thank for the great article! Our first foray into tending a backyard flock gifted us with one Roo, our all iridescent black PepperRoo. He is the light of our garden of hens; from his first hysterical gargling moaning crowing practises to his spot-on kind treatment and management of his girls. He never insists on his perogative, - only covering hens amenable to his advances while letting the girls who aren't in the mood pass by unmolested (so far no bald necks!) - crows a reasonable amount, and always ALWAYS calls the girls over when he finds food - even picking up any really special finds and holding it until one of his harem runs over to accept it.
But. While he has never attacked me, he absolutely cannot abide by my husband. He does crow, mount hens, and rise up to flap his wings in my presence, I think he must consider me to be a tall pink unfeathered mama hen since I'm the one who opens the coop every morning then proceeds to offer all the treats - probably reinforced by my habit of raking back tamped down layers of the straw and leaves so they can get at any worms or tender shoots hiding beneath every now and then.
But PepperRoo obviously sees my husband as either a threat or a competitor whenever he joins me in the chicken yard. He's tried carrying Pepper tucked under his arm while walking around; he's hand fed Pepper peanuts, he's tried stepping forward into Pepper when he starts showing aggression. That hasn't worked. The latest resort has been for hubby to carry large window screen with him so that when Pepper attacks he hits the screen instead of my husband's shins. Very aggravating for hubby.
We'll try the "pecking" treatment, and - thanks to your article - have my husband try the step-toward movement when Pepper mounts hens, crows, or mantles in his presence. We both agree PR's good behaviors far outweigh his aggressive behavior - especially since, while hubby is the one who makes sure they have food and water inside the coop and closes up the coop every evening after they've gone to roost, he spends very little time with them other than that nightly ritual.
Thanks again for the great tips!
But. While he has never attacked me, he absolutely cannot abide by my husband. He does crow, mount hens, and rise up to flap his wings in my presence, I think he must consider me to be a tall pink unfeathered mama hen since I'm the one who opens the coop every morning then proceeds to offer all the treats - probably reinforced by my habit of raking back tamped down layers of the straw and leaves so they can get at any worms or tender shoots hiding beneath every now and then.
But PepperRoo obviously sees my husband as either a threat or a competitor whenever he joins me in the chicken yard. He's tried carrying Pepper tucked under his arm while walking around; he's hand fed Pepper peanuts, he's tried stepping forward into Pepper when he starts showing aggression. That hasn't worked. The latest resort has been for hubby to carry large window screen with him so that when Pepper attacks he hits the screen instead of my husband's shins. Very aggravating for hubby.
We'll try the "pecking" treatment, and - thanks to your article - have my husband try the step-toward movement when Pepper mounts hens, crows, or mantles in his presence. We both agree PR's good behaviors far outweigh his aggressive behavior - especially since, while hubby is the one who makes sure they have food and water inside the coop and closes up the coop every evening after they've gone to roost, he spends very little time with them other than that nightly ritual.
Thanks again for the great tips!
