I LIKE my Rooster

[Eggsakly]

Big dogs seem to stay puppies longer so it could be lack of maturity. She might respond to training. Have you tried taking her out on a leash to start?

We failed puppy class spectacularly! I'm home all the time and I work with her all the time in numerous ways. I understand what you mean by the perfect dog. I had three dogs over the course of about 14 years. They all lived to be 11+. I had the wolf, a petite standard poodle, and a 90-lb totally lovable Bernese mountain dog mix. The wolf and the poodle were my very best friends. They were all wonderful. The wolf and the poodle were born six months apart, and they died just about six months apart. My big Berner was two years younger and lived a little longer. I cried every day for over a year after I lost the poodle, and I was already in terrible grief over losing my gorgeous wolf-dog.

Oddly, this one, pain in the rear that she is, really made a difference. She's as loving as the poodle, as protective as the wolf, and annoying as only a spitz can be!

This is the wolf and the Berner together on the couch. My wolf weighed 140 pounds. They broke the couch frame.

 

[melle1980]

I have a barred rock rooster that is the best that a flock keeper could ask for. He has never challenged me, he is alert and protective of the girls and he will not tolerate the other roosters giving me trouble. He has never shown aggression or defiance towards people and is trustworthy. When he finds a worm he will call the hens over and give it to one of them. With that said I don't believe the social stigma that a good rooster does not mate in front of the master. Chickens (and all animals in general) don't make a big to-do (and taboo) out of mating the way humans do. Judging from what I have observed I believe that the idea that a rooster should not be seen mating was probably dreamed up by somebody who feels negatively about sex and then proceeded to pass on misinformation. I would never discourage him from doing what he does naturally. I always have girls that want to brood and families that want chicks. They are your hens but not your mates. If you interrupt him then technically you are challenging him. I'm glad you have a great rooster though... especially if he is the alpha!

It's a rooster thing. I am in charge, he is subordinate to me. Those are MY girls. Subordinate roosters don't mate when the master is there, unless it's a challenge for authority.

 

[K.Riggs]

What age do roos usually get agressive? Mine are 6 months. They are brothers, very nice birds, don't fight often. One is dominant the other his wing man. The dominant one i can pat when i put him to bed at night and also in the morning. He comes over to me during the day but i do not pat him. I have never seen any agressive behaviour. Is it something that usually ends up appearing? I also have a gander who is 2 yrs old, he came from a farm and was not hand raised. He is not agressive ever.

 

[BonDEEroo]

It depends on the bird...

We have a young silkie cross rooster, who we incubated and hand-raised. He's small, white and perfectly formed, just like the egg he hatched from.

He was a bit aggressive as he matured (dancing at me and circling), but he stopped that behaviour after I picked him up and held him in a submissive position a couple of times. He's only little, and a poor flier which helps.

Yesterday a wild bird pooped all over his right side. He was trying to clean the mess off with his beak, and was obviously disgusted by it. I got a bucket of warm water, soap and a sponge, and he sat on my knee and let me sponge and soap him clean, with the flock watching, then he hopped off and carried on where he left off. (I've never had to wash him before).

This evening was cold and wet (it's late winter here), and I was trying to get everyone safely into the coop earlier than usual. One chook (the nutty greedy one) would not come in, then she wandered out again just when I thought I'd got her in. I told her off, and the rooster jumped off his perch, walked out after her, grabbed her by the base of the tail and marched her back into the coop, holding her tail with his beak until she hopped up on a perch. He didn't try to mate with her, though she is one of his favourites. I was almost too amazed to praise and thank him!

I am thankful he is a good boy. I have had great roosters and mongrels who I was glad to get rid of.

Usually the best policy is to keep a respectful distance, let them do what they are supposed to do, but never show submissive behaviour or back down. And never laugh at a rooster or mock him - he will understand and hate you for it.

 

[igorsMistress]

We failed puppy class spectacularly! I'm home all the time and I work with her all the time in numerous ways. I understand what you mean by the perfect dog. I had three dogs over the course of about 14 years. They all lived to be 11+. I had the wolf, a petite standard poodle, and a 90-lb totally lovable Bernese mountain dog mix. The wolf and the poodle were my very best friends. They were all wonderful. The wolf and the poodle were born six months apart, and they died just about six months apart. My big Berner was two years younger and lived a little longer. I cried every day for over a year after I lost the poodle, and I was already in terrible grief over losing my gorgeous wolf-dog.

Oddly, this one, pain in the rear that she is, really made a difference. She's as loving as the poodle, as protective as the wolf, and annoying as only a spitz can be!

This is the wolf and the Berner together on the couch. My wolf weighed 140 pounds. They broke the couch frame.

Yes'm I know those spitz can be a handful, had one named Pudgie when I was young. Best guard dog ever! Guy came to the door selling something and she went crazy. Later the guy was arrested for breaking in to womens houses, raping them and stealing their stuff. That dog KNEW he was no good. I hope she grows out of her, ummmm, hard headed ways soon for you.

