Chronicles of Raising Meat Birds - Modern Broilers, Heritage and Hybrids

[Kusanar]

I’d hardly count on me being the “dominant” one, although I have tried and tried to implement a “keep to yourself” mentality. I do have a very firm yet soft demeanor from dealing with so many horses. I feel like my timing is pretty good to release any pressure when I get what I want. I’ve noticed that a quick release when I get what I’m looking for builds a lot of respect from chickens just like it does in horses. It must be that they’re both prey animals.

This probably explains it. You are talking to him like a rooster would through your body language. Using pressure and release to get what you want with the least pressure.

I'm sure that chickens, like horses, have a situation where the most dominant doesn't actually fight anyone (except maybe the 2nd place guy) once he gets top place, there is hardly ever a situation where the top guy picks on the 3rd or 4th in line but most of the bickering happens between animals that are next to each other in rank (1st and 2nd, 2nd and 3rd, etc) as they all try to move a rung up.

With you acting sure of yourself but not acting like you are worried that someone will knock you off the top spot, that puts you VERY firmly in the top spot, and if there is a cockeral that is above him but below you, well, that puts him WAY at the bottom in his mind.

 

[jolenesdad]

This probably explains it. You are talking to him like a rooster would through your body language. Using pressure and release to get what you want with the least pressure.

I'm sure that chickens, like horses, have a situation where the most dominant doesn't actually fight anyone (except maybe the 2nd place guy) once he gets top place, there is hardly ever a situation where the top guy picks on the 3rd or 4th in line but most of the bickering happens between animals that are next to each other in rank (1st and 2nd, 2nd and 3rd, etc) as they all try to move a rung up.

With you acting sure of yourself but not acting like you are worried that someone will knock you off the top spot, that puts you VERY firmly in the top spot, and if there is a cockeral that is above him but below you, well, that puts him WAY at the bottom in his mind.

My lead mare is a LIFEsaver and keeps everyone in line by just being there. When she is out of the herd ALL HELL BREAKS LOOSE from the number 2 and 3 trying to push everyone around.

 

[Mosey2003]

I totally brought the horse savvy to rooster handling too

I rarely ever have a problem, so when I do it's fairly clear that the bird in question may not need to breed on or keep his head. I always move in the pens very purposefully, I go exactly where I want to go, and if that means the rooster is in my path, he gets to move. I never chase, but I make it clear I am coming through here and you'll need to move please.

My current breeder did test me a bit last fall; he was doing the big wing flapping and kind of running at me when I'd open the kennel gate. But he always stopped short of actually coming after me. I just held my ground and stared straight at him until he deflated and moved on, then I went about my business collecting eggs or dumping feed. If he puffed back up, I stared him down again. I don't mind a bit of testing like that, an active and protecting rooster is a sign of vigor, and I'm all about the vigor. You actually make contact with me more than once? Bye Felipe.

 

[jolenesdad]

Bye, Felipe.

 

[aart]

I’ve thought that but sort of discounted it. I don’t know though.

I've seen it with groups of cockerels(under about 16 weeks).

I've found horse, and other livestock keepers, are much better at understanding 'pecking orders'.

 

[Kusanar]

I've seen it with groups of cockerels(under about 16 weeks).

I've found horse, and other livestock keepers, are much better at understanding 'pecking orders'.

Probably because when a 10 pound rooster flogs you it's annoying and painful, when a 1,000 pound horse does the equivalent you're dead or in the hospital. You tend to put up with less when the stakes are higher and livestock keepers are just in the habit of not letting stuff start that can be a problem later (at least good ones are).

I know I am more tolerant of my mini acting up than I am of my stallion, if Stud did half the stuff that Pippin does he would be drenched in sweat and laying on the ground by the time I was done with him (been there, done that, deflates that ego big time if you can get them to submit to the point they lay down for you). But, that said, I still don't put up with more out of Pippin than I would out of a big dog.

