Faverolles Thread

[Fancy Favie]

That would be a pity for sure!! I have eggs in the bator and hope to get at least a trio out of them! And a mean roo would not do! I had a mean roo once but it was a mutt.

No worries.... I have 3 Adult Roo's and I can handle them and the hens with no problems at all, In fact I have 3 momma's with babies all in the same flock with Daddy and they are awesome dad's Momma only chases away the other hens but lets daddy interact with the chicks, Its quite the adorable sight

 

[misschickenlittle]

No worries.... I have 3 Adult Roo's and I can handle them and the hens with no problems at all, In fact I have 3 momma's with babies all in the same flock with Daddy and they are awesome dad's Momma only chases away the other hens but lets daddy interact with the chicks, Its quite the adorable sight

Oh ha! I really just meant in general! But my that's awesome info about yours!! I'm just thinking for adding to what I get from this hatch I will be asking the breeders about temperment. That way I can help keep the docility in the breed too!!

 

[Fancy Favie]

Oh ha! I really just meant in general! But my that's awesome info about yours!! I'm just thinking for adding to what I get from this hatch I will be asking the breeders about temperment. That way I can help keep the docility in the breed too!!

 

[jsayles86]

Quote: I am new to this thread. I hope to get my first chickens next year, and at present, Faverolles are my breed of choice. I believed from what I have read that Faverolle roosters was among the most docile of breeds. But after reading the previous posts, I am wondering if my thinking was not correct.
I was wondering if someone could explain exactly what "handling" the roosters refers to, and what the reasons might be that would make a breeder decide whether to "handle" the roosters or not.
Thanks for helping me out.

 

[Cloverleaf Farm]

I've been surprised as well. I wondered myself if its because breeders aren't also selecting for temperament. Would be a pity if that got bred out.

Exactly. A mean rooster= dinner. I've only had to process one large fowl Fav boy for aggression and he was not from my line.


I don't handle my boys unless I have to for some reason, but they stay out of my way.

I am new to this thread. I hope to get my first chickens next year, and at present, Faverolles are my breed of choice. I believed from what I have read that Faverolle roosters was among the most docile of breeds. But after reading the previous posts, I am wondering if my thinking was not correct.
I was wondering if someone could explain exactly what "handling" the roosters refers to, and what the reasons might be that would make a breeder decide whether to "handle" the roosters or not.
Thanks for helping me out.

Fav boys are, and should be, very docile.

I choose to not handle my boys because I do not want them thinking I am one of their flock, to be challenged at a later date. I want to be able to trust my boys, and for them to see me as neither a challenge or a threat to their position as dominant rooster. If I'm not a part of their flock, I am neither of those things. I have not had issues with any of my boys by doing this.
I have had boys in the past in other breeds that were over handled and were NOT nice. I also hatched a LF Fav from someone else's line last year that was nasty despite never being with girls and not being handled. Point is, there are nasty individuals in ANY breed. Yet another reason you should never limit yourself to just one male if you're going to be breeding. "Putting all your eggs in one basket"

 

[n8ivetxn]

I am new to this thread. I hope to get my first chickens next year, and at present, Faverolles are my breed of choice. I believed from what I have read that Faverolle roosters was among the most docile of breeds. But after reading the previous posts, I am wondering if my thinking was not correct.
I was wondering if someone could explain exactly what "handling" the roosters refers to, and what the reasons might be that would make a breeder decide whether to "handle" the roosters or not.
Thanks for helping me out.

Hi there! Please don't let my experience influence your decision! - You can see by the other posts, I'm the exception to the rule, most of these guys are respectful roos.... I think maybe I've had several from related lines that tend to be nasty. Just bad luck on my part, but I know I can reach out to some of the local breeders around here and eventually get the right rooster and all will be right with the world

The 2 boys I have now are hatchmates, if not brothers, and so far one of them is a good rooster. However, even if the one is good, I'll still need at least one other breeding rooster, to prevent genetic bottle-necking.

I recently lost one of my guys, PeeWee. Just came home and found him dead. He was handled a lot when he was a chick, he had a serious bout with cocci and I had to nurse him back to life, and he never became aggressive. Problem was a) due to antibiotics he was likely sterile, and b) he had "split wing," which I wouldn't want to breed. Like Cloverleaf said, the aggressive trait is an individual thing, not a breed thing....

