Cockatrice236
Hatching
I've raised chickens a few times before, and I kind of know more about reading their body language and how to win their affection (it's easy as long as you've got some good yogurt mix recipes and plenty of cabbage/celery), but I still have some questions about how they show affection, just to confirm how to tell when they're warming up to me.
I've got three baby chicks right now (they go by the names Angela, my white Americauna, Merkel, my Rhode Island Red, and Kenya, My supposed Barred Rock). Merkel isn't much of a cuddler, and will only approach me if the other two come over to sit in my lap. But, that's where the questions start.
The other day, I was outside with them while they were devouring the grass in the lawn, and the cat came over to me and started meowing at me to pet him. As soon as Kenya and Angela heard him meow, their heads came right up to look over at him as he rubbed against me. I started reaching my hand out to pet him, and they immediately came rushing over. They startled him when they flew over, and they succeeded in chasing him off when Kenya took the time to peck him in the back leg (just so you know, my cat is a runt, so he's smaller than you would expect, and he's a wimp when it comes to the birds since in the past my fully grown chickens would push him around and he was terrified of them). As soon as he was gone, they hopped up in my lap (which is a bit of a rare occurrence since they still are somewhat frightened of me, but it has happened once or twice before this incident), and sat there refusing to move for a minute or so until they seemed to decide the cat wasn't going to come back anytime soon and went back to the grass to eat and look for grit. Merkel didn't participate, and didn't approach me either, she just stood there in the lawn and waited for her sisters to come back, seemingly confused.
I was pretty confused too, and it may be stupid to ask about this incident but I can't help but be curious. When Kenya and Angela ran over to chase off the cat and sat in my lap, were they trying to protect me from the cat (as he has swatted at them a few times before, though he was always immediately chased off with a broom and a scolding from me), or were they just jealous that I was giving him affection? There may not be any way to answer this, but if someone could tell me which answer is more likely that would be great.
Aside from that though, I have a few more questions about how they display affection.
1. Sometimes when they approach me, before they jump on my knee (which is where they usually perch when they sit in my lap) they gently brush their beak over my knee a few times. Is this a show of affection?
2. Sometimes, my chickens make these quiet, slightly lower pitched, "burrr" noises at me when they are fully grown and their vocalizations change. Is this a sign of affection?
3. Is it possible they can consider you as a Rooster or something, as in the Rooster that protects the flock? My previous chickens, even when fully grown, weren't very affectionate at first. But once while they were caged up in the aviary wire crate that we use to keep them safe when we aren't outside watching them, a Bobcat jumped the wall and began terrorizing them. Luckily, my father and I were in the living room (which is literally the room right next to the yard), and upon hearing their terrified squawks, we shot up from the couch and went over to the door. My dad just banged on the glass, which got the attention of the Bobcat, but I shoved my dad aside, swung the door open, and went charging at the Bobcat with my arms waving above my head while shouting a martial arts war cry at the top of my lungs (yes, in the martial arts I practice there are specific words you shout when doing battle cries and such). Naturally, this scared the living sh*t out of the Bobcat (which is understandable, as although I am female I am tall and somewhat muscular for a 14 year old since I've been practicing martial arts since I was 9) and he jumped on top of the wall, sparing one last glance at me to see if I was still coming at him (which I was, and I had fists at the ready to beat that fur ball so hard that he'd rather hunt in the desert terrain for scrawny gophers than come over the wall for a good meal), and then jumped over the wall and ran for the hills. I gave one last angry scream after him for effect, and after a few seconds I calmed down as I knew I had successfully protected my precious birds. Curious as to whether they were still panicking, I looked over at them, and they were silent, staring up at me with this awed look of "HOLY CRAP YOU ACTUALLY CHASED OFF THAT MONSTER" and I felt pretty proud of myself as I had clearly impressed them. Funny thing was, ever since then, those two hens ADORED me. This respect and love from them had started immediately, as when I opened the crate and carried them inside to be put in the much more luxurious crate that was inside the house (Trust me, an air conditioned crate that contains all the necessities like food and water is heavenly for chickens. They are simple creatures.), they didn't panic and scream bloody murder like they usually did. They were startled for a second when I reached out and gently picked them up, but they barely struggled as I carried them inside. Plus, while they were inside if I tried to leave the crate and they couldn't see me they'd start screeching for me to come back. I ended up playing my 3DS for entertainment while sitting next to their crate just so they wouldn't screech so loud you could hear them through the entire house even if the doors were closed. But, just to review the question in case you forgot; Is it possible for them to consider you as the Rooster that protects the flock in a way?
