Integrating a cockerel into a flock of mature hens

[islandgirl82]

Quote:

I think Ichabod's response is spot on when it comes to who is friend and who is not to be trusted. I'm very impressed that he did this immediately upon seeing the dog for the very first time. I assume he's picking up on how relaxed all the girls are with Willie but how they're very alert around this one. I'm just surprised he would choose to put himself in front of me as he does and not just the hens.

I think it can take up to a few months to really see a dogs true demeanor. All my dogs have been adopted and I've fostered one(one adoption ended with me being attacked and the foster didn't stay after a 2 month trial). There's a honeymoon period where they can be on their best behavior to 'survive', as they get more comfortable with the lay of the land, then you start to see their true nature.

I know it takes time for everyone to settle in but when I say negative responses, I mean growling and biting. So far, he's just bitten me but has recently started growling at my daughter for giving him minor commands (like get off the couch). I feel it's just a matter of time before his response is more severe towards one of them and that's not okay.
The growling started 2-3 weeks in, right before ending up flat on my back up on the floor with my arm in that 75lb dogs mouth, luckily my other dog was outside at the time.
The foster fail was not violent.

YIKES!!


The first time this one bit me was the very first night when I blocked him from bolting out the door by stepping in front of him. Another time was when he gave me his paw and I moved the fur aside to look at his nails (to see how soon they would need to be trimmed). The most recent was yesterday morning when he took off to the neighbors' and refused to come back. I took the leash over there to get him and told him to stay when I caught up to him. When I went to hook up the leash, he got me again. I don't let him on the couch because his behavior only gets worse when he does get up there. Not only that, but Willie isn't supposed to be up there either and it's not fair to let one and not the other.

There was one day I think Willie got so tired of hearing me say "Get down" to the westie that he decided to help me out and take preventative measures. I died laughing.

 

[islandgirl82]

I've only re-homed one chicken, and it was because she was a chronic feather picker. Did everything I could think of to break her of it, but nothing worked. She was one of our original flock (5 RIR, one rooster) we had since they were 4 weeks old. Still have one that thinks the lowest on the pecking order (the one below her) should not be allowed into the coop at night. She stands by the door and chases her out when she attempts to go in. I have to stand by the coop door and she runs in while I am standing guard.

In 6 weeks we plan to integrate 5 new hens (all different kinds) in with them and I think that will be very interesting. Last week we divided the coop in half so each group has a half a coop and one run. It was so funny when two of the hens went in to lay an egg ... the pullets heard the egg song and ran in to see what all the excitement was. Don't know if any of the newbies were singing along, but it was the loudest chorus to date!

Enjoy reading about all your pets individual personalities.

I hope with the new girls, your lowest catches a break! My lowest finally did after adding the 4 hens. As soon as my first SLW had died, the two RSLs were rotten to the whole flock, ESPECIALLY the lowest but they took one look at the new SLW and ran the other way. She wasn't even paying them any attention. They just had to have remembered the first one and thought she came back from the dead to haunt them LOL. She still doesn't pay them much attention but they've been very well behaved since her arrival and she's inadvertently been their saving grace. I was fully intending on rehoming them for being such bullies but her sheer presence keeps them in line.

 

[Sylvester017]

I just love dogs! We have two Great Pyrenees, a male and a female. I was always a collie person and I continually swear I am going to add a Newfie but the truth is that my two Pyrs have ruined me. I will probably never be without a Pyr. The short life span is disheartening but I will take what I can get. My male we rehomed from a family in town but he was raised as a puppy around chickens and ducks. He pays no attention to either our chickens or ducks. Right now he won't stay out much during the day because of the heat, neither will really but he is the worst. Before it got so hot we would put him in the pen with the chickens but not in the run. He is so big, one good jump and he could be through the wire. But anytime he barked at something on the opposite side of the run, he would stop "charging" about an inch from the wire. He would lay against it for hours under the apple tree and just watch. Both dogs got pecked by roosters and never reacted except to look at me like they got their feelings hurt. The female we raised and not around poultry. She is trustworthy with the chickens but shows way too much interest in the ducks. The ducks do their silly quacking and running around flapping their wings and she is immediately right there with a way too intent expression. However she is pretty much 100% on "leave it" and I use the command and she backs off. To have Pyrs you MUST love hair because they shed it everywhere. When we get dog number three because we like to keep three and our old man Lab mix(a rescue) is 14 and not long for this earth I think....then I already know it will be either another Pyr, a Newfie if I can find one or an Aussie or Border collie...in that order of preference.

