Orpington roo temperament ?s I have read that Orpingtons are gentle giants. Is this mostly true for the roos as well?
I have a BIG boy at age 7 1/2 months. I think he may have tried to hit me, so I put him in solitary for 6-8 hours. Honestly it felt like he accidently bumped into the back of my leg, but I didn't want him to get away with anything. A week later, he tried to jump on my daughter's shoe while she was swinging. Again into solitary, but not sure if she did anything prior. Likewise with my son & our chicken sitter, he may have tried to attack - but a weak attack at best. He's so large that I think he could draw blood (or at least make us feel more than a light tap on the shin).
Questions: Is this aggression? Is he testing us? Is our reaction of picking him up & putting him in solitary enough? How long do roosters test the waters? Will he grow out of it or will it grow with age? Are there any warning signs we should look for? The kids know enough to never run away from a rooster, but I'm pretty sure our last rooster was not normal. Our last roo (an Easter Egger mutt) was very tame & still enjoyed human cuddles at 1 year old. (Well, he no longer jumped up into our laps, but when we picked him up, he was fine.) We got rid of him only because he crowed nonstop & over-mated the hens bald.
I told my kids not to get attached to this one b/c he's only staying until I have a reason not to keep him. He was never held nor pampered. He's so beautiful. I like the fact that he rarely crows & my hens are even growing their feathers back. I'd like to keep him around for hen protection.
One more question: Does the amount of crowing stay about the same or will it change seasonally or with age? (no other roos here)
I have a BIG boy at age 7 1/2 months. I think he may have tried to hit me, so I put him in solitary for 6-8 hours. Honestly it felt like he accidently bumped into the back of my leg, but I didn't want him to get away with anything. A week later, he tried to jump on my daughter's shoe while she was swinging. Again into solitary, but not sure if she did anything prior. Likewise with my son & our chicken sitter, he may have tried to attack - but a weak attack at best. He's so large that I think he could draw blood (or at least make us feel more than a light tap on the shin).
Questions: Is this aggression? Is he testing us? Is our reaction of picking him up & putting him in solitary enough? How long do roosters test the waters? Will he grow out of it or will it grow with age? Are there any warning signs we should look for? The kids know enough to never run away from a rooster, but I'm pretty sure our last rooster was not normal. Our last roo (an Easter Egger mutt) was very tame & still enjoyed human cuddles at 1 year old. (Well, he no longer jumped up into our laps, but when we picked him up, he was fine.) We got rid of him only because he crowed nonstop & over-mated the hens bald.
I told my kids not to get attached to this one b/c he's only staying until I have a reason not to keep him. He was never held nor pampered. He's so beautiful. I like the fact that he rarely crows & my hens are even growing their feathers back. I'd like to keep him around for hen protection.
One more question: Does the amount of crowing stay about the same or will it change seasonally or with age? (no other roos here)
