Protective Pullets

[redinator]

I haven't seen a post about this so I'm curious if it's normal.

I have a flock of 13 chickens, 3 cockerels and 10 pullets.

1 of the cockerels is a 13 week old RIR, the other 2 are coming up on 5 months old.

All the cockerels have been mostly manageable, with a few sessions on correct behavior.

Today the RIR pecked my leg which could've been because he saw a bug or whatever (I know, I'll keep an eye on him and see if the behavior gets worse), but I gave him a shove with my foot. . . which is one of the ways I correct the males for getting too close. When I gave him a shove with my foot he bowed up to come back at me. My two older pullets sent the little tyrant packing (I really do love my girls).

After a few minutes he came back over, since all the chickens follow me around the yard, and the pullets chased him off again (did I mention I LOVE THEM).

 

[Mrs. K]

Strike one is how I would look at it. IMO, you are leaving the darling stage of cockerels, and you have too many cockerels for your flock.

I would expect his behavior to become more aggressive, he might not, but I would expect it. Don’t make excuses for him, judge him on his behavior, not yours.

How did you get two cockerels so much older than your flock, am I missing something?

My best advice is set up a way to separate the cockerels. A 5 foot fish net, a dog crate are handy to have at hand. If you never need it, no big deal, but if you need it you need it NOW!

Mrs K

 

[redinator]

Strike one is how I would look at it. IMO, you are leaving the darling stage of cockerels, and you have too many cockerels for your flock.

I would expect his behavior to become more aggressive, he might not, but I would expect it. Don’t make excuses for him, judge him on his behavior, not yours.

How did you get two cockerels so much older than your flock, am I missing something?

My best advice is set up a way to separate the cockerels. A 5 foot fish net, a dog crate are handy to have at hand. If you never need it, no big deal, but if you need it you need it NOW!

Mrs K

I got the first 4 from a batch of 12 hatching eggs (1st time hatching, cheap incubator).

I have a side yard set up that I use to give heavily chased pullets a break from the boys, or to let a misbehaving cockerel cool his heels for a bit. It worked well for the first two boys and after a week or so they settled into proper young cockerels. They were about the same age when they started testing me, but it seems, this time the older pullets are happy to do the heavy lifting.

 

[redinator]

Update: I went back in the yard after making this post and I had two pullets peck at my pants. It was then that I realized I was wearing a different pair of pants today. The pants have long strings on the zipper-pulls. This is what they (including the RIR cockerel) were pecking at.

Of course when the cockerel did it I assumed it was "bad behavior" but when the pullets did it . . . well, they'd never . . .there must be a reason. Poor cockerels

 

[HensJoy]

Interesting!

 

[Mother of Chaos]

Update: I went back in the yard after making this post and I had two pullets peck at my pants. It was then that I realized I was wearing a different pair of pants today. The pants have long strings on the zipper-pulls. This is what they (including the RIR cockerel) were pecking at.

Of course when the cockerel did it I assumed it was "bad behavior" but when the pullets did it . . . well, they'd never . . .there must be a reason. Poor cockerels

I have a pair of beige shorts with turned-up hems held up by tabs. The tabs have large off-white buttons that look remarkably like the sliced raw almonds that we rarely give as treats.

I never remember this until I'm out with the girls and suddenly start getting the pecks.

 

[redinator]

I have a pair of beige shorts with turned-up hems held up by tabs. The tabs have large off-white buttons that look remarkably like the sliced raw almonds that we rarely give as treats.

I never remember this until I'm out with the girls and suddenly start getting the pecks.

They are so judgy . . . I don't like those pants, go change, lol.