Michigan Thread - all are welcome!

[zndzant]

Hope everyone had a very happy holiday! Busy busy around here. But the good kind of busy with lots of good food and family.

So the coming new year looks to be leading me in the direction of having to cull my little cockerel. Hatched May 10 with all the rest of my girls. He's been good so far, but yesterday he threw himself at my leg. I didn't react, and he backed off. Today, I was ready for him and just lifted my big Sorel boot off the ground at about his chest level and just let him bounce off. I didn't kick him or anything. Again, he backed off and then I proceeded to walk right through him all around the pen and he always retreated. But... he's riding 4 of my 8 girls hard. Enough to leave bare skin on the back of my small Barred Rock's head, as well as missing feathers on her back. Not down to the skin though. And he has about a1.5"x1.5" bare spot on the back of my Wyandotte. My two Easter Eggers have ruffled feathers on their backs.

I got some neosporin non pain reliever today and put on the bald spots. They don't appear to be scabbed or bleeding, but don't want infection to set in. Also got some blue coat to put on in a couple of days to act as a bit of a barrier. Hope no one gets ill from this.

I don't really want to cull him, he's quite pretty, and it's nice to hear him crow and coo to the girls, but I really can't have him roughing them up so much.

Is it too much to ask that as he matures, he will not be so rough?

 

[1muttsfan]

It is possible that he is still just a hormonal teenager and behaving inappropriately, and could improve when he got a little bit older. There's no saying for sure. I will have to say that I've never had a rooster who actually flogged (instead of just kind of bumping into you) that ever stopped doing it. I would suggest every time you walk in the pen, go in with the a long stick to tap on the ground and just walk him around the pen a little before you do anything else. And never turn your back on him.

 

[meltel]

It is possible that he is still just a hormonal teenager and behaving inappropriately, and could improve when he got a little bit older. There's no saying for sure. I will have to say that I've never had a rooster who actually flogged (instead of just kind of bumping into you) that ever stopped doing it. I would suggest every time you walk in the pen, go in with the a long stick to tap on the ground and just walk him around the pen a little before you do anything else. And never turn your back on him.

hey mutts-hows the second cutest dachshund in the world

Sassy say hello

 

[1muttsfan]

Max says Hi right back!

 

[ToniTalley]

It is possible that he is still just a hormonal teenager and behaving inappropriately, and could improve when he got a little bit older. There's no saying for sure. I will have to say that I've never had a rooster who actually flogged (instead of just kind of bumping into you) that ever stopped doing it. I would suggest every time you walk in the pen, go in with the a long stick to tap on the ground and just walk him around the pen a little before you do anything else. And never turn your back on him.

Truth! We have an aggressive rooster and I never go into the yard without my little rake and I never turn my back on him (learned the hard way, which resulted in scars and a tetanus shot). But we keep him because he is very good at watching out for the girls, and have not lost one on his watch.

 

[Folly's place]

I've had many roosters, both good and bad, and life is too short to keep a jerk! Mine are all fine with people, or they wouldn't still be here, or alive. Mary

 

[troyer]

A cockerel from my bantam Cubalaya project.
"On the watch"

 

[1muttsfan]

Handsome bird. Love the little peek-a-boo hen behind him too.

 

[chickflick]

He's beautiful!

 

[taprock]

Zndzant you might want to consider aprons for your girls. They always end up with some wear and feather loss no matter how nice a rooster you have. I usually end up with a handful of girls who need them.

We got a few inches of new snow last night. I'm happy about it. We have had another mangy fox around and now he can be tracked if he comes back. Luckily last time my son saw him and intervened. Only the turkeys were out and I'm not sure of what the out come would be with turkeys vs. fox. He's a lot smaller than the neighbors German shepherd.

Off to shovel out the coops.