 

[Morrigan]

Not a horse keeper, but have raised dogs for most of my adult life including rottweilers, so I don't approach my roosters with fear or trepidation, or put up with any attitude from them. I just do my chores around them in a matter of fact way, and make sure they respectfully move out of my way as needed. If I see any signs of unwanted behavior, that cockerel goes to first in line for freezer camp. Life's too short and there are too many good roosters out there to deal with nonsense.

My last rooster, Duke would let the young ones crow and mate around him, at least until they got too randy, then he would chase the away from his hens. My current Naked Neck "rooster" (really an 9 month cockerel) has been much more diligent about keeping the younger cockerels in line, and I've seen very little crowing and mating out of them. I'm actually like the behaviors of the NN more so than Duke, who I thought was a fairly solid rooster. I had plans of getting Dorkings this year, and raising up a Dorking rooster, but I've been so pleased with NN, I've put that off for at least one more year. For such a young boy, he has been remarkably calm and good with the hens.

Speaking of him, of the 9 eggs that he fertilized that are in the incubator, so far one has hatched -- one of the two NN hen eggs. Both Red Ranger hen eggs have pipped, as has one of the slow white broiler eggs. We are at 20 days, and 17 hours as I type, so I'm thinking the next 24 hours are going to be busy ones. Very interested to see if, and how many, of the NN hybrids express the NN gene.

 

[FortCluck]

I've seen it with groups of cockerels(under about 16 weeks).

I've found horse, and other livestock keepers, are much better at understanding 'pecking orders'.

When 'squatch isn't in view of the those 3 Cockerels. They start picking on all of the new pullets that he protects. They also start fighting with each other I always go outside and tell them to knock it off then squatch comes and chases them they run like crazy because he's huge. No one dares to challenge him.

 

[Morrigan]

When 'squatch isn't in view of the those 3 Cockerels. They start picking on all of the new pullets that he protects. They also start fighting with each other I always go outside and tell them to knock it off then squatch comes and chases them they run like crazy because he's huge. No one dares to challenge him.

Is March 7th still your target date for butchering?

 

[FortCluck]

Not a horse keeper, but have raised dogs for most of my adult life including rottweilers, so I don't approach my roosters with fear or trepidation, or put up with any attitude from them. I just do my chores around them in a matter of fact way, and make sure they respectfully move out of my way as needed. If I see any signs of unwanted behavior, that cockerel goes to first in line for freezer camp. Life's too short and there are too many good roosters out there to deal with nonsense.

My last rooster, Duke would let the young ones crow and mate around him, at least until they got too randy, then he would chase the away from his hens. My current Naked Neck "rooster" (really an 9 month cockerel) has been much more diligent about keeping the younger cockerels in line, and I've seen very little crowing and mating out of them. I'm actually like the behaviors of the NN more so than Duke, who I thought was a fairly solid rooster. I had plans of getting Dorkings this year, and raising up a Dorking rooster, but I've been so pleased with NN, I've put that off for at least one more year. For such a young boy, he has been remarkably calm and good with the hens.

Speaking of him, of the 9 eggs that he fertilized that are in the incubator, so far one has hatched -- one of the two NN hen eggs. Both Red Ranger hen eggs have pipped, as has one of the slow white broiler eggs. We are at 20 days, and 17 hours as I type, so I'm thinking the next 24 hours are going to be busy ones. Very interested to see if, and how many, of the NN hybrids express the NN gene.

I completely understand your ways because I do the same thing. I just started lining up cockerels for the freezer... Before now I was giving them to the person I'm hatching duck eggs for because he uses them for meat and for breeding. We basically have a bartering program with each other... I give him some Cockerels or roosters and he gives me some fertile chicken eggs or duck eggs. It works out because I can add new bloodlines into my flock.

I have to keep one of the chicks that I just hatch from him because they have been bred with my olive egger roosters that I gave him last year. So hopefully I'll get my olive eggs back

Life is definitely too short to deal with attitudes and a flock especially when they're directed towards you. I used to try to let it slide until one day I couldn't let it slide anymore. from then on I told myself that they would either go to the freezer or to our friend.