Got Flogged by A rooster tonight

[spiritdance]

Quote:
Sooo soooo true! I have lots of roosters (too many right now), and every one of them knows I'm "THE BOSS!" From chickhood, they get BOTH "coddling" to let them know that good behavior has its rewards, and a firm hand in terms of acceptable behavior. It may be cute when the just-crowing, barely feathered, "look I'm a roo" cockerel fluffs his non-existent hackles at you, but THAT'S the time to assert your "boss lady attitude"! "Baby" or not, that cockerel gets pinned under an arm and carried around until he looses his bad attitude. I never act out of anger, I just act decisively the way I WANT TO ACT. In other words, that cockerel gets nothing for acting out but a show of disregard from me. He never gets the chance to start thinking there's even a possibility of taking on the two legged bosses. I'm consistent with this, yet lavish with kindness. I end up with roos that are "manly" roos but fully respectful of me. I can break up a dispute between two of them and pick up either combatant, and he will immediately go into "hold me" mode. Any behavior problems I have with my roos that warrant culling are concerning their treatment of other birds. I won't tolerate a roo that goes out of his way to pick fights (although I fully expect him to defend his place in the flock - yes, a normal, healthy rooster will fight on occasion), nor a roo that's overly aggressive with hens or chicks. Those make better dumplings than chickens, IMO. I know I'm probably jinxing myself by saying this, but I feel as though the way I raise my roos turns them into just what I want in my flock - good roosters that like people. Now the problem is going to be how to choose which ones to cull now that cooler weather is here ( I HATE plucking feathers while I'm sweaty!!!)

 

[Ksane]

SpiritDance, me and you are so on the same page that we're probably sharing the same book lol! I do things exactly like you do with *all my animals. I want them to respect me, not fear me.

 

[M.sue]

Al6517......Day one is under my belt. I towered over him, stalked him, followed & blocked his every move (while in the pen) tonight. I let him know I'm Bigger & The Boss. I think I got carried away and this tatic lasted a tad bit longer than you suggested. Bahahaha! So, 2 wk. of this, morning & night. If he's not tired of it I know I sure will be!! As to the other posters comments......I haven't smacked a horse in the nose because I've never gotten bitten but I sure have yanked on the lead rope pretty hard a few times to get their attention! I have never kicked my dog because there was never a need too although I have smacked her in the snoot! Respect....that's all it comes down to between the relationship of animal & man. He respects me & I will respect him. Do I have my work cutout for me or what! lol Thanks a million

 

[Beekissed]

Actually, a chicken is not like a dog. Chickens are dumber.

Training a dog is different as they understand positive reinforcement, whereas you cannot reward a roo for good behavior as a training method....they don't understand that much. They do, however, understand the method Al just wrote about and that is the method I've mostly employed...the stalking, cornering and touching him lightly on the back when I pass by until he ducks away.

I've done this with my roo, Toby, though he has never shown any inclination to challenge my authority. As far as roos go, Toby is one smart cookie and does his job, stays out of my way and looks pretty...that's all I ask of any roo.

This just cracks me up. It's a BIRD, people lol! I worked for years for a vet, I can't imagine being scared of a.....bird.

I can't imagine a vet assistant gets many roos with 3 in. spikes on their legs....a budgie, a parakeet, a cockatoo? All crushable with one hand. A 15 lb roo with big spurs can do some real damage and some of the posts on here prove it.

I've never been flogged by a roo....I'm one of those women who have a rather commanding presence. For some reason animals tend to mind me and I've only known a few who didn't~they are now dead(not roos, BTW). Heck, even other people's animals mind me when I tell them to do something!

But some of the women on this forum are totally out of their league when raising chickens, have never been around chickens or any farm animal, for that matter. They start out cuddling a chick who looks very much like the other chicks, but he is a male and he is imprinting all along. He now thinks she is the opposite sex of his species because she is nurturing him like a mother. There are reasons why some male animals/birds cannot be hand fed by humans and the reason is imprinting....this can turn a male bottle calf into a serious problem, as it can a bottle sheep and goat. Same with birds, which is why they feed captive raptor chicks with a mother bird-like puppet on their hands.

Seriously, people, roos can do damage if they are confused and don't understand the order of things. Cuddle the hen chicks but leave the roo chicks to their own devises. It's not really "love" when you confuse the poor thing, then have to rehome him or cook him because you made the mistake of thinking he was a loofah.

 

[Ksane]

The OP's Roo is 15 lbs with 3" spurs? Ummm.....I think you're exaggerating.
But alas, to each his own.

 

[Beekissed]

I don't know if Al's roo is that big...but mine is. Toby is a big Partridge Rock male with all the trimmin's. Maybe you just have foofoo birds?

 

[spiritdance]

Beekissed, I'm afraid we'll just have to agree to disagree on this. I have plenty of experience with chickens, have raised plenty of roos, and as I posted before, I get exactly the result I want from the way I raise them. They respect me plenty, but they also don't fear me. I can intimidate one if I need to, but I rarely need to, and when I do, it's a roo I didn't raise from a chick. Roosters may not be as smart as a dog, but they do have facial recognition, can learn patterned behavior, and like any domestic animal respond to humane treatment. As for feeding raptors with puppets, when was the last time you WANTED a roo to behave like a raptor? I for one want them to act as DOMESTICATED animals that will have to cope with human beings for the duration of their lives. I see little need to set that relationship up as a confrontational one by not socializing the bird. And it's NOT an all or nothing proposition wherein all modes of kindness must be dismissed as "coddling"! One can readily socialize a roo without convincing him you're a "female of his species". Even the dumbest roo can tell me apart from that fluffy, squatting, complacent hen in the dust in front of him! If a roo is challenging you, he is doing it either because he sees you as a threat or because he sees you as weak. An animal that he knows is stronger than him but he also knows is no threat to him or his hens is not an animal he will waste his energy on.

 

[M.sue]

Quote:
LOL.... My little guy is just a bantam with a cocky attitude right now but let tell you those big ones DO exist and if one comes after you , you better be ready to run or fight! They are nasty.

 

[Minniechickmama]

Al, I had to laugh at your story. I have a huge hatchery DC roo who started out by coming up from behind the flock as I crossed the yard with the pails of feed (my flock has been free ranging all spring and summer), and half-way across the yard he would come up under the pail and slamming my leg. Lucky for him, it was not hard enough to hurt me. However, unlucky for him, he still got his a$$ kicked across the yard a few time, picked up and carried in front of the entire chicken yard, pails and scoops throw at him, whacked with the chicken hook across the butt and back. He doesn't give me any crap any more. Don't worry folks, he was never hurt, just intimidated and embarrassed into remembering that I, not he is the top rooster on this farm, even if I am a woman. He started going after my daughter, I taught her how to kick his butt too. He hasn't bothered her since she went out and and caught him and plucked a feather out of his tail.

Mind you, my daughter is a petite 9-year old, and he is about 12 or 13 pounds at his fittest weight. I think it cut deep to have her pick him up in front of all the girls and the whole world to see.

I am curious to see who the next contender is going to be. I sure hope the Hamburg with his razor sharp spurs doesn't ever decide to get bold with me. That would hurt and then he would have to die.

 

[M.sue]

Quote:
Do you have a pic? I loved to see him. When I was little my grandfather use to have some pretty big Roos. They all knew he was boss and I do recall him giving one or two a boot. No one likes to be flogged for no apparent reason!