new at this have a rir roo q'tn

[random]

hey, im new to this but ive been reading lots and lots on this site about chookies as we have a "teen" rir roo and 3 rir chicks...hopefully are hens! we did have 5 other chooks but misfortune met them, 3 by our dog, 1 was a game roo looking agressive and i have kids so hes gone and 1 died at the start...might have eaten a spider or something...not too good at protecting now am i! lol...
however i have 2 questions....1: my partner told me chooks go funny on their own, so although i cant trust the roo alone with the little ones, i socialise them as much as possible and he seems quite happy to have them around...now seeing as he's a "teen" will this help?
and 2nd...i have read lots of ppl say they know of mean rir roo's and very few ppl say they know nice ones, r they predisposed to being mean?...mine seems quite pleasant...will fluff around if u go to pick him up but once u have him he settles right down and goes to sleep...i washed him the other day and he just flopped and let me dry him. he was limp as.....very relaxed and happy....will he change from this or will he stay nice? i try to "cuddle" him a bit each day to ensure he stays comfortable with humans/contact...does this help? will he go mean? how will i know cuz no chook is worth my children!
phew...what an essay!
thanks!
b.t.w i want to keep him smick as i think he is the most handsome roo ever...am i biased? how do i know what the standards are if i want to show him?

 

[the1much]

there is NO roo pre-disposed to be mean,,, NONE,,,, what do you mean by your game "looked" aggressive?
if your roo is good to the chicks,, he may never hurt them,, he WILL peck them to "show them the way", he will teach them he is alpha,, some roo's tolerate chicks, some dont, and some care for them better then any hen.
and the WORST mistake IMO, is to "cuddle" your roo,, that puts you both on even ground, and he WILL try to be alpha, and make you back down to him. ALL roo's live by instinct, some not as much as others,, but ALL are aggressive to a point, (and should be) protective, and want to be alpha.


edit: ta add welcome to BYC !

 

[andehens]

and good luck with your chooks!

https://www.backyardchickens.com/web/viewblog.php?id=2588-Roo_behavior
this is a link to rooster-reds rooster help!

 

[the1much]

need to add something,, i just re-read, and see the "children" part...
children should never, ever,in a million years, even thought about, be allowed to be in the run or coop with your roo alone,,,,, EVER,, children are just big birds, and predators to a roo, they make them nervouse, and make sudden moves. NOT saying they shouldnt touch him,, my kids pet all 15 of my big roo's,, BUT, only when im holding them!

 

[random]

i dont actually cuddle him...i pick him up, give him a pat for maybe 5 min and put him down...i have read that u have to make sure u r the "alpha" and so far all is good...he comes to me when hes scared i.e the dog...hes already quite protective of the chicks cuz when my daughter pickes them up they peep and he doesnt like that...hell rush over and watch u to make sure ur not hurting them...the other roo attacked anything that moved too fast...we only had 3 hens with the 2 roos and the other 3 were rir so we decided to keep the same breeds and my daughter was scared of him...rather be safe then sorry. i have noticed there is 1 chick he pecks every so often but not hard and not alot...just 1 here or there and that s all...so atleast now i know y he's doing that...thanks!
umm i know i might write some things that seems odd eg "cuddling" he roo, but i dont literally cuddle him...i just write as i say, and soemtimes there are misinterpretations as i am aussie and use quite a bit of slang...the amount of editing i did to post it! lol but thanks a bunch for ur reply i do feel better bout him and the chicks...i will be sure tokeep myself as alpha though so no confusions can happen!
as for my kids...they never go in the pen...the chooks r up the back part of the yard, however we let them free range and shes really quite good with the chooks, they do their thing she does hers. they just didnt seem to get on...we didnt need 2 roos 3 hens though so it just made our choice easier
ta for that!

 

[random]

thanks for the link...i read that carefully previously so i can understand him better...makes life easier if i know where hes comin from
ta matee
cheers

 

[the1much]

you'll soon find out that 3 hens wont be enough for 1 roo,,,lol,, so before you ask,,, the hens are getting bare backs because of too much mating,,, lol

and,,,, for the cuddling,, you wouldnt believe how MANY people come on here and ask what to do with a roo that just flog'd them,, specially since they'd cuddle ( and i mean CUDDLE lol ) them, and pet them,, and try to whisper sweet nothings to it,,,lol,, and then wonder why he treats them like some ole yard hen,,hehe

and he probably pecks that certain chick, cause that chick keeps "testing" the boundaries,, lol ,, almost everyone on here has heard about my blind roo,, he takes care of all of my babies.,, nother thing on that,, you said your roo will go over and make sure that the chirping chick is o.k.,,,, THATS GREAT !!! ,,,,,BUT,,,, i wouldnt allow the kids to do that near him,, at all,, that "run" will all of a sudden turn into a flog or a bite,, and there will be NO warning,, if you pick up 1 of my chicks when my blind boy is out,, he will come towards the sound, he will try to flog,, and he WILL take a chunk out of ya with NO hesitation,,,,,,, and its up to my family to watch out for him,, not the other way around,, he's in the right,,,, so there is NO picking up chicks until he is put in his coop for a few minutes,, then when we're done, he's let out.

 

[random]

sounds great! will make sure i do that cuz he would def. be in the right cuz thats what they do and im cool with that...nah i would never whisper sweet nothings....hes a chook!

lmao but i spose i can see how ppl would fall into that...i guess? we will get more hens later..ive read bout the bare back thingy...but a.t.m im waiting for bub to be born...i have 5 weeks! yay! so 3 will do till i have more time...im really glad u told me bout how the "checking" can turn to "attacking" though...i would never have put the 2 together....thanks 4 that! appreciate it lil buddy!
cheers!

 

[the1much]

your very welcome

and after your here for a while,, you'll find out im 1 of the biggest "roo advocates.... ;D

 

[Pine Grove]

No kid was harmed while taking these Pics...Like with a dog, supervision is the key,,As far as RI Reds never a mean one in this strain..BTW this cockerel is for give away, He is ruined now for a showbird due to frostbite..pick up in Valdosta GA only