IamRainey
Crowing
I've got a rooster who's displaying aggression. Not regularly. And it isn't more than a thump and a bit of scratching (he doesn't have spurs yet) but it gets me down. I almost had a chance to rehome him recently and when it came down to it, I didn't want to let him go. I want to find a way to live with him. Believe it or not, it's the crowing I'd miss.
Rocky isn't my first agressive rooster. His father, Maurice, was a gorgeous French Black Copper Marans. I wanted to keep him too but I didn't know how to handle him. I let the aggression go on too long before I tried to correct it. In the end, I tried everything and failed to control him. It got too anxious to be trying to refill items in the coop, keep a stick at hand and keep my eye on him. He had to go.
Rocky (25% BCM and 75% Cream Legbar) was mellow well into his maturity. It's only recently that he's begun throwing himself at me and only on random occasions. I grabbed a stick and announced my space as soon as it happened. He respects the stick and steers clear when I've got it. But, again, it's just awkward to have to hang onto it while I do my business, so sometimes I forego it. 85% of the time when I do, he's well behaved. But then the random thumping starts again when I've lost sight of him.
Today I noticed that when I took them watermelon and placed it on the floor of the coop he stood patrol eyeing me while the hens dug in. It was only after 5 minutes or so of this standoff that he began to peck at it himself. I thought, this is what I want! I want him looking after his flock. And I also want him not attacking where attack isn't required.
So I guess I'm asking how do I do a better job of making clear that I'm not a threat. My present strategies are 1) have sticks anyplace I may need one, 2) occasionally wave it in "my" space when he's looking fierce, 3) not getting down at his level when he's present and 4) if he's extending his hackles or flapping his wings I give some nearby object a good thwack with the stick. What can I add to communicate that I'm not a threat to him or the hens?
Rocky isn't my first agressive rooster. His father, Maurice, was a gorgeous French Black Copper Marans. I wanted to keep him too but I didn't know how to handle him. I let the aggression go on too long before I tried to correct it. In the end, I tried everything and failed to control him. It got too anxious to be trying to refill items in the coop, keep a stick at hand and keep my eye on him. He had to go.
Rocky (25% BCM and 75% Cream Legbar) was mellow well into his maturity. It's only recently that he's begun throwing himself at me and only on random occasions. I grabbed a stick and announced my space as soon as it happened. He respects the stick and steers clear when I've got it. But, again, it's just awkward to have to hang onto it while I do my business, so sometimes I forego it. 85% of the time when I do, he's well behaved. But then the random thumping starts again when I've lost sight of him.
Today I noticed that when I took them watermelon and placed it on the floor of the coop he stood patrol eyeing me while the hens dug in. It was only after 5 minutes or so of this standoff that he began to peck at it himself. I thought, this is what I want! I want him looking after his flock. And I also want him not attacking where attack isn't required.
So I guess I'm asking how do I do a better job of making clear that I'm not a threat. My present strategies are 1) have sticks anyplace I may need one, 2) occasionally wave it in "my" space when he's looking fierce, 3) not getting down at his level when he's present and 4) if he's extending his hackles or flapping his wings I give some nearby object a good thwack with the stick. What can I add to communicate that I'm not a threat to him or the hens?
