Got Flogged by A rooster tonight

[Beekissed]

I've noticed~ with the use-your-roo-as-a-loofah set of folks~ that when the method doesn't work they then rehome the roo or cull it for the stewpot. That's kind of drastic when all it would take is the properly used methods described in this thread. I get the impression that many don't want to just "man up", for want of a better expression, and do the work required to turn a good roo into a better one.

When I purchase a roo chick or obtain one from someone, I am obtaining that specific breed for a specific purpose and hope to keep that roo until he is no longer fertile. My roos are just not that disposable. I did obtain a very large roo once but found he was way to big and heavy even for my fatty girls and he had to be culled due to sprained wings and other injuries to the hens. But he was my backup roo anyway and no harm, no fowl....hee,hee.

My point is this....I've not met a roo in any of my flocks that could not be persuaded in one lesson that I rule the roost and he does not. I find it senseless to cull a roo for bad behavior after cuddling him a few times and expecting him to "calm down". How many roos does one have to go through before they find one that responds to cuddling as a form of correction?

Maybe it's just me but I'm a very no nonsense type person....I like one or two roos per flock and one correction per roo for behaviors. I don't have time nor the patience to get a roo, cuddle a roo, cuddle the roo some more, finally cull the roo in frustration and for fear my family will get hurt and then start all over again with yet another roo.

Why would anyone make chicken husbandry that stressful and that much hard work?

 

[chicksntexas]

Good point Beekissed! I find that I am going through a great learning curve with this new having chickens thing. I guess as some point, I'll figure it out and determine what I will tolerate or not

I won my battle this morning, so we will see how it goes!

 

[mama24]

I got a roo from a friend recently. He's been in with my girls for a week now. He's only 6 mos old, too young really to be the main and only roo in a flock, so I have tried to have patience with his randiness. But last night, I heard a lot of squawking at bedtime (chicken bedtime, not mine. We usually wait to go close the doors until after we're sure they all went in, then we do a head count, shut the doors for the night.) He has lying in wait and jumping on any girl that was trying to go in for the night. I was PO'd!!! I have a few bantams that he is really too big for, and they were cowering behind the feed bins waiting for him to leave so they could go in to roost for the night. In my defense, we just moved here, so I am not done setting up our chicken housing. We had our LF in a nice permanent shed at our last place. The new place has 100 year old barns, one with a lean-to chicken coop, but it needed some major work. Looked like it hadn't been used in about 20 years. So all 10 of them are living in the "bantam palace" that will hopefully by the end of the day today belong only to the bantams once again. Anyway, I was so angry! I chased him all the way from the coop to my back door, and our yard is 2 acres, so it's not very close. LOL. I'm going to make sure someone's down there at night for a few days to make sure he isn't doing this every night. My poor girls won't even come when he calls them to food.

He has already learned not to mate when I'm right there. I chased him off a few times, now he leaves the girls alone when I'm there. I understand that bird mating looks rough, but he takes things a little too far! He will mate with a hen that gave in, walk around for a min, and then try again with that same hen! And when she runs, he chases her down and drags her down by her comb! I might have to separate him until he's a little older and doesn't have such raging hormones. I have a little bantam roo the same age, but he is sweet as can be. He also tries to mate a lot, but he doesn't chase them down after they've already given in once!

 

[flowerchild59]

Quote:
Good lord people, this is some funny stuff. Between this and roo loofahs, I must say, thanks for the laughs, I needed it today!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[joyce68]

Oh MY i laughed so hard i almost passes out. Been feeling a little down latley so when i came across this, well it sure picked me up. I had a rooster once and i thought i had a insane rooster. Had no idea that there were others just like mine. thanks for the pick me up hahahahehehe. joyce

 

[al6517]

Quote:
True'r words were never said.................. exactly correct. In my breeding program good roosters in all aspects are like finding that pot of gold at the end of the rainbow.......... very hard to come by. So when I aquire them or hatch some really good ones they're worth every single thing I can do for them. I can't waste my time half a33 correcting bad behavior, it has to be done right, quickly and without a doubt that there will be no further incidents. I hate culling good roosters for my failures. And as Bee said I haven't met a roo I couldn't see eye to eye with after my method of counseling LOL.

 

[joyce68]

Thank you!! you made my day:lol

 

[al6517]

Quote:
Glad to be of service LOL, learning while laughing makes great threads hehehehehee.

 

[spacecowgirl]

Ok, you guys are really scaring me with all this rooster talk...I only ever meant to have hens when I first started keeping chickens, and I've already given one rooster back to the original owner, ( just to get a couple more chicks )...

Well, one of these chicks is definitely a rooster. He's only about 10 weeks old, and he is AWESOME!!! I love him so much...he's a lap bird, and will turn his beak up at the treats I bring just to lay in my lap and get petted...he's so spoiled I actually have to push him off of me when I get tired of petting him. ( Sometimes up to half an hour later )

There's no way I could get rid of him; he's so sweet!!! But now I'm afraid he's going to get unruly once he hits "chicken puberty"...I only have three hens to keep him occupied, as well.

Do I need more hens? Do I need to prepare myself for the eventual "loss" of this wonderful little guy? Is he going to turn on me like a hormone ravaged teenager?? AAACK!!!

 

[Irish Luck]

I'm just a little old lady and when my rooster knocked me down for the third time, face plant in the chicken sh*t, I'd had enough of him. He was delicious.