 

[n8ivetxn]

No worries.... I have 3 Adult Roo's and I can handle them and the hens with no problems at all, In fact I have 3 momma's with babies all in the same flock with Daddy and they are awesome dad's Momma only chases away the other hens but lets daddy interact with the chicks, Its quite the adorable sight

I totally agree, it's quite a sight to see them in family groups

 

[hcammack]

I have only ever had one aggressive rooster and he was a black bantam. All of my LF roosters have been very respectful as well as my bantam salmons. I don't handle my birds often and still the roosters have always left me alone.

 

[sandiklaws]

Yes, it surprises me too - over, and over, and over again

I promise I'm not making this stuff up..... It was always part of my plan to select for temperament, but at this point I wouldn't have a rooster left for breeding! I have hope for one boy right now, so far, so good.

I must be doing something to provoke it and I just can't see what it is......I had a French Marans roo and he was wonderful, he would take treats from my hand and give it to the girls - he was never aggressive.

The best rooster I ever had....

1) You mentioned wearing red, using red container etc. all of which can cause a roo to appear mean when he goes nuts because of a color trigger
2) Excessive handling of ANY animal that doesn't like to be handled can cause a strike first policy. This is especially true of reptiles, and chickens are not too far from them (in fact it was recently discovered that chickens are modern descendants of T-Rex!), personally I only handle birds that are going to be shown so I can see what the true temperament is like. Picking up a roo and carrying him around in a NEUTRAL fashion can sometimes work, but go the distance with it; in other words have nice treats to offer him the second he gets put down, hold him with his feet on the ground in a calm manner and wait for his body to relax before releasing him and do not give treats until this has happened. This creates in his mind a held-carried-put down-treats behavior chain, which *should* improve your relationship.
3) Any roo worth his salt will have some potential for being feisty, it is a balancing act as a breeder, breed too far towards docility and you get weak birds with no gumption or go-get-em', For example, I just culled a hen from my flock for being too passive, she would allow any roo to mount her and would squat if any roo got within 5 feet of her. Ordinarily I would not cull a hen for this, but she was thrashed in the feather department and had been bred so much she was way past the point of merely loosing condition, she was getting to the point were removing was the only thing that would save her from wasting away. In the other direction, I had a roo that I kept because he successfully ran off a fox when he was 10 months old. His chicks display a very good vigor, and while he sometimes would resist handling for worming and whatnot (to the point of mild warning bites) he never would try to jump at a person. Also, anyone who is "feisty" gets watched and then a 3 strikes you are out goes into effect- for genuine aggression.
4) Keep a journal. You will never figure out the problem by guessing. EVERY TIME he has an issue w/ you write it down (big calendar works great for this) note the time of day, feed and water status, did you get between him and a favorite hen (some roos toss all the rules when it comes to a favorite in peak breeding season) ask yourself these types of questions and try to be observant and CALM.
5) Judge by what he produces as well as how he seems, sometimes it has to do with stuff you had no idea happened. For instance, he might be convinced you are going to shut him in a door or something- who knows what goes through their bird brains. If his offspring have no issues, then use him carefully, watch the brooder- not to talk to them and make friends but to observe. Are they mock fighting under 4 weeks? Are they crowding out small fry birds? Do they go nuts if you put in a grape tomato? Take notes and band them so you can watch potential issues as they grow out.
6) Take a page out of the professional dog trainers book (that's me since 1986 BTW), take the time to watch the group and take notes; who is boss? Who is second banana? Who is sneaky... etc. The results might surprise you, and you will learn TONS about your flock' unique dynamic... you also might discover a problem you had no idea you had. If you know you have issues, figure out management techniques to get around it while training- DO NOT try to train in a hurry without preparation, or while doing chores. Feeding and watering in the dark for the next day with a head lamp so your hands are free will totally eliminate the problem. Perhaps giving each other a breather and addressing the issue separate from routine will help fix it. Also, remember animals do not speak English or like eye contact, being NEUTRAL and CALM often will fix problems regardless of species we humans are having difficulties with.

Hope this helps
Sandi

 

[taterdee]

I only have one faverolle. I keep going back and forth on whether I think it's male or female. It seems to be in the middle coloring wise--very dark brown. It is 4 weeks old