Well, hello again, everyone. I haven't been active much with our chickens. With our first flock, my family would sit in lawn chairs in the chicken yard and the hens would hop up on us. Our first rooster was a sweetheart who would snuggle with us—Buckeyes are supposed to be very friendly, so we just thought that's how they all were. Then a bobcat wiped out the entire flock.
We hatched five of their eggs, two of which were roosters, who are traditional rooster jerks. We can't turn our backs on them or they attack, so no more sitting in the yard and relaxing with chickens! No amount of "conditioning" no matter the method has convinced the boys to change their ways, although if I carry a rake with me, they don't charge (it's a visual deterrent). Our first rooster died trying to protect his girls. On challenging days, I'm tempted to let the sons "free range."