Reeves

[spectrumranch]

I have been reading about alot of peoples reeves males being aggressive. It has raised a few questions, in the 20 plus years that I have kept Reeves I have only had a few males become aggressive, and with a little training have been able to tech them not to attack me.

On to my question- What is your opinion on the reason your male is aggressive: environmental or genetic?

 

[mochicken]

Those birds are STUNNING

 

[Resolution]

Quote:

I've only