I love all the guardian breeds including the Pyrenees but I've got too much feedback from owners that say they are wanderers -- sometimes gone for days at a time. All the guardian breeds because of their independence (self-will or stubborn), natural guarding instincts, and large size, really need an exhaustive training period. My Rotts were working (not guardian) dogs and I couldn't do the exhaustive training nowadays as I did a couple decades ago. But training the big guys is worth every effort you put into them to get a quality obedient sentinel!

I haven't found any shorthair guardian breeds under 100-lb which is why I've chosen not to get one in our humid SoCalif climate. I love them all but won't subject them to what I feel are humiliating shavings. Our friends have an Ovcharka guardian dog and it is so sad to see that majestic breed shaved down for the whole year in our brutal climate! Our climate is not appropriate for the guardian breeds. And guardians need lots of exercise area. Originally the guardian breeds roamed miles of fields and mountains guarding their livestock and didn't need extra-curricular roaming to satisfy that requirement.

I like your choice of Pyrenees, Newfoundland, and Aussie Shepherd. But I reserve opinion on a Border Collie. We had one that was up to mischief because he didn't have a herding job to do -- the herding breed runs off after predators instead of staying with the flock to guard it. Way too much training involved in turning a Border into a guardian but if you have an open-range flock it may work. Borders are ranked as the #1 most intelligent breed with Poodles, Labs, Dobies, German Sheps, Rotts, Golden Retrievers listed among the top ten ~ high intelligence requires duties and command stimulation to keep these hyper breeds busy. Which is another reason I like the guardian breeds -- they seem to take their job seriously relaxing among their flock/herd to guard it rather than getting hyper-baited to chase a predator while a 2nd predator is free to attack the flock. The guardians are a little less prone to get baited away from their group.

Show us some photos of your Pyrenees. Such beautiful dogs - amazing how such large breeds are so kid, family, and flock-friendly!!!

 

[Sylvester017]

YIKES!!


The first time this one bit me was the very first night when I blocked him from bolting out the door by stepping in front of him. Another time was when he gave me his paw and I moved the fur aside to look at his nails (to see how soon they would need to be trimmed). The most recent was yesterday morning when he took off to the neighbors' and refused to come back. I took the leash over there to get him and told him to stay when I caught up to him. When I went to hook up the leash, he got me again. I don't let him on the couch because his behavior only gets worse when he does get up there. Not only that, but Willie isn't supposed to be up there either and it's not fair to let one and not the other.

There was one day I think Willie got so tired of hearing me say "Get down" to the westie that he decided to help me out and take preventative measures. I died laughing.

My DD got a Rott puppy for her boyfriend a few years back (he picked the puppy he wanted out of the litter). She brought it home to show me and at 8 weeks it was biting and I'm not talking playing but hard bites. I told her to take the pup back or put it down as biting is something that doesn't stop -- kinda like a feather-picking chicken next to impossible to break the habit. Well, she said the boyfriend picked it out and she couldn't take it back from him. The Rott grew up being a nipping pooch until one day he bit the boyfriend's dad pretty badly. For my DD and the boyfriend ~ their lesson learned! Re-homing only passes on the problem to someone else so I have no qualms putting down a biter or a feather-picker for the good of the whole group. All life is precious but not if it infringes on the life and well-being of others. JMO from experience

.

 

[Birdydeb]

Here is one from way back in April. The chicks were in the house and I didn't have a run up yet. Wow, it doesn't look like that at all now....it has an L shaped run off of it. Up against the house is my male, Gibbs. He rarely wandered away from that spot when I first put the chicks out there and now that the run is built, he usually goes and lays up against the run fence. Walking across the yard toward him is my female, Ziva. I think Pyrenees are more adaptable than a lot of people think or at least my two have been. My backyard is probably close to a half acre and it is fenced with chain link. They have never tried the fence but I know if they really wanted to, they could jump it. I thought they would for sure about a month ago when a bear wandered through my neighbor's backyard. They were running back about 20 feet and charging the fence. But they didn't jump it. Thankfully. They sleep inside at night and roam the house all night. They have woken me up a few times and every time there was a reason. They sleep a lot during the day and usually find a shady spot near the chickens or ducks. I feel as if they are more than likely bullet proof with the chickens and ducks or at least Gibbs is. Ziva shows too much interest in the ducks and I have no idea why they are different.....other than they are always silly and flapping around. One of my roosters has pecked her on the nose several times and her only reaction was to look at me as if to say, "sheesh, mom....what did I do". Cracks me up every time. I believe slow and easy wins the race meaning I let everyone get acclimated and make changes slowly. Eventually I am hoping both chickens and ducks can free range some in the backyard with Ziva and Gibbs guarding them. We have a lot of predators...lots that I see and so I know there are even more out there. I have a favorite picture of the two of them when they first decided to finally get along. I will have to find it. Yeah, they didn't like each other at first. LOL I will try to find that. They are eery smart and perceptive. Ziva has stuck to me like glue for several days. I knew I didn't feel the greatest but thought I had strained a muscle in my back during the last push to get the ducks completely outside and safe in a pen. Turns out I went to the doctor this afternoon and I have shingles. She hasn't left me. They seem to just "get it" and know that during the day I expect them to watch the chicks and ducks. I tell Ziva, "check the chicks" and she will go down and patrol the run. Gibbs is usually already there. I really wish I could explain it better...they just seem to know and understand where they are supposed to be and they do it. I sleep like a lamb knowing they are inside at night(hubby works away from home) but we have discussed if we had a bad problem at night letting them sleep outside with the chicks and/or the ducks.

