Euskal Oiloa ( Basque Thread)

[Maggiesdad]

Well it's been a hard long winter in my area. It's not over yet but we have had a few milder days. Here is my one group of EO's on their first day out in awhile. My poor rooster got his comb frostbitten

I meant to tell you, FRF- good looking flock! Hang in there with the snow - we get hit again tomorrow...

 

[Maggiesdad]

I like the Basques too. But I am beginning to sour on the personality of the cockerels. The hens are great, very friendly and literally under your feet quite often.

I have a back up cockerel that has decided that after he deposed a flock lead Swedish flower hen cockerel, he wants to take me on. I have tried to back him down but cannot trust him. So he is headed toward freezer camp - tomorrow!

My main Basque cockerel has not attacked yet but wants to do the dance around me and pace me as I walk along the fence. He is beautiful but very assertive and abusive of other cockerels.

That 'devil may care' attitude has its trade offs! I guess it's that hot Latin blood. My solution this year is to eat the young 'uns before they get mean, and pen my stud cock separately, and put him in with the breeding hens while I'm hatching. If I get some other traits where I want them, then I'll worry about growing out a bunch of cockerels and selecting for temperament. Can't fix everything at once.

 

[Flat Rock farm]

Thanks MD, I am very pleased with my selection of last years hatching's and looking forward to this years offspring from this group. Yes I see more snow on the way, we got some overnight last night about 2".


@ Hapless, I am sorry to hear you have a nasty rooster. I have had a few over the years but they have no place here no matter how good they look. Aggressiveness is one trait I don't want in my EO's. Nothing worse than going into a pen and being prepared for battle each time

The two I have now are polite and respectful.

 

[1muttsfan]

One of the sweetest roosters I ever had was my Basque Big Fella. He became lame and could no longer get around well, or I would have kept him forever. One time I caught a hen in the pen and she kicked up a big fuss. He exploded out of the coop in a protective fury, stopped dead in his tracks when he saw me with a "Oh it's you" look and then gave the hen a peck when I released her as if telling her to behave. He would do a little dance for me each morning when I went to the coop.

 

[GaryDean26]

My first year with Basque I got two (2) Skyline cockerels and nine (9) Greenfire Farm cockerels. I kept both of the Skyline cockerels (since all of my hens were GFF) and one GFF cockerel. One of the Skyline cockerels got mean, but I tried to hold on until spring hatching because I already had my three breeding groups set up for the start of a spiral mating plan. I finally said enough is enough and cull him at 10 month old just a few weeks before the start of hatching season. I have culled dozens and dozens of chickens but to this day, that was still my single best cull ever because the next day I had a completely different flock, one that was actually enjoyable to be around. The #2 Skyline cockerel became my all time best temperament cockerel ever. Although a slower grower than the mean cockerel, he did fill out very nicely and had good type and was the best color of the three cockerels too (although his legs were white, and the GFF cockerel yellow shanked). So... for me the best thing about the breed was the good temperament of my Basque cockerel. I am breeding a GFF cockerel this year. He has yellow shanks and was a 1/2 lb bigger than his hatch mates at 14 weeks, but didn't fill out very well and doesn't have nearly as good a temperaments as the first cockerel (although still better than most breeds). I may need to trade back for my original cockerel that is now the sire of my friends backyard flock (I would have never sold that cockerel our friend got him because friends get special treatment).

 

[juststruttin]

One of the sweetest roosters I ever had was my Basque Big Fella. He became lame and could no longer get around well, or I would have kept him forever. One time I caught a hen in the pen and she kicked up a big fuss. He exploded out of the coop in a protective fury, stopped dead in his tracks when he saw me with a "Oh it's you" look and then gave the hen a peck when I released her as if telling her to behave. He would do a little dance for me each morning when I went to the coop.

I had to cull my foundation cockerel last year because he was an absolute jerk, but his two sons that I am using now are sweethearts.

 

[FROMWHITEDOGHILL]

I think we need a no-joke Chicken Psychologist {spelling} to help us figure out this aggression thing. I'm going into my 3rd year on BHs and haven't had an onery Rooster yet. But on the other hand.....none of my large breeds....Basques, Breese, Cream Legbars, Rhodebars, and Wheaton Marans have had mean Roosters. ONLY my durn Bantums fight. I can even put grown Roosters of different breeds togeather in a "Rooster Pen" and there aren't hardly any squabbles. It sure makes it easier to decide on breeders when temperament does't figure into it but I would like to know "Why?".....................is there such a thing as a Chicken Psychologist????!!!!

 

[OR4-hmom]

I had a terrible biter a few months ago. He's now 11 months old and has quit clamping on to me when ever he gets the chance at skin or sweatshirt.

 

[HaplessRunner]

I think we need a no-joke Chicken Psychologist {spelling} to help us figure out this aggression thing. I'm going into my 3rd year on BHs and haven't had an onery Rooster yet. But on the other hand.....none of my large breeds....Basques, Breese, Cream Legbars, Rhodebars, and Wheaton Marans have had mean Roosters. ONLY my durn Bantums fight. I can even put grown Roosters of different breeds togeather in a "Rooster Pen" and there aren't hardly any squabbles. It sure makes it easier to decide on breeders when temperament does't figure into it but I would like to know "Why?".....................is there such a thing as a Chicken Psychologist????!!!!

LOL - You are speaking to the psychologists now!!!

It is called the BYC message boards.

 

[CackleJoy]

I think we need a no-joke Chicken Psychologist {spelling} to help us figure out this aggression thing. I'm going into my 3rd year on BHs and haven't had an onery Rooster yet. But on the other hand.....none of my large breeds....Basques, Breese, Cream Legbars, Rhodebars, and Wheaton Marans have had mean Roosters. ONLY my durn Bantums fight. I can even put grown Roosters of different breeds togeather in a "Rooster Pen" and there aren't hardly any squabbles. It sure makes it easier to decide on breeders when temperament does't figure into it but I would like to know "Why?".....................is there such a thing as a Chicken Psychologist????!!!!

I don't know. We don't keep Bantams because I was taught from very young that they are ornery and feisty and that the bigger birds are actually better handling for children. That said our first cockerel was a barred rock and I had to carry a bamboo pole everywhere until we sent him to free range with another BR flock. Since then we've had zero trouble. Our favorite was a giant Dark Brahma.

Hoping our teenage basque outgrows the biting. He's new and there's a lot going on so I expect him to calm down. I keep grabbing him up and sticking his head down in the submit position - hoping it helps and doesn't just make him hate me! He doesn't go out of his way to bite so I think he'll end up being fine.