Leatherworker
Songster
- Feb 22, 2023
- 150
- 253
- 131
I need some thoughts on this. My pullets are 7.5 months old and I raised them to be very friendly and cuddly girls which they are. They sit on my lap, come all around me and want to be petted often. If I call them they come running. We live in a wooded area and have a fenced back yard as well as their own coop and run area. They get the yard most of the day. Hawks and falcons fly over frequently. Our neighbor lost hens from the hawks until having a rooster.
So I thought I would get one to help warn and protect the girls from the hawk threat. My thinking was to get one about their age so they could teach him somewhat on how to behave with them. I wasn't sure if an older one would be worse of better. So I settled for one about a month younger then they are.
I kept him in a look don't touch area for about 2 weeks. They hated him. If they could have gotten to him, they would have killed him, I'm sure.
They finally accepted him as one of them, but no hanky panky they said. He has been here about 2 months now and most of the time he is a pretty good boy. He has a couple of girls allow him privilege's. Others no. He finds them food, calls them over, does the wing dance and most of the time if they refuse, he goes on to the next. He finds opportunities, like if they are resting in the sand to jump on them, which they get up and chase him back and peck him.
But....in the morning, oh my gosh. His hormones are raging and if he can get one, mostly my smallest most timid girl, cause she's easy for him to catch and then he will stand on her and just keep going two or three times. If I see this and can grab him, its down to the ground with his head down. But he will chase them, grab tail feathers.....he's frantic to get one. I realize this is the way of things for a young cockerel but its disturbing to me if he gets to aggressive.
I caught him at night in the roost one night and put him outside the fence for the day. He went crazy to get in with the girls. He called them over to the fence and they came. They spread and grazed, but a few always were next to him. That made me feel bad, cause it seemed to disrupt the whole group.
I see lots of comments on cocks being nasty to people. He is not. Although if one of the girls sits in my lap, which one or more do daily he was grabbing the one that was sitting with me and raped her. Like he is competing with me. That is getting better since the trip outside the fence he had. I am hoping since he has many good traits it seems that maturity will win in the end. He does give warning if a hawk flys over, quite loudly and chases the squirrels out of the yard. (he's practicing on the little guys)
For the rest of the day he really is pretty good and I never have any problems with even thinking he would come at me. I try to respect him for what he is and the job he has been given. However if he ever really hurts one of my girls, he's gone.
Am I correct in my thinking about him? and any other suggestions for me? Thank you ahead. You guys are great.
So I thought I would get one to help warn and protect the girls from the hawk threat. My thinking was to get one about their age so they could teach him somewhat on how to behave with them. I wasn't sure if an older one would be worse of better. So I settled for one about a month younger then they are.
I kept him in a look don't touch area for about 2 weeks. They hated him. If they could have gotten to him, they would have killed him, I'm sure.
They finally accepted him as one of them, but no hanky panky they said. He has been here about 2 months now and most of the time he is a pretty good boy. He has a couple of girls allow him privilege's. Others no. He finds them food, calls them over, does the wing dance and most of the time if they refuse, he goes on to the next. He finds opportunities, like if they are resting in the sand to jump on them, which they get up and chase him back and peck him.
But....in the morning, oh my gosh. His hormones are raging and if he can get one, mostly my smallest most timid girl, cause she's easy for him to catch and then he will stand on her and just keep going two or three times. If I see this and can grab him, its down to the ground with his head down. But he will chase them, grab tail feathers.....he's frantic to get one. I realize this is the way of things for a young cockerel but its disturbing to me if he gets to aggressive.
I caught him at night in the roost one night and put him outside the fence for the day. He went crazy to get in with the girls. He called them over to the fence and they came. They spread and grazed, but a few always were next to him. That made me feel bad, cause it seemed to disrupt the whole group.
I see lots of comments on cocks being nasty to people. He is not. Although if one of the girls sits in my lap, which one or more do daily he was grabbing the one that was sitting with me and raped her. Like he is competing with me. That is getting better since the trip outside the fence he had. I am hoping since he has many good traits it seems that maturity will win in the end. He does give warning if a hawk flys over, quite loudly and chases the squirrels out of the yard. (he's practicing on the little guys)
For the rest of the day he really is pretty good and I never have any problems with even thinking he would come at me. I try to respect him for what he is and the job he has been given. However if he ever really hurts one of my girls, he's gone.
Am I correct in my thinking about him? and any other suggestions for me? Thank you ahead. You guys are great.
