Is it ok to spank our roo?

[Pele]

Picking up a roo is a really good way to calm him down, and assert your dominance. Even if you have to wear long sleeves and wear leather gloves.

Violence begets violence, and scaring your rooster by doing something to freak him out just makes him more convinced that you are a threat. He'll just resort to sneaking up on you when you turn your back.

Being dominant doesn't mean you are the nastiest thing in the room, it means you are the best at manipulating natural impulses to your own ends. It works in all aspects of life, from the office to handling animals.

 

[Beekissed]

Now..when you all are petting these roos "in front of everyone", is that an attempt to embarass him in front of his peers? Aren't you worried about how that will affect his self-esteem and his chances of successful mating in the future? How cruel.

I'd just swing him by his feet and be done with it....at least that is a macho way to go down in front of the ladies!

 

[Pele]

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It does seem to work that way, actually. Remember chickens are visual creatures, and roosters spend a lot of time displaying. Having you subdue him in front of his ladies is a big blow to his personal view of his standing next to you. It takes so little to do it, poor little guys. It's not like you dress them in pearls and a dress, but they take it that way

 

[Beekissed]

Now...not trying to be smart alecky or anything, but I can't imagine roos having a personal view, nor could I possibly see myself finding a way to determine just what his personal view might be. I've not known too many roos that show just what their personal view would be....they eat, they mate, they do chickeny things all day long but conveying just what their id may contain is something I've never seen in all these long years of having chickens.

Could it be that we sometimes humanize these birds with what we feel they should be feeling? I'm wondering what the carnival ride does to the roo's personal view of himself, as it seems to work in the same way as petting his belly.

 

[wingsofglory]

When I was little, my Dad would swing me around in a circle by my ankles. I thought it was fun, not cruel and inhumane. Sounds better than waterboarding them upside down in the water trough.

By the way, I went out this afternoon and picked up a few 9 week old roos and held them on their backs and tried to pet their tummies, while keeping their feet from ripping my chest open, and I don't know if it went well or not. Seemed to make one kind (BBS 'cana) mad at me and they are pussycats; the other kind - BCMarans - talked to me softley, confused by it all wondering what the heck?

I think for this to work must be done daily from birth especially when small. And I just did not have time this spring to pick up each one of 25 each in two broods and do this. they are nearly identical in appearance and move constantly, so I don't know who I've picked up and who I haven't unless they look very distinctly different. I'd need to set up two containers. And I did not want to make pets of them this time because I'll be selling or eating many of them.

 

[Chicken.Lytle]

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I am not a fan of touching chickens. But my flock is so small, that my livestock inadvertently became pets. I was motivated to keep my rooster despite his attitude at 6 months. In the process I learned a few things about handling roosters.

But if I had a group of roosters as part of my livestock, I would not consider anything other than a few seconds of casual stalking for any rooster. In this scenario, if a rooster would not yield, then he would be dinner.

 

[epeloquin]

Chicken.Lytle :

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Good point. It is easiest to catch him at night on the roost or chase him into the coop and corner him there. This is why I prefer isolation over holding for shock and awe.

There are other ways to give immediate negative feedback. Spray in the face with water. Light physical contact (swat or shove) to cause offense as opposed to pain.

You can skip shock and awe entirely. Go straight to stalking. The speed walk stalking thing is like magic. You are much bigger than a rooster so it has a major psychological impact on a rooster.

Well said.

I hope I've been clear, in my posts I have advocated the Light physical contact (swat or shove) to cause offense as opposed to pain. by way of a swat with a straw broom (see my last post). I don't think it is necessary to actually inflict pain to change behavior. Shock and awe was not my idea. My thing is that the idea of holding and petting an unruly roo seems to me to be a recipe for potential injury to the person. Furthermore, holding and petting my aloof Rhodies hasn't made them more likely to be friendly to me. When I've done that they run from me. I don't see how that would work with an unruly roo

As for inflicting pain, we're definitely on the same page there, I don't see that as necessary or beneficial.

It is very interesting to see the things that stir up passions in this forum. This being a case in point. Another one was someone who posted pics of a stray cat that stalked her chickens, the roos ran off and the hens stood their ground!!

Anyway, the cat looked quite healthy and the poster said the cat was catching some mice and had been getting into their trash. Well, then you had people telling her that she should do 'this' and 'that' with the cat, bring it to a shelter, take it in, feed it etc. One woman even went so far as to tell the poster what brand of food she should be leaving out for the cat! Others were telling the woman that it couldn't have been the cat who was getting into her trash (she had seen the cat do so on several occasions) that it had to have been coons or opossum.

Interesting....​

 

[Firefighter Chick]

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I really like this ! Sounds like fun to me ! Have a couple of drinks , put on some heavy clothes and chase him around till he cant take anymore !!

I wonder if this would work on my husband

 

[ChickyLoo]

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It does seem to work that way, actually. Remember chickens are visual creatures, and roosters spend a lot of time displaying. Having you subdue him in front of his ladies is a big blow to his personal view of his standing next to you. It takes so little to do it, poor little guys. It's not like you dress them in pearls and a dress, but they take it that way

Give him an apron like this to go with the pearls https://www.backyardchickens.com/forum/uploads/52301_pb280005.jpg that'll embarrass the pesky roo

I have to say the broom swatting thing might get him off of you for the time being but it may not stop his behavior. He may decide to attack the broom & may continue to come after you. Ours is very aggressive & the rake seemed to provoke him. I also would never attempt to chase him down to try to catch him because he is huge & hard to catch

I tried stomping, flailing my arms acting like a big 'ole roo but he would not back down. A nice squirt in the face & instant behavior change!

 

[galanie]

Quote:
I really like this ! Sounds like fun to me ! Have a couple of drinks , put on some heavy clothes and chase him around till he cant take anymore !!

I wonder if this would work on my husband

It might, but he'd probably be too easy to catch