Delawares from kathyinmo

[finnfur]

The Memorial video on Mike [ Kathy's son ] was exceptionally well done.
For those that would like to see it here is the link.

 

[5pugs]

I am new to the Delaware breed, but have just fallen for them. Plus I live in Delaware, so I am even more interested in them.

Kathy, I met DelDels for the first time last week and she told me of your loss. As a prior Marine I am truly sorry. I don't even know what to say. I do hope you can keep your birds going as I really look forward to helping perpetuate the breed.

Thank you for your efforts with them

 

[Beekissed]

Gave the first etiquette lesson to my chosen cockerel. While I admire that he is defending his flock, he also needs to recognize who carries the feed around here and he needs to know it early on. No exceptions. I was examining some of the hens this evening at about dusk when he bit me~hard...and got his first lesson in picking on someone bigger than him.

Toby jumped down off the roost and went outside to wait politely while I took the young bird to school~Toby has seen this lesson happen before on another rooster and he never had to have a lesson of his own all these years.

When last I saw the youngster he was headed for the woods to nurse his wounded pride. I'm sure he will rejoin the flock when he realizes it's getting dark.

Now, it remains to be seen if he is smart enough to let this be his last lesson or if he will throw down the gauntlet once again when he reaches puberty. I'm hoping this will be the only lesson he needs to have.

 

[EggieRowe]

Gave the first etiquette lesson to my chosen cockerel.  While I admire that he is defending his flock, he also needs to recognize who carries the feed around here and he needs to know it early on.  No exceptions.  I was examining some of the hens this evening at about dusk when he bit me~hard...and got his first lesson in picking on someone bigger than him. 

Toby jumped down off the roost and went outside to wait politely while I took the young bird to school~Toby has seen this lesson happen before on another rooster and he never had to have a lesson of his own all these years. 

When last I saw the youngster he was headed for the woods to nurse his wounded pride.  I'm sure he will rejoin the flock when he realizes it's getting dark. 

Now, it remains to be seen if he is smart enough to let this be his last lesson or if he will throw down the gauntlet once again when he reaches puberty.  I'm hoping this will be the only lesson he needs to have. 

 

Uh oh! What do you do to correct this behavior? I'm afraid my roo did the same thing to me when he hit puberty and apparently I didn't send the right message. He ran out of nowhere and bit me on the hand while I was feeding a hen - broke skin - and I backhanded him across the lawn. He avoided me for a while, but now once a month I get attacked.

 

[Beekissed]

Well....I caught him, took him by the back of his head and flipped him across the coop. Then I chased him down again and grabbed him by the back of the neck and "pecked" him pretty hard several times on the head and a couple of times in the rear. Then I let him go. Then I immediately chased him down again, picked him up by one leg and "pecked" his head and his back over and over, flipped him across the coop and let him run. He streaked for the door and was a white and black blur to the woods.

Every action needs an equal or increased reaction when it comes to cock challenges...I've observed younger birds challenging the older ones and it resembles somewhat just what I did to the young cockerel. The reaction needs to be scary and aggressive enough to remain in his memory, it requires more than one attack to assert supremacy and it needs to be in a mode they can understand, from what I can see.

Tomorrow I will not let him in the coop at feeding time...then I'll finally let him in, but will keep harassing him as he eats until he leaves and waits politely until I am no longer in the coop. School is IN and the lessons are not hard but they are repeated until the student knows the material.

 

[crazyhen]

thank goodness all roos do not need attitude adjustments, I have had perfect gentlemen of GNHs and ORPs That is too funny a description. I know it is so not funny at the time though. It is hard work. Poor you and poor foolish roo.

 

[Beekissed]

Actually, it's not hard work at all....and somewhat satisfying, if you've ever dealt with hard-headed males in your life. It's a time when~finally~a female can teach a male something in a very firm and final way that he will actually remember and heed in the future. That usually doesn't get to happen in the human world, so it's kind of neat to be able to affect change in the chicken world, at least.

 

[finnfur]

Actually, it's not hard work at all....and somewhat satisfying, if you've ever dealt with hard-headed males in your life. It's a time when~finally~a female can teach a male something in a very firm and final way that he will actually remember and heed in the future. That usually doesn't get to happen in the human world, so it's kind of neat to be able to affect change in the chicken world, at least.

Thats correct Bee - no matter the species , when the Testosterone levels rage , you need to establish the pecking order.

 

[finnfur]

I am new to the Delaware breed, but have just fallen for them. Plus I live in Delaware, so I am even more interested in them.

Kathy, I met DelDels for the first time last week and she told me of your loss. As a prior Marine I am truly sorry. I don't even know what to say. I do hope you can keep your birds going as I really look forward to helping perpetuate the breed.

Thank you for your efforts with them

and the KIMNIM Del forum - there are lots of Del Educational/interesting threads on the BYC
If interested here are a few;
https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/291856/delaware-genetics-for-dummies
https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/384349/sdwd
https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/411540/answer-to-the-delaware-dilemma
https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/249618/show-off-your-delawares-pic-heavy
If you finish reading those tonight I am sure we can help you with some more.

 

[Beekissed]

Thats correct Bee - no matter the species , when the Testosterone levels rage , you need to establish the pecking order.

Yes! I raised 3 boys as a single parent....you are preachin' to the choir on that one! Guess that's why I take the rooster challenges to the nth degree...I know that one day that cockbird will be bigger, stronger and more agile and the time to have taught him something good when he was young and easy to train will possibly be lost. I used the same tactic with my boys...put the fear of Mom in them when they were little so they didn't challenge that authority when they were tall enough to look down at my face instead of upwards. It worked! It still works....

I've got me some good boys!