the flipping!! We stuck him in a garbage can with some food an scratch for now, until I release him in the coop. He seems okay in there because he is crowing.
Is this regular behavior to happen all of a sudden? (My first thought is "rabid chicken!", but that is probably not true) Is he just being over-sensitive because of the time of year or something?
Does flipping him actually lead to worse behavior?
I unfortunately don't have time to hold him everyday, or I would and tame him that way. Is there something else I can do, to protect myself, and not let him win, at least for the immediate time? If I held him like 20 minutes/ 2 times a week, would that be enough to tame him?
Is the bleeding okay? I am a newbie at all this, and I really hope I didn't hurt him.
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