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Pecker has been showing aggression for about 2 weeks. Roos always start off little and the trick is to keep it little. I have been dealing with his issues using a little Chickenology to work with him. His roosterishness has been held in check; it has been working. Also keep in mind that Pecker is a Buff Orpington, so whatever aggressions that he has will be inhibited as compared to some of the other breeds of poultry.
Those of us that have had poultry, know how chickens don't take change very well; they like consistancy and repitition. I have established a rountine with the flock. Since the flock has been in the run, I get up and let them out at the same time everymorning (+/- a few minutes). While they mill about, I clean their waterer; wash and refill all the pans and tubs for the day (we have been in triple digits). The last thing I do is check the feed hopper in the run to see if it needs to be topped off for the day. Its a daily routine, and they are used to this routine. The flock likes the routine, they know the routine, they like things to be predictable.
This morning my wife quietly got up early and let me sleep in. She went out to the run and let the flock out; that was a change; to them it was probably a major change. Pecker met her at the gate and charged her, so she retreated away and ran back up the stairs....Pecker just won his first ever challenge with a person; his roosterishness has been renewed.
There are subtle ways of controlling a rooster's aggressions, these animals run on instinct so use that knowledge to your advantage. You don't want to get into the habit of kicking or hitting an animal with a brain that has a volume equal to a thimble. Once you start hitting a rooster to show them who is boss...you've lost, and it will only get worse and it may never get better.
The ratio of your brain to body mass is much bigger; and as such it is a more adaptive tool. Rule #1 is ....Never ever show the rooster that he is boss. Learn to recognize the signs of aggression and deal with them in a way that the rooster understands...appeal to his instincts, because that is all that he has to work with; roosters don't reason, they react.
I am now back to square one with ole Pecker. I went out and sure enough he was feeling his oats, so I induced his aggression and again established his position in relation to me and the rest of the flock....all seems well for the moment. Though I'm sure that I'll have to go through the whole aggression training with him again. We'll see what happens when I come home after UNC today.
Maybe I should post a "Chickenology: Dealing with a ROO & his Oats".
Those of us that have had poultry, know how chickens don't take change very well; they like consistancy and repitition. I have established a rountine with the flock. Since the flock has been in the run, I get up and let them out at the same time everymorning (+/- a few minutes). While they mill about, I clean their waterer; wash and refill all the pans and tubs for the day (we have been in triple digits). The last thing I do is check the feed hopper in the run to see if it needs to be topped off for the day. Its a daily routine, and they are used to this routine. The flock likes the routine, they know the routine, they like things to be predictable.
This morning my wife quietly got up early and let me sleep in. She went out to the run and let the flock out; that was a change; to them it was probably a major change. Pecker met her at the gate and charged her, so she retreated away and ran back up the stairs....Pecker just won his first ever challenge with a person; his roosterishness has been renewed.
There are subtle ways of controlling a rooster's aggressions, these animals run on instinct so use that knowledge to your advantage. You don't want to get into the habit of kicking or hitting an animal with a brain that has a volume equal to a thimble. Once you start hitting a rooster to show them who is boss...you've lost, and it will only get worse and it may never get better.
The ratio of your brain to body mass is much bigger; and as such it is a more adaptive tool. Rule #1 is ....Never ever show the rooster that he is boss. Learn to recognize the signs of aggression and deal with them in a way that the rooster understands...appeal to his instincts, because that is all that he has to work with; roosters don't reason, they react.
I am now back to square one with ole Pecker. I went out and sure enough he was feeling his oats, so I induced his aggression and again established his position in relation to me and the rest of the flock....all seems well for the moment. Though I'm sure that I'll have to go through the whole aggression training with him again. We'll see what happens when I come home after UNC today.
Maybe I should post a "Chickenology: Dealing with a ROO & his Oats".
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