Awesome thread! Showing some love for roosters
We have 2 mature roosters in our flock. The boss is Red, a red Cochin Bantam. He's a gentleman and very good at watching out for his girls. The next in line is our SLW, Penguin. Red was already mature and in charge when we added Penguin so he made it known right away that he ran the show and kindly keeps Penguin in line.
Penguin went through a rebellious phase a couple of months ago when he turned a year old and made it his daily goal to "attack" my husbands boots. He didn't attack so much as run up to him and give his boot a little chest bump. I don't know what he had against my husbands boots but he was not a fan. He did the same chest bump thing to my youngest daughter and I had her do what I do to keep him in his place on the totem pole under me and that behavior ceased quickly. He never flogged or used his feet or anything like that, just chest bumps. I'm the boss and the chickens know that but the kids and the husband don't spend as much time with them so they had to do a little work with him (picking him up and holding him, not letting him mount the hens in their presence, etc) and now he's settled down and is perfectly nice. Even Red would go at him sometimes when he would act up with us. Red, on the other hand, has never had an issue with us. He's a gem.
We have 38 chickens of varying ages. The mature roosters share the adult hens pretty fairly and the only one Red really gets angry about Penguin bothering is my Cochin hen. That is Red's girl and he ain't having it! It surprises me some days how well they get along. I can see them plotting to steal some of the young pullets away from the other guy already. Penguin will soon be moving to a new coop with his own SLW ladies and replacing him in the mixed flock will be Gladys, a young Polish/Sultan cross that I'm pretty sure is also part lap dog.
If they didn't free range all day, I don't think they would get along as well as they do but having 20 acres to roam as they choose helps a ton. Many nights when I go lock them up, they are side by side on the roost. I hope Red and Gladys will get along this well. They seem to be pretty cool with each other so far.
Penguin
Red
Red, Penguin, Rocky and George
We have 2 mature roosters in our flock. The boss is Red, a red Cochin Bantam. He's a gentleman and very good at watching out for his girls. The next in line is our SLW, Penguin. Red was already mature and in charge when we added Penguin so he made it known right away that he ran the show and kindly keeps Penguin in line.
Penguin went through a rebellious phase a couple of months ago when he turned a year old and made it his daily goal to "attack" my husbands boots. He didn't attack so much as run up to him and give his boot a little chest bump. I don't know what he had against my husbands boots but he was not a fan. He did the same chest bump thing to my youngest daughter and I had her do what I do to keep him in his place on the totem pole under me and that behavior ceased quickly. He never flogged or used his feet or anything like that, just chest bumps. I'm the boss and the chickens know that but the kids and the husband don't spend as much time with them so they had to do a little work with him (picking him up and holding him, not letting him mount the hens in their presence, etc) and now he's settled down and is perfectly nice. Even Red would go at him sometimes when he would act up with us. Red, on the other hand, has never had an issue with us. He's a gem.
We have 38 chickens of varying ages. The mature roosters share the adult hens pretty fairly and the only one Red really gets angry about Penguin bothering is my Cochin hen. That is Red's girl and he ain't having it! It surprises me some days how well they get along. I can see them plotting to steal some of the young pullets away from the other guy already. Penguin will soon be moving to a new coop with his own SLW ladies and replacing him in the mixed flock will be Gladys, a young Polish/Sultan cross that I'm pretty sure is also part lap dog.
If they didn't free range all day, I don't think they would get along as well as they do but having 20 acres to roam as they choose helps a ton. Many nights when I go lock them up, they are side by side on the roost. I hope Red and Gladys will get along this well. They seem to be pretty cool with each other so far.
Penguin
Red
Red, Penguin, Rocky and George
