My Rooster is depressed and embarrassed

[nightowl223]

She's the one that couldn't let it go when I joked that the word was in the freaking dictionary. *shrug* NMP

*ahem* edit for gender correction... after all, we mustn't get things incorrect.

 

[8 Chicks 1967]

Correct me BYC Members if I'm wrong but think a male chicken is a cockerel until it's a year old then's considered a Roo. A female is pullet until it's a year old

correct, except for the capons..can't leave anyone out.

 

[nightowl223]

correct, except for the capons..can't leave anyone out.

A Capon is a Capon as soon as his, ahem, testes are removed, and will forever remain a Capon, no matter the age.

 

[8 Chicks 1967]

A Capon is a Capon as soon as his, ahem, testes are removed, and will forever remain a Capon, no matter the age.

Yeah, just didn't want to leave anyone out.

 

[Dawnclucks22]

"Roosters have no concept of being embarrassed."

I truly must disagree. I had one nearly adult roo (around this fellow's age) that got his butt kicked by an older rooster in front of the whole rest of the flock, and he ended up hiding in a corner of the coop, refusing to eat or even move. I had to remove him, hand feed him for several days, slowly reintroduce him first to a very timid pullet, then another, a bit at a time for a few days at first. I literally had to build up his self-esteem again.

After a couple of months, you'd never know there had been a problem, but I know for certain that roos do, absolutely, have a concept of embarrassment. I believe what I saw with my own eyes.

I'm not sure if that's "embarrassment" as much as it is a fear spell. I think that if any cockerel was beat by an older rooster they'd be pretty shaken up whether the whole flock was there or not. I see what you mean, but in my opinion that's less of a self-esteem issue and more of a shock from being pushed down the pecking order. Kind of like what @The Moonshiner said.

 

[gimmie birdies]

a Crampon is for climbing! Joking!

 

[Bonniebooboo]

I agree with a couple other posters.
Pecker isn't mature quite yet. He is a teenager who has discovered sex.
Your hen on the other hand is mature and just put pecker in his place.
Funny post but seems you enjoy pecker being a pecker. Guess he is reminding you of your high school days.
Chickens are far different from us. Hens have no concept of being satsified or not. Roosters have no concept of being embarrassed. And neither have concerns about it being over too quickly. They are programmed to get the job done and done quickly.
Breeding for them is just about continuing their genes. There's no sexual assaults in their world.
Roosters want sex, hens want sex but neither want pain. Your pecker is causing havoc for that hen and she isn't going to put up with it. That part isn't about sex its just your pecker being an *$$ in general and hens tend to straighten out young peckers that are *$$es.
Everything going on here is natural and part of growing up in the chicken world. Pecker will come around to seeing things the ladies way and the ladies will let pecker think he's in charge and he will go on to being a rooster and doing his duties.
Sounds like you may be a little saddened that pecker isn't going to be a little pecker forever. All peckers must learn you can't be a pecker all your life or its going to be a lonely life.
In peckers and all young cockerels life its best to give up being a pecker and become a cock or you might find yourself in a pot.

Love It! This thread just tickles the ??@# out of me.

 

[WVduckchick]

I wasn't talking about something that took a few days to get over. The fellow I had took weeks to get over. He literally refused to eat and drink on his own for a week. If that isn't depression due to *something*, I don't know what is. And the only thing that happened to him was the shocking embarrassment of being humiliated in front of the entire flock and cornered until he simply gave up, turned his head into the corner, and sat down to die... which he would have had I not intervened.

It's submission. He is admitting defeat, tapping out, waving the white flag.

 

[nightowl223]

It's submission. He is admitting defeat, tapping out, waving the white flag.

And he would have died of it if I hadn't worked so hard to rebuild his self-esteem.

 

[nightowl223]

I call it a young cockerel who got schooled by an older bird and is acting accordingly - stay out of the way, don't do anything to get noticed, and you don't get the snot beat out of you by the big guy or the cranky old lady. I'd call it self preservation more than being embarrassed.

Self-preservation?!?

Then explain to me why he refused food or even water, for days, unless I syringed it into him. Explain why he would not want to be around ANY other living thing for weeks. Explain why it took him so very long to be able to even be around timid birds, much less be back around adult birds with self-esteem.

You seem to be thinking about something that was overcome in a day or two. That is not the case. This fellow would literally have died of dehydration, and nearly died of starvation, before I was able to build up his belief in himself enough that he would even eat and drink on his own. He was to the point of having nearly clear watery poop, and being so weak he could not stand when I finally started getting food into him. I was there, involved, saving this bird, who had been so badly embarrassed, so badly humiliated, that he. Wanted. To. Die.


Edited by Staff