 

[Birdydeb]

Here is one of my favorites. He is on left and was 18 mos. old when we rehomed him. She is on the right and was 2 years and 2 mos. They DID NOT like each other at first. We did lots of walking them on a leash round and round the yard together...or hubby did. He seemed to be the catalyst that would set them off. I think it was jealousy.

Eta: I know how hyper and intense border collies can be because I grew up with them. But you're right....a lot of training to make a border collie a good third dog with my two Pyrs. A Newfie or Aussie would probably work better.

 

[Sylvester017]

Here is one from way back in April. The chicks were in the house and I didn't have a run up yet. Wow, it doesn't look like that at all now....it has an L shaped run off of it. Up against the house is my male, Gibbs. He rarely wandered away from that spot when I first put the chicks out there and now that the run is built, he usually goes and lays up against the run fence. Walking across the yard toward him is my female, Ziva. I think Pyrenees are more adaptable than a lot of people think or at least my two have been. My backyard is probably close to a half acre and it is fenced with chain link. They have never tried the fence but I know if they really wanted to, they could jump it. I thought they would for sure about a month ago when a bear wandered through my neighbor's backyard. They were running back about 20 feet and charging the fence. But they didn't jump it. Thankfully. They sleep inside at night and roam the house all night. They have woken me up a few times and every time there was a reason. They sleep a lot during the day and usually find a shady spot near the chickens or ducks. I feel as if they are more than likely bullet proof with the chickens and ducks or at least Gibbs is. Ziva shows too much interest in the ducks and I have no idea why they are different.....other than they are always silly and flapping around. One of my roosters has pecked her on the nose several times and her only reaction was to look at me as if to say, "sheesh, mom....what did I do". Cracks me up every time. I believe slow and easy wins the race meaning I let everyone get acclimated and make changes slowly. Eventually I am hoping both chickens and ducks can free range some in the backyard with Ziva and Gibbs guarding them. We have a lot of predators...lots that I see and so I know there are even more out there. I have a favorite picture of the two of them when they first decided to finally get along. I will have to find it. Yeah, they didn't like each other at first. LOL I will try to find that. They are eery smart and perceptive. Ziva has stuck to me like glue for several days. I knew I didn't feel the greatest but thought I had strained a muscle in my back during the last push to get the ducks completely outside and safe in a pen. Turns out I went to the doctor this afternoon and I have shingles.

She hasn't left me. They seem to just "get it" and know that during the day I expect them to watch the chicks and ducks. I tell Ziva, "check the chicks" and she will go down and patrol the run. Gibbs is usually already there. I really wish I could explain it better...they just seem to know and understand where they are supposed to be and they do it. I sleep like a lamb knowing they are inside at night(hubby works away from home) but we have discussed if we had a bad problem at night letting them sleep outside with the chicks and/or the ducks.

Ouch! So sorry about the shingles! It's the same virus that causes chicken pox and can cause viral encephalitis too ~ which my DD had and was in a coma from it! Speedy recovery to you!

Lovely property! With those two dogs, or three if you add one, should do nicely to protect their "herd" whether it's people, livestock, or each other!

Good that you know the Border Collie temperament. Too many people get them because they look so "cool" doing show trials with sheep and don't realize how many months to years it takes to get a mature Border with intense training. They are not your average suburban family pet and need duties to utilize that hyper and intelligent brain of theirs. My dad got one when I was a preschooler ~ he believed in purebred animals only ~ and from reputation figured a Border Collie would be good on the farm. But without training it didn't work having him. He was a bored dog, raided the neighbor's chicken house (he loved eating the eggs), and when I wandered off as children do he just kept up with me rather than doing the proper thing keeping a child in the yard. An intelligent dog with no training is a useless farm animal. My dad re-homed him with a co-worker two counties away and that darn dog traveled two counties to come back to us a day later! Just too darn smart ~ while he was away he probably missed getting into our neighbor's chicken coop!

