Which is... what? I know Foghorn Leghorn is not a good example to look at, but that's about all I've been exposed to. I've learned MASSIVE amounts just sitting in the chat room and listening and wandering through old posts and reading, but clearly (and I mean that in the best way, I'm not upset to admit it) that isn't enough to base a decision on.
No, dont base your decisions on a caricature. Bill says we shouldn't anthropomorphise at all and he's right. Guess what?
We do. All the time.
He said it was insulting to suggest that people want to mold these creatures to some ideal or mirror image of humanity in an attempt to have a "manageable" bird.
Guess what again? We do. All the time.
We do these things to understand these creatures, each to our own devices. This is very subjective - manageable to me would be a holy terror to you. I WANT a roo to be "aggressive" - you do not.
Is this a lot of chicken/human psychoanalysis? Oh, yeah. I stand by that. The good Mr Leghorn is a great example. So is Bambi.
So what will you get? Well, you wont get a formulaic process or checklist which you can apply universally. You will find with these birds, that each has a different personality. That is amply shown here by the experiences of the respondents. One needs to look no further than the threads here on BYC to learn that. They run the gamut from, "My roo is a honey, sweety pie," to "OMG, he's Satan incarnate!!"
Some generaltities can be made, of course:
Protective
Doting
Belligerent
Breeds like a maniac
Assertive
Defensive
...but, you really dont know what sort of bird you have until he develops. The same can be said for the hen. That is the reason for my caveat about committment. Having that, your own tolerance can develop with the bird. It really does take two to tango.
It also seems to be prudent that you be forewarned, should things not turn out so idyllic.
No, dont base your decisions on a caricature. Bill says we shouldn't anthropomorphise at all and he's right. Guess what?
We do. All the time.
He said it was insulting to suggest that people want to mold these creatures to some ideal or mirror image of humanity in an attempt to have a "manageable" bird.
Guess what again? We do. All the time.
We do these things to understand these creatures, each to our own devices. This is very subjective - manageable to me would be a holy terror to you. I WANT a roo to be "aggressive" - you do not.
Is this a lot of chicken/human psychoanalysis? Oh, yeah. I stand by that. The good Mr Leghorn is a great example. So is Bambi.
So what will you get? Well, you wont get a formulaic process or checklist which you can apply universally. You will find with these birds, that each has a different personality. That is amply shown here by the experiences of the respondents. One needs to look no further than the threads here on BYC to learn that. They run the gamut from, "My roo is a honey, sweety pie," to "OMG, he's Satan incarnate!!"
Some generaltities can be made, of course:
Protective
Doting
Belligerent
Breeds like a maniac
Assertive
Defensive
...but, you really dont know what sort of bird you have until he develops. The same can be said for the hen. That is the reason for my caveat about committment. Having that, your own tolerance can develop with the bird. It really does take two to tango.
It also seems to be prudent that you be forewarned, should things not turn out so idyllic.
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