pet rooster spurring kids

[rooster-red]

Quote:
I once knew a man that had a chow dog. This dog met him everyday at the mail box as he stopped to pick up mail on the way from work. My friend would open his truck door and the dog would jump in his lap. This wonderful scenario played out everyday for 3 years until one day my friend opened the truck door, the dog jumped in his lap and went wild trying to tear his throat out.

For weeks afterward my friend tried to figure out what had set the dog off. What changed?
It came down to one fact... He had started wearing a new cologne that day. After speacking with some experts he confirmed that this was possible, and it can also be triggered by certain colors and other circumstances that we'd never consider as provoking to the animal, but is.

This can happen with any animal, and the reason may not be readily apparent.

 

[country freedom]

Roosters are to keep watch over the hens, protecting them from anything remotely considered a threat. People are considered a threat. I've heard of roosters ganging up on a hawk or another animal just to protect the hens. When I finally get my chickens, my roos will be penned seperately, but next to my hens. I was flogged badly by my Leghorn, Crowy, when I was a small girl. My brother killed him with a brick and we had fried Crowy for supper that night. Not mine, nor other's children, will be allowed to enter the rooster pens for NO reason! Children are FAR MORE VALUABLE than a rooster would ever be. In my book, roosters are only good for three, not four, reasons: 1.) Protecting the hens, 2.) Fertilizing eggs for future generations of our addiction, 3.) Good eating. Forget about trying to make a rooster into a pet. I, or another adult, will handle my roos daily. My children won't have to go into the henhouse for eggs, and find a roo there waiting for them, like I did.

 

[rooster-red]

Quote:
Sorry you went through such a trajic experience as a child. :aww

Also glad that you understand that crowy was acting on his instincts, and didn't turn out hating roosters for life.

 

[crabbycluck]

I have a childhood rooster story as well. My brother had a prize winning rooster. I forget what breed he was, but he was absolutely HUMONGOUS. He won every contest he entered in Ohio. After his "show years", he wandered our yard freely with his hens. I was about 8 or 9 years old. One nice afternoon I was swinging on my swing and I accidentally booted a hen. She squawked and here came the rooster! Every time my swing would go up, he would fly up in the air and try to spur me.

I screamed and screamed. I was too terrified to stop swinging, but with each swing, the rooster became more and more angry. Finally, my brother saw what was happening and came to my rescue. He threw a basketball at the roo to get him to leave me alone. Luckily, the roo decided to take his frustrations out on the basketball. With one spur, he popped that ball! Glad it wasn't me he popped.

 

[Southern28Chick]

Quote:
Yeah, he's a dominique. He's molting right now so he's the opposite of handsome.

He's normally gorgeous though. I got him when he was a year old and he was a tough lil turd. He'd bump the back of my legs when I walked away from him. I started catching him and kissing and hugging him so now he stays away from me.

It all depends on the bird. Some a ok and others are mean. They're just doing their jobs but it's not ok for them to hurt people.

Here's a picture...before the molt:

 

[country freedom]

Quote:
Sorry you went through such a trajic experience as a child. :aww

Also glad that you understand that crowy was acting on his instincts, and didn't turn out hating roosters for life.

When I think of what happened back then, I'm reminded of my brother's love for me. We had other beautiful roos and hens that were totally free ranged and they ran from people. Crowy patrolled the entire 98.7 acres like a Maniac! Me and my 3 younger sisters would literally get off the school bus and run the entire length of our looooooooong driveway when we saw him tearing across one of the pastures towards the house. Mama would have her broom handy waiting for him. I never blamed Mama for not doing more, it was just life for us. He did this to anyone and everyone who stepped foot on my Pappaw's farm. Crowy was a beautiful rooster. Pure white, no specks of gray or black on him. My family tells stories of that rooster to all our children. We all laugh now/ not back then!

 

[crabbycluck]

Southern28chick... Wow, he is a pretty (or "purdee as we say in the South) boy! My girls would love him. They've been pretty desperate since my rooster has gone. They squat for anything that moves. Poor girls.

 

[Pinsprings]

I have really enjoyed reading the rooster threads on this forum, as I have had to deal with an aggressive rooster in the last couple of months.

I don't know how old he was when he was given to me but he was already mature, they wanted to get rid of him because he was aggressive and crowed all day.

We have had him now for two years and he had never shown any aggression whatsoever to anyone in the family, small grandchildren included, we had carried him around and cuddled him, he would even stand next to me in the doorway of the chicken house when I would sit there in the evenings.

One day I was out with my goats, I turned around and didn't see him and kind of ran over him, well he flogged my legs good with his wicked large spurs, I instinctively kicked him as hard as I could but he is a big boy and I nearly broke my toes, he continued to fight me and I continued to fight back until I finally won. I had terrible cuts and bruises on my bare legs. but I figured it was my fault so I gave him a pass.

Since then he has attacked me several times but no one else. Finally after a bad attack with more bruising and scratches, I told my husband that the spurs were coming off. So we waited until dark when it was cool, took pliers and twisted the horn of the spur off, then took horse nippers and cut the rest of them off flush with the leg. For some reason he didn't bleed at all, which surprised me.

Two days later, I was in the house when a hen came to my door making an awful fuss, I knew something was wrong because they never come to the house like that. A fox had my poor spurless rooster trying it's best to kill him before I could get to him. It was around noon and that arrogant fox just would not hardly run from me. The fox finally wandered off a little ways and watched, he didn't want to give the rooster up.

My rooster was limp but still breathing and I carried him to the house and got my rifle. It took two days of sitting outside with my rifle across my lap (my sons started calling me Granny) but I finally got the fox.

The rooster survived and I had great guilt because he is a rooster who is just trying to do a job, I wonder how many times he had fought that fox off before I removed his spurs...

By the way, he has flogged me once since then, but it doesn't hurt as bad. I am just dealing with it.

 

[bantymum]

wow Pinsprings, thats a lovely story.
I gave my rooster to a good home 2 weeks ago as I was fed up with his attacking me, my elderly mum and anyone else who came visiting. Mine are freerange so it was really unsafe. Its so nice and peaceful and as soon as he left it was a great feeling to walk in the yard without watching over one shoulder.
If they were in a coop I would have kept him.
My chooks dont seem to miss him.
If I have a roo in my latest hatch I may keep him. I have had silky cross roos in the past who never attacked.
I think its just like all animals, every one has a different personality, bless their hearts!!

 

[Wynette]

It's been interesting hearing everyone's stories. I hope I don't end up with a roo gone bad! So far, we're fine. I did find the web page I referred to in my other post - for any folks wanting some tips in resolving a nasty roo issue, there is some really good info in here:

http://www.homestead.com/shilala/roosters.html