I'm afraid of a VERY small cockeral....and I need to get over it!!

[PamB]

I've had this cockeral since he was a baby. He is a silkie and he is SMALL. Smaller than any other silkie cockeral I've seen. He is 9 months old and starting to be a jerk sometimes. Most of the time, he walks away when I come around. I go out every night and hand feed bread to him and his girls (he is the only cockeral with about 10 girls). He eats from my hand, no problem. I can sit on a rock and feed him and the girls and he is fine. BUT, sometimes when I go into the run, he comes at me to peck my shoes and if I push him away with my foot, he flys up a bit at me. Now, he can only fly up to probably my thigh at best. Like I said, he's small. The problem is I'm afraid. I'm been going over this in my head trying to figure out WHAT THE HECK I'm afraid of this little thing for. Well, I think I figured it out. One of my girls was sitting on my shoulder months ago and pecked my eye pretty badly. It was terrible and took many doctor appts and lots of eyedrops, etc., to heal. I still have issues with it once in a while. I think that is what I'm afraid of. I want to bend down and grab him when he does this to show him who is boss, but I'm afraid to put my face near him. It is very frustrating! I think I'm going to try to remember to wear sunglasses every time I go in there to ease my fear. He isn't overly aggressive, but I want to make sure he knows who's boss.

 

[Oregon Blues]

Seek counseling and re-home the rooster.

 

[PamB]

Quote:
Awww...that wasn't very helpful. Haha. I'm not planning on rehoming him. As I said, he isn't overly aggressive. I just need to be able to get past my fears. Seriously, he is nothing to be afraid of. My husband thinks it is crazy that I even think he could hurt me at all.

 

[HorseFeatherz NV]

Go to a home improvement store and get yourself some safety glasses - they come in many colors - I have clear, sunglass style, red, and yellow. Wear them EVERY TIME you visit the chickens.


While you are getting the glasses, get yourself a pair of leather gardening type/work type gloves. Put them on when visiting the roo.


When he flys up at you - catch him like he is a ball and cart him around.


If you do not like him pecking your shoe - be ready and pick/scoop him up when he comes near your shoe.





Do not hand feed him bread any longer - he no longer deserves this treat. Push him away and feed the girls. Keep pushing him away EVERY TIME he tries to take a bite. You can also pick him up and hold him while you feed the girls treats.


Do not let him breed any hens/pullets in front of you. Pick him up off of the girls and set him to the side. This is a not something a "second in charge" does around the head roo (and you are the head roo).


You can do it

 

[PamB]

Quote:
Thanks for the advice. I will try all those things. I don't let him mate in front of me. Any time he tries, I just say "Hey" in a stern voice and he looks at me stops immediately and walks away from the hen. I will try picking him up when he does that though. The other day when he was being a brat, I picked him up for a while and after that he walked very quickly away from me any time I stepped toward him.

 

[jen5680]

Quote:
X 2!! Well said.
I can understand why you have this fear. I might too f I got pecked in the eye. I am sure that was VERY unpleasant and not something you would forget.

 

[benjoycei]

definitely glasses of some sort....and wait til he's big enough to spur you...you will change your mind about rehoming him

 

[PamB]

Quote:
If he gets much bigger, yea, I'd probably have a bigger problem. It is just that he really is a good boy most of the time. He just has his moments and I feel like I'm partly to blame because I haven't been really good at showing him who's boss (although I haven't really had to). He'll be a year old in July. This should be his most aggressive time from what I've read (teenager), so if this is as bad as it gets with him, I'll be ok. So, that is why I want to stop him in his tracks. Oh, and he doesn't do this to my husband or my daughter....just me. I think he sees me as a threat because I spend the most time with them.

 

[ChooksChick]

My birds peck at me and pull at me and fly up at me for affection. I wouldn't assume he's being malicious. He might be wanting to be held! I have birds that fly up on my shoulder and they'll peck at my shoes all day if I don't make myself accessible.

 

[PamB]

I'm definitely not ready to give up on him yet. He has always been such a good boy. Here is a picture of him. He is so small and NOT intimidating. He is my PQ cockeral...I have a coop for the PQ. He is the same size as the girls.