lil' Roo giving INappropriate discipline

[GoodEgg]

My chicks are just getting used to a little supervised free-ranging. The main things I have to watch out for are my jazzed-up drake (who thinks he's tough and wants to attack everyone) and a kitten who thinks it's a game, but is VERY interested in stalking anything that moves.

I've been doing everything I can to teach the kitten to LEAVE the chickens ALONE! He knows not to use teeth or claws, but he did tackle a chick once.

Well, now that the chicks have watched me "defend" them from these attackers by raising my arms and yelling while running after the drake or kitten (I know my neighbors must either think I'm crazy or are very amused) -- some of the chickens have the idea that these "intruders" aren't to be tolerated.

Today, the kitten bounced into the midst of the free-ranging chicks. One of my red sex-links took off after him, squacking and flapping wings and pecking in his direction. I thought, "Way to go, girl!" Immediately, one of my little partridge rock banty roos chased after her and "punished" her!

Aarrrggghhhh ... I WANTED her to do that!

Ah well ... I hope it was a little lesson for the kitten anyway!

He might have caught a mouse later this evening ... he really IS good with the chickens, but it's a balancing act training a little one to attack these animals and not those. But he's learning. No thanks to my roo! (Who was the object of the tackle, btw.)

trish

 

[wendy]

Quote:
okay i am picturing all of this taking place, you showing the chickens how to "defend" themselves. that is cute!
i would do the same, we don't have cats but to weiner dogs. the female is scared of the chickens but not the male dog.
maybe your roo was worried about his girl getting hurt

 

[silkiechicken]

Maybe your roo thinks the kitten is one of them!

 

[WindyOaksYokes]

awww too cute... but need to teach roo over there that he needs to be the one to defend and take care of her... not the other way around

Way to go lil hen... you did GOOD!!!!!!!!!

 

[chickflick]

My chickens take care of themselves with the three cats that I have. Cats are afraid of the chickens. You don't need to teach them, they'll chase them away on their own once they get big enough!

 

[GoodEgg]

The roo being worried she would get hurt ... that's sweet, I didn't think of that ...

The roo thinking the kitten is one of them ... now THAT is what I was thinking, LOL. He's ALWAYS in the middle of things when I let them out to free range. It's his second-favorite time of day.

I can't wait for the roos to become more rooish, in a good way. They know how to pick fights, how to stop fights, that they can't eat till the hens do, and that they want to do SOMEthing involving grabbing the hens by the neck, although they can't figure out what that is. They have NO sense of warning or defending the flock (that I've seen yet) or of calling the girls for treats. I was hoping they'd grow into that ... Right now the girls do a MUCH better job of warning and defending, but nobody is interested in sharing treats.

And I have a feeling the kitten will definitely learn to be afraid of the chickens, and probably sooner than later. They are catching up to him in size. He arrived a week or two before they did, and in the beginning it was a kitten with all the kittenish instincts watching day-old fuzzballs with a gleam in his eyes. Those fuzzballs have been growing, and have delivered a few pecks over the past month or so, and now that they are starting to chase him off, I think they'll teach him a lot better than I have been able to!

He's a good cat though, really. For a cat.

I'm more of a dog person, but I DO have hopes he'll make a good yard hunter. Just not of chickens.

Loving the "drama" of it all, hehe ... They are more entertainment than ANYTHING on TV.

trish

 

[ozark hen]

chickflick is so right. I was worried when I saw a young kitten stalking and pouncing into the flock...just to be pecked on! Mine are 19 wks and will not tolerate the kitten attacking. Now the big cats will sleep around the chickens and not bother them...they already took a bad pecking from the hens and now respect them. They will all share yogurt out of the same bowl...cats, kittens and chickens.