Scroll to end for the question if you don't want to read the sordid story:
We did a re-shuffling of roosters the other day. We penned up the loose ones and let three run free: a Golden Campine, Blue Andalusian, and Splash Blue Andalusian. I told DH I didn't think Splash should be free because he had tried to attack DS and myself THROUGH the pen fence. He said he thought Splash would calm down after being in the back with some ladies.
The next day, I went to the back and was feeding the animals. Splash was with the ladies and ignored me. Once I got further in, he started trying to circle around me from a distance. I knew he was preparing to flog me from behind. I had only an egg in my hand and nothing within reaching distance. He was between me and the gate.
I bent over to pick up an orange off the ground and that's when he ran over to flog me, but I threw the orange at him and he was momentarily thrown off balance. He quickly resumed his 'exploded-neck' look and was looking like a boxer, moving aggressively and looking simply crazed. I got scared.
I tried to scare him by yelling in as deep a tone as I could achieve while holding my arms up to look bigger. I tried stomping the ground with my feet. That seemed to be the wrong choice. He was relentless. Every time he looked like he was coming at me, I kicked at him but my stupid shoe would slide off. Yes, I was wearing clogs. Dumb, dumb, dumb. Can't kick, can't run. The kicking would only make him stop his lunge and ready for the next. He was just NOT STOPPING.
I got very scared then and started screaming for my husband. Nothing.
Screaming, panicking, nothing.
I managed to get him to back up and when he bumped into a tree stump, he seemed to really lose his bravado. I don't think he knew what it was, because he didn't stop looking at me. But he lost enough steam for me to make my escape.
I burst into the house and said "You kill that rooster right now or I will!!!" then i broke down and wailed like a baby. DH went out and shot the rooster, knowing full well that he would not hit the house and water pipes as I probably would.
So, HERE ARE THE BIG QUESTIONS:
1 How could I have stopped the confrontation with nothing in the way of protection or weapons? (I's 5'4", 120 lbs., and NOT a karate champ)
2. The other roosters have not shown a sign of being aggressive. Will this change?
3. The other Blue Andalusian, I'm scared of him, to be honest. He's done nothing, but I'm still scared. How can I go about having a peaceful relationship with him?
4. Is there a way to 'test' a rooster to see if they'll consider flogging me or the kids that day?
5. What signs should I look for in terms of an emerging mean rooster?
We did a re-shuffling of roosters the other day. We penned up the loose ones and let three run free: a Golden Campine, Blue Andalusian, and Splash Blue Andalusian. I told DH I didn't think Splash should be free because he had tried to attack DS and myself THROUGH the pen fence. He said he thought Splash would calm down after being in the back with some ladies.
The next day, I went to the back and was feeding the animals. Splash was with the ladies and ignored me. Once I got further in, he started trying to circle around me from a distance. I knew he was preparing to flog me from behind. I had only an egg in my hand and nothing within reaching distance. He was between me and the gate.
I bent over to pick up an orange off the ground and that's when he ran over to flog me, but I threw the orange at him and he was momentarily thrown off balance. He quickly resumed his 'exploded-neck' look and was looking like a boxer, moving aggressively and looking simply crazed. I got scared.
I tried to scare him by yelling in as deep a tone as I could achieve while holding my arms up to look bigger. I tried stomping the ground with my feet. That seemed to be the wrong choice. He was relentless. Every time he looked like he was coming at me, I kicked at him but my stupid shoe would slide off. Yes, I was wearing clogs. Dumb, dumb, dumb. Can't kick, can't run. The kicking would only make him stop his lunge and ready for the next. He was just NOT STOPPING.
I got very scared then and started screaming for my husband. Nothing.
Screaming, panicking, nothing.
I managed to get him to back up and when he bumped into a tree stump, he seemed to really lose his bravado. I don't think he knew what it was, because he didn't stop looking at me. But he lost enough steam for me to make my escape.
I burst into the house and said "You kill that rooster right now or I will!!!" then i broke down and wailed like a baby. DH went out and shot the rooster, knowing full well that he would not hit the house and water pipes as I probably would.
So, HERE ARE THE BIG QUESTIONS:
1 How could I have stopped the confrontation with nothing in the way of protection or weapons? (I's 5'4", 120 lbs., and NOT a karate champ)
2. The other roosters have not shown a sign of being aggressive. Will this change?
3. The other Blue Andalusian, I'm scared of him, to be honest. He's done nothing, but I'm still scared. How can I go about having a peaceful relationship with him?
4. Is there a way to 'test' a rooster to see if they'll consider flogging me or the kids that day?
5. What signs should I look for in terms of an emerging mean rooster?