Texas

[Heidisgran]

Quote:
in Burleson

 

[Heidisgran]

Quote:
I have a bunch of Roosters but I also have a bunch of girls....they all get along fine....when there is a scuffle it's minor...they all free range I think if they are kept in close quarters it's a bigger deal...
isn't that sweet and sad about the rehomed baby? I hate having to separate them because they are attached to what they are familiar with and the rest of the flock they were raised with!
the rooster dance keeps us entertained!!

 

[CatKai]

Yes, the dragging the wing and stomping around thing is a dominance behavior. He was letting that one that tried to come back home, know "this is my territory". They also do it to females as a reminder of that they are in charge. They'll do it to let strangers know the same thing whether the stranger is human or not.

Be careful if a cock does that to you - it can progress from there to spurring very quickly, even in birds that are otherwise friendly. If I am in a closed area like the coop/run or if one of them does that to me when I open up the door to "their" territory, I just push them back away from me very firmly - and they go about their business. Have had some that did not leave it alone and continued to go farther....those cocks were quite tasty.

I have never seen anything that could be strictly mating behavior dance - like you see in wild birds - in our flock. If the male wants to mate, he tries to mount. If the female isn't in the mood, she'll squawk and struggle and sometimes throw the male off of her. We do have some cocks that live separately from females, and I have seen them "humping" the ground as if the ground were a hen. Flipped me out the first time I saw it.

If a male is bullying a lot, I have to think long and hard about keeping it (like it better have the best size and type and be a superb specimen for breeding if it has a lousy attitude). Showing dominance is one thing, but frequent bullying is another. It's one thing to have someone get pecked or their comb grabbed by another bird if the "victim" bird gets into the personal space of someone else. But birds that just run other birds around or just suddently reach out and start grabbing or pecking others...that is very stressful to the flock. It can cause the birds not to get enough to eat/drink, they are constantly stressed with hormones racing all the time in anticipation of having to fight the bully or flee. It really just isn't worth keeping a true bully and with the possiblity that the bullying behavior could continue via the offspring - bullys really are better off being butchered. For the health and safety of the chickens and the humans. Cuz getting spurred really sucks.

 

[jajeanpierre]

I have a bunch of Roosters but I also have a bunch of girls....they all get along fine....when there is a scuffle it's minor...they all free range I think if they are kept in close quarters it's a bigger deal...
isn't that sweet and sad about the rehomed baby? I hate having to separate them because they are attached to what they are familiar with and the rest of the flock they were raised with!
the rooster dance keeps us entertained!!

It was one the saddest thing I had ever seen. I saw him across the field and he saw me at the same time. He looked and looked, then slowly walked down the dried river bed through the tall grass and came to my fence trying to get in. All the other free range birds, all Ameraucanas the same age, came to the fence. You could see the conversation going on as they fussed with him. Then the blue cockerel walked up, dropped a wing and stomped and the poor lost one ran/flew back and forth along the fence line. After a few minutes of this, I moved the blue cockerel away and the lost bird calmed down. I tried to phone my neighbor but she wasn't home. I waited around for a good half an hour as he tried to push through the fence. I was afraid to leave him alone in the field with no dog or person to protect him. Finally, with a sad look over his shoulder he slowly trudged off to his new home. I often see him looking at me if I am out with my chickens. It was very sad. I haven't noticed him back since, just looking my way.

 

[jajeanpierre]

Be careful if a cock does that to you - it can progress from there to spurring very quickly, even in birds that are otherwise friendly.

This morning when he did it, I just walked towards him quietly. Not chasing per se, just walking him off with him walking hurriedly in front of me looking over his shoulder.

Does that sound like an appropriate response? Any other suggestions?

 

[jockeyeba]

 

I have a bunch of Roosters but I also have a bunch of girls....they all get along fine....when there is a scuffle it's minor...they all free range I think if they are kept in close quarters it's a bigger deal...
isn't that sweet and sad about the rehomed baby? I hate having to separate them because they are attached to what they are familiar with and the rest of the flock they were raised with!
the rooster dance keeps us entertained!!

It was one the saddest thing I had ever seen.  I saw him across the field and he saw me at the same time.  He looked and looked, then slowly walked down the dried river bed through the tall grass and came to my fence trying to get in.  All the other free range birds, all Ameraucanas the same age, came to the fence.  You could see the conversation going on as they fussed with him.  Then the blue cockerel walked up, dropped a wing and stomped and the poor lost one ran/flew back and forth along the fence line.  After a few minutes of this, I moved the blue cockerel away and the lost bird calmed down.  I tried to phone my neighbor but she wasn't home.  I waited around for a good half an hour as he tried to push through the fence.  I was afraid to leave him alone in the field with no dog or person to protect him.  Finally, with a sad look over his shoulder he slowly trudged off to his new home.  I often see him looking at me if I am out with my chickens.  It was very sad.  I haven't noticed him back since, just looking my way.

It's a good thing though if he actually went back to his new home They do have other chickens for him to be with?

 

[jockeyeba]

Thanks everyone for the kind words about my big guys passing

 

[jajeanpierre]

It's a good thing though if he actually went back to his new home They do have other chickens for him to be with?

Oh, yes, lots of chickens. I've seen him a lot, but he is off by himself--but that isn't unusual for my neighbors chickens. I only see them stay close together when they cross that dried creek bed and go into dangerous territory. Then they are in a close group. My own group are always very close to one another, but they are only 5 months old.

 

[jockeyeba]

It's a good thing though if he actually went back to his new home They do have other chickens for him to be with?

Oh, yes, lots of chickens.  I've seen him a lot, but he is off by himself--but that isn't unusual for my neighbors chickens.  I only see them stay close together when they cross that dried creek bed and go into dangerous territory.  Then they are in a close group.  My own group are always very close to one another, but they are only 5 months old.

The older they get the more independent we get

 

[TammyTX]

Who bought two new Welly pullets...? ME! I went to Sunrise in Elgin/Bastrop again. This time I did what Back2SimpleLife did and I asked Martin a lot of questions about their different birds. They are working on their Cream Legbars but they also had Rhodebars.

Oh, and the HUB's went with me this time!! He was trying hard not to be interested, then he came home and immediately went out and fed the babies some whole wheat bread and one jumped on his shoulder! Thank you, God!

I was reading about the roo behavior above, and my Welly roo, while he is beautiful, is MEAN! Be very careful around them because they WILL wait until you turn your back and then ZAP! to the back of the calves!! Earlier this year I had a bruise that went nearly all the way around my leg...and that's a BIG leg!! One thing I was warned about and that is the violent behavior that occurs when a rooster "takes" a hen against her will (please read between the lines so I don't get into trouble!). It can be very upsetting and I have been known to kick a roo or two for being too aggressive to the hens. I know it's natural, but I don't have to like it.

....actually the blue guy has the same look my roos will get during the deed.....