Does Anybody have a problem with this???

[Lacey1988]

Yea I have he doesn't rush me anymore ....he sees me everyday and my family, its all girls here so when he sees a man walk by there he goes I guess he doesn't like men

 

[JessicaHen]

I hope you all come back as mean roo's in your next life. I agree with Lacey. What is so wrong with humans that they can't love their animals enough to not kill them? I had mean Roos when I was a child and I have one now but I just warn the kids and the really bratty kids I just watch with a smile through the window. It's pretty comical actually. Chickens are the most abused animal on the planet. The disrespect for their life drives me nuts. Since joining this forum I have been very surprised at the lack of true chicken lovers like me on here. I LOVE my animals. I accept them. I don't kill them and eat them. I get so sick of people thinkin it's funny to talk about killing their chickens with such indifference and humor. Just because people have been doing it forever doesn't mean we have to keep doing it. Chickens are easy to abuse. They procreate so quickly and effortlessly. The give more than they take and we in return as humans abuse that everyday. Chickens give us eggs and fertilizer and fluffy little bodies to snuggle. We really don't need to eat so many of them. Just because they come by easily doesn't mean they don't deserve mkrw respect and reverence.

 

[Rays Chickens]

Roo's are Roo's. At present I do Not have a Rooster, however I have 2 coming in April with the rest of my Black Jersey Giants. I handle all my birds while in the brooder. I have had yet had a mean bird Roo or Hen. I once bought some birds from a feed store and they were 4 months old. Different story. It is a flock of 25 and of course after getting use to their new home they established the picking order. Well one of my Barred Rocks took the lead and she was very aggressive tried to attack me a couple times. I went in to the run and when she approached me I ran her off and did so a couple times. Did nothing to hurt her but very up front so to speak ( I ran her butt) to the other end of the yard. Now when I go in the pen she cows down, I rub her or pick her up. She still is number one in the flock until I come in the yard. I also train horses. I have heard the same story about aggressive Roosters. New at chickens, training horses including stallions for most of my life. Well a lot of years. I am 70. Still training horses. Oh because I handle the chicks a lot while young. They get in my lap and eat out of my hand. The breed also plays into it. Just my thoughts.
Rays Chickens

 

[CrazyTalk]

99.99999+% of male chickens are put down in their first couple months of life - either as unwanted chicks (or autosexing breeds), as intentional meat birds, or as unwanted cockerel. Any time you keep a mean rooster, you're doing it directly at the expense of a better rooster.

And any time you allow a mean rooster to breed, you're passing on this trait, and putting people who buy eggs/chicks/birds from you in danger. There's just no reason for it.

 

[HighStreetCoop]

99.99999+% of male chickens are put down in their first couple months of life - either as unwanted chicks (or autosexing breeds), as intentional meat birds, or as unwanted cockerel. Any time you keep a mean rooster, you're doing it directly at the expense of a better rooster.

And any time you allow a mean rooster to breed, you're passing on this trait, and putting people who buy eggs/chicks/birds from you in danger. There's just no reason for it.

+1

A mean roo is a legal liability I simply don't need, not when there are plenty of good ones out there I could give a home to instead.

 

[keesmom]

No mean birds here, male or female. I don't want that trait passed on. A bad attitude puts that bird at the head of the line for freezer camp.

 

[Catie79]

I can see part of the argument. Roosters were, once upon a time, expected to forage with a group of hens and protect them from predators and rival males. That was their job, and they were good at it. That genetic hard wiring does exist.

However, put one of our modern birds next to a Jungle Fowl. We've messed with them so much that most of our birds would be lost without human intervention. We've added size, colors, feathered feet, frizzled feathers, poofs and crests. We've changed the temperment, the growth rates, the laying rates. They're not Jungle Fowl anymore. I certainly wouldn't treat my chihuahua cross the same way I would a wolf. She lasted about a minute outside today, it was too cold for her. I understand she's not a wolf and didn't treat her like one. She wore her parka and went right back inside. We've made too many changes to use the original look and behavior as anything more than a reference to keep things in perspective.

They're still chickens and will act like chickens. I've got a 5 month cockrel that is starting to crow and try to cover the pullets and hens he's in with. I completely expect him to be a little turd for a bit while the hormones short circuit his brain. Humans do it, dogs do it, horses do it, most critters get a bit crazy at puberty. He's got adult hens to keep him from getting too far out of line and he hasn't given me a bit of trouble. He'll get a bit of leeway with me for a few months because he's kind of hormonally fried, but if he shows signs of aggression? I've got a water gun and I'm not afraid to use it. By the time he's eight months old? He better be towing the line or he will be going to freezer camp.