 

[igorsMistress]

I have a barred rock rooster that is the best that a flock keeper could ask for. He has never challenged me, he is alert and protective of the girls and he will not tolerate the other roosters giving me trouble. He has never shown aggression or defiance towards people and is trustworthy. When he finds a worm he will call the hens over and give it to one of them. With that said I don't believe the social stigma that a good rooster does not mate in front of the master. Chickens (and all animals in general) don't make a big to-do (and taboo) out of mating the way humans do. Judging from what I have observed I believe that the idea that a rooster should not be seen mating was probably dreamed up by somebody who feels negatively about sex and then proceeded to pass on misinformation. I would never discourage him from doing what he does naturally. I always have girls that want to brood and families that want chicks. They are your hens but not your mates. If you interrupt him then technically you are challenging him. I'm glad you have a great rooster though... especially if he is the alpha!

You know, I've been thinking on this one and I'm still not sure. Lived on a farm and if the subordinates mated with the alphas girls there was hell to pay sometimes, but what the alpha didn't know didn't hurt him and a LOT went on behind his back.

I've taken to pretty much ignoring him after I let the flock out and just do my thing. He doesn't challenge as much as he did when he was establishing himself with the girls. Although he did drop a wing a couple days ago so that required some chasing about.

Early last evening I went out to give a snack and everyone was upset, even Emmett, because there was a dead pigeon in their area of the patio. He was the first to the door clucking and clacking all about it. He supervised to make sure the cleanup was done right.

 

[Chickassan]

Roosters can go three ways. They can turn mean, they can turn weird, or they can be totally normal. You may just have a normal couple of guys. If they haven't went south on you in a month or two you're doing good.

What age do roos usually get agressive? Mine are 6 months. They are brothers, very nice birds, don't fight often. One is dominant the other his wing man. The dominant one i can pat when i put him to bed at night and also in the morning. He comes over to me during the day but i do not pat him. I have never seen any agressive behaviour. Is it something that usually ends up appearing? I also have a gander who is 2 yrs old, he came from a farm and was not hand raised. He is not agressive ever.

 

[cutiepie960]

Hey There,
HelpI think my nightmare has come true! U see i have 2 feral chickens Henry my roo & Heather the feral hen i had my roo for about 4 yrs... & both are free rangers the feral hen started laying now for a month maybe a little over a month so far she has been laying an egg everyday but took 2 weeks off but now has been resuming laying 1 egg a day for 4 days again & since i DON'T WANT ANY CHICKS i have been collecting her egg everyday when she lays i was told to just collect the egg when she lays them & i have been doing just that however not sure if she's upset at me taking her eggs away & since she is fairly new being a feral she has gone from laying in her original nest to another nest but that was ok with b/c as long as she lays in my yard i'm fine but today was a nightmare b/c she clucks b4 laying & like i said as long as she lays anywhere within the yard is ok but 2 day my roo kept crowing & crowing trying to find her around the time she usually lays so my Henry the roo & i searched & searched & searched for her but couldn't find her!!! Now my biggest fear is that she may have gone to my neighbors yard to lay! Finnally as i called her she came from my neighbor's yard as they have dogs she was going to hop over the fence but i opened the gate to let her back in.... Now my biggest fear is that how am i suppose to know & collect her egg if she laying elsewhere!!! Omg! PLEASE HELP I DON'T WANT ANY BABY CHICKS & I don't want her to get killed by those dogs!!! Thanks any advice would be greatly appreciated!
Lila

 

[Phaedra Winters]

I have a Rhode Island Red rooster, he's the sweetest thing ever. He is about 9 months now I believe, maybe ten. He has never attacked me, and he has only ever pecked me once, when he mistakenly thought I had treats. He comes up to me for pets and cuddles, and if he doesn't see or hear me for a few minutes he starts clucking and searching for me. Whenever I go into the coop he walks straight up to me and stands there and begs me to pet him. He also, if he sees me petting another hen or rooster, he walks up and glares at them until they go away and until I pet him instead. He is the sweetest little rooster. He also waits for a bedtime kiss before he goes to sleep curled among his pile of hens and brothers (I was given a batch of straight run chicks). He also eats right out of my hand and he will occasionally do tricks for treats, or he'll jump on my lap. Whenever I come out, he'll get up from his naps to walk over and come and nap next to me. That being said, I also have a pretty rude rooster. All roosters are different, some are good, and some are rude.

 

[FlyWheel]

Well, having one bad dog can teach the new dog bad habits too. I would venture to say a fresh start is promising, Flywheel. Some of the old timers swear you shouldn't have more than one rooster at a time, not sure I totally agree, but I do see at least one benefit to it. You only have to worry about your rooster trying to pick a fight with you, not with one of the other boys when you're not looking and then somebody gets killed. I'd look for someone trying to rehome a gentle rooster. Just a thought. We got one that had been a show boy and he never looked at me funny. Not once. Couldn't cuddly him either, he'd freak out and try to get away, but he was a good boy otherwise.

As I have never kept more than 12 chickens at any one time, I go by the 1 cock / 11 hen guideline, as such I try and have only one Roo. Unfortunately when picking from a straight run or even sexed at a feed store there is always the chance, especially if they let the customers handle the chicks instead of keeping them separate, as they can and will get put back in the wrong brooder bins (I also got a BA in that batch which was supposed to be all EE pullets). This is why the last batch I got was mail order, and intend to do so from now on. Either that or buy from a breeder.