Never knew what dad did with him after that?
c.1951 - my older sis with the Border



Our next dog was the Olde Boston Bulldog and I spent hours training him. I was a mature 12-yr-old and knew I had to be his alpha. It was a steady 3 yrs training him but he was eager to tackle every new command. He knew to automatically sit on my left if I was standing. People thought it was because he loved me but sitting on my immediate left was his automatic response because of consistent training. (In both photos he is on my left). He was also trained to be a mannerly dog around neighbors or visitors with no licking, jumping, or barking. He sat until given the command to approach. He was very good distinguishing strangers from people previously introduced him to. Strangers got the warning bark treatment. Friends and neighbors were free to enter and were greeted with happy tail wagging!
c.1956.

Here is one of my favorites. He is on left and was 18 mos. old when we rehomed him. She is on the right and was 2 years and 2 mos. They DID NOT like each other at first. We did lots of walking them on a leash round and round the yard together...or hubby did. He seemed to be the catalyst that would set them off. I think it was jealousy.

Eta: I know how hyper and intense border collies can be because I grew up with them. But you're right....a lot of training to make a border collie a good third dog with my two Pyrs. A Newfie or Aussie would probably work better.

A Newf if you find one will almost pass as a different colored Pyrenees to an untrained eye next to your current dogs. I love the big broad square heads on the males.

I've never had an Aussie ~ comparing older established AKC breeds with Aussies it is a relatively new registered breed so I've not had the pleasure of owning one but those who have them really seem to have outstanding respect for them.

 

[islandgirl82]

Yesterday evening, Ichabod decided to display some of his teenage angst and started sparring at a piece of firewood. The firewood was non-responsive so he lost interest pretty quickly and just picked it over for bugs instead. I suppose if he's going to start challenging things, best he chooses inanimate objects.

A little later I took the westie out on the leash. There was a moment when I was crouched down to call the cat over. The westie was in front of me, Willie was leaning on me to my right as I was petting the cat on my left. Ichabod saw this huddle and seemed fascinated by the cat, or just the whole picture he was seeing and he tiptoed over as if he wanted to join. The cat, being terrified of the chickens, fled into the treeline's undergrowth and her sudden departure scared him so he ran in the oppostite direction.

Shortly thereafter, I sat on the bench and he climbed onto my lap to nestle down while the same hen whom he had tried sharing my lap with before, nestled right beside us. I did not hold him there as I had done the day before and he stayed there for quite some time enjoying the attention.

There has been a lot of talk here on the site in regards to rooster behavior/aggression and whatnot. It has me watching Ichabod even closer and with each new or unusual (to me) behavior he displays, I'm scouring for answers to what it all means. Unfortunately for me, I've yet to find a list of behaviors and their meanings all in one place, though there have been some very helpful people, to whom I am grateful for sharing their thoughts on my specific observations and concerns. I worry about getting my hopes up that I have a good one but I think I actually do have a good one.

 

[aart]

..... The cat, being terrified of the chickens, fled into the treeline's undergrowth and her sudden departure scared him so he ran in the oppostite direction.....

That's great!

Hard to say how he'll turn out.
I have no suggestions as my birds are not free range nor lap sitters and those both insert variables that I am not experienced with.
I am sure you'll intuitively handle it just fine tho, and gain great experience as you do so.

 

[islandgirl82]

Quote:

That's great!

Hard to say how he'll turn out.
I have no suggestions as my birds are not free range nor lap sitters and those both insert variables that I am not experienced with.
I am sure you'll intuitively handle it just fine tho, and gain great experience as you do so.


The following is a true story.
No names have been changed to protect the innocent.
Any likeness to a real cockerel is not a coincidence.
It is the actual cockerel.


There were two names on the list for this guy and we waited a few days before deciding which was more suitable. The first was "Alfred Hitchcock" - though it would have been an amusing name and I often do feel like I'm in the film "The Birds", it was much too ominous a namesake.
Ichabod truly could not be more fitting. He's sweet, awkward, loved by all the ladies and a total coward just as Ichabod Crane was in "The Legend of Sleepy Hollow".

As for how he'll turn out, all I can really do is relax about it and wait and see.