These are domesticated animals. Humans have changed them to the point that they don't exist in nature and now we have to take responsibility for them. Dangerous males are not caring for the species, they're perpetuating a problem that will put future cockrels in danger just based on gender. If you want to end the idea that cockrels need to be dispatched as soon as identified, then you need to have cockrels that people are happy to have around. Keeping a mean one just perpetuates the stereotype as well as keeping those genes in the breeding pool. Sure, the keeper may not plan to breed, but if he's treading the hens and one goes broody, are they committed to never raising any eggs that he might have fathered? Better to get a laid back cock that will be easier to live with and will father better behaved sons.

 

[ChookRanger]

I hope you all come back as mean roo's in your next life. I agree with Lacey. What is so wrong with humans that they can't love their animals enough to not kill them? I had mean Roos when I was a child and I have one now but I just warn the kids and the really bratty kids I just watch with a smile through the window. It's pretty comical actually. Chickens are the most abused animal on the planet. The disrespect for their life drives me nuts. Since joining this forum I have been very surprised at the lack of true chicken lovers like me on here. I LOVE my animals. I accept them. I don't kill them and eat them. I get so sick of people thinkin it's funny to talk about killing their chickens with such indifference and humor. Just because people have been doing it forever doesn't mean we have to keep doing it. Chickens are easy to abuse. They procreate so quickly and effortlessly. The give more than they take and we in return as humans abuse that everyday. Chickens give us eggs and fertilizer and fluffy little bodies to snuggle. We really don't need to eat so many of them. Just because they come by easily doesn't mean they don't deserve mkrw respect and reverence.

I agree. Chickens often have the worst life. I think that BYC helps people give them a better one. If you have never seen a chicken battery or egg factory it is possibly the saddest thing you can do to a living thing. I love my animals too. Mine are pets and I spend time with them and care about them. Even people who raise chickens for meat give them a better life than they would have otherwise.
Some of us use humor or indifference to distance ourselves from the sadness. Chickens do deserve our respect and reverence. Roosters breed new chicks so the qualities you want in your chickens also come from them. I seriously do not want to lose an eye, so I wouldn't breed a mean Roo, I probably wouldn't kill him, but he wouldn't be able to pass his mean nature on to a new generation.

 

[CrazyTalk]

I hope you all come back as mean roo's in your next life. I agree with Lacey. What is so wrong with humans that they can't love their animals enough to not kill them? I had mean Roos when I was a child and I have one now but I just warn the kids and the really bratty kids I just watch with a smile through the window. It's pretty comical actually. Chickens are the most abused animal on the planet. The disrespect for their life drives me nuts. Since joining this forum I have been very surprised at the lack of true chicken lovers like me on here. I LOVE my animals. I accept them. I don't kill them and eat them. I get so sick of people thinkin it's funny to talk about killing their chickens with such indifference and humor. Just because people have been doing it forever doesn't mean we have to keep doing it. Chickens are easy to abuse. They procreate so quickly and effortlessly. The give more than they take and we in return as humans abuse that everyday. Chickens give us eggs and fertilizer and fluffy little bodies to snuggle. We really don't need to eat so many of them. Just because they come by easily doesn't mean they don't deserve mkrw respect and reverence.

You'd get a better reception if you weren't trying to tell us that our way of life was wrong, and that we don't care about our animals. I eat a lot of chicken - mostly because it's a lot better for you than most other protein sources - and my animals most certainly are well cared for. This is a forum that focuses on the raising of livestock - if you have a problem with people eating livestock, this isn't the place.

When I kill and eat a mean rooster, it means that I don't have to eat one of the other birds (that is better behaved), or go out to the supermarket and buy one. That's a good thing.

 

[JessicaHen]

I agree. Chickens often have the worst life. I think that BYC helps people give them a better one. If you have never seen a chicken battery or egg factory it is possibly the saddest thing you can do to a living thing. I love my animals too. Mine are pets and I spend time with them and care about them. Even people who raise chickens for meat give them a better life than they would have otherwise.
  Some of us use humor or indifference to distance ourselves from the sadness. Chickens do deserve our respect and reverence. Roosters breed new chicks so the qualities you want in your chickens also come from them. I seriously do not want to lose an eye, so I wouldn't breed a mean Roo, I probably wouldn't kill him, but he wouldn't be able to pass his mean nature on to a new generation.

Thank you for your kind response. I was a little worried to read any replies this morning. I was up late last night and was reading a thread on here about caponization so I was already worked up when I read this one. I just get so tired of that indifferent and humorous tone towards a living creature. I am totally for people raising their own food, I just wish it could be done with more respect and appreciation. Humans are always trying to control and change things and it ends up being way worse in the end. Factory farming is a great example of this. I think that the "everybody else does it" mentality is rampant when it comes to our food sources. That way of thinking makes us make some pretty crazy and irrational choices. I just wonder how our food system would run in the hands of people that made decisions based on respect, reverence and compassion for the animals, our planet and humanity as an evolving species.