Sorry I typed so much, I tend to be really descriptive. If you somehow manage to read the whole thing or at least post an answer to some or all of my questions I'd really appreciate it. If you do both, then you're awesome.
I've got three baby chicks right now (they go by the names Angela, my white Americauna, Merkel, my Rhode Island Red, and Kenya, My supposed Barred Rock). Merkel isn't much of a cuddler, and will only approach me if the other two come over to sit in my lap. But, that's where the questions start.
The other day, I was outside with them while they were devouring the grass in the lawn, and the cat came over to me and started meowing at me to pet him. As soon as Kenya and Angela heard him meow, their heads came right up to look over at him as he rubbed against me. I started reaching my hand out to pet him, and they immediately came rushing over. They startled him when they flew over, and they succeeded in chasing him off when Kenya took the time to peck him in the back leg (just so you know, my cat is a runt, so he's smaller than you would expect, and he's a wimp when it comes to the birds since in the past my fully grown chickens would push him around and he was terrified of them). As soon as he was gone, they hopped up in my lap (which is a bit of a rare occurrence since they still are somewhat frightened of me, but it has happened once or twice before this incident), and sat there refusing to move for a minute or so until they seemed to decide the cat wasn't going to come back anytime soon and went back to the grass to eat and look for grit. Merkel didn't participate, and didn't approach me either, she just stood there in the lawn and waited for her sisters to come back, seemingly confused.
I was pretty confused too, and it may be stupid to ask about this incident but I can't help but be curious. When Kenya and Angela ran over to chase off the cat and sat in my lap, were they trying to protect me from the cat (as he has swatted at them a few times before, though he was always immediately chased off with a broom and a scolding from me), or were they just jealous that I was giving him affection? There may not be any way to answer this, but if someone could tell me which answer is more likely that would be great.
Aside from that though, I have a few more questions about how they display affection.
1. Sometimes when they approach me, before they jump on my knee (which is where they usually perch when they sit in my lap) they gently brush their beak over my knee a few times. Is this a show of affection?
2. Sometimes, my chickens make these quiet, slightly lower pitched, "burrr" noises at me when they are fully grown and their vocalizations change. Is this a sign of affection?
3. Is it possible they can consider you as a Rooster or something, as in the Rooster that protects the flock? My previous chickens, even when fully grown, weren't very affectionate at first. But once while they were caged up in the aviary wire crate that we use to keep them safe when we aren't outside watching them, a Bobcat jumped the wall and began terrorizing them. Luckily, my father and I were in the living room (which is literally the room right next to the yard), and upon hearing their terrified squawks, we shot up from the couch and went over to the door. My dad just banged on the glass, which got the attention of the Bobcat, but I shoved my dad aside, swung the door open, and went charging at the Bobcat with my arms waving above my head while shouting a martial arts war cry at the top of my lungs (yes, in the martial arts I practice there are specific words you shout when doing battle cries and such). Naturally, this scared the living sh*t out of the Bobcat (which is understandable, as although I am female I am tall and somewhat muscular for a 14 year old since I've been practicing martial arts since I was 9) and he jumped on top of the wall, sparing one last glance at me to see if I was still coming at him (which I was, and I had fists at the ready to beat that fur ball so hard that he'd rather hunt in the desert terrain for scrawny gophers than come over the wall for a good meal), and then jumped over the wall and ran for the hills. I gave one last angry scream after him for effect, and after a few seconds I calmed down as I knew I had successfully protected my precious birds. Curious as to whether they were still panicking, I looked over at them, and they were silent, staring up at me with this awed look of "HOLY CRAP YOU ACTUALLY CHASED OFF THAT MONSTER" and I felt pretty proud of myself as I had clearly impressed them. Funny thing was, ever since then, those two hens ADORED me. This respect and love from them had started immediately, as when I opened the crate and carried them inside to be put in the much more luxurious crate that was inside the house (Trust me, an air conditioned crate that contains all the necessities like food and water is heavenly for chickens. They are simple creatures.), they didn't panic and scream bloody murder like they usually did. They were startled for a second when I reached out and gently picked them up, but they barely struggled as I carried them inside. Plus, while they were inside if I tried to leave the crate and they couldn't see me they'd start screeching for me to come back. I ended up playing my 3DS for entertainment while sitting next to their crate just so they wouldn't screech so loud you could hear them through the entire house even if the doors were closed. But, just to review the question in case you forgot; Is it possible for them to consider you as the Rooster that protects the flock in a way?
Sorry I typed so much, I tend to be really descriptive. If you somehow manage to read the whole thing or at least post an answer to some or all of my questions I'd really appreciate it. If you do both, then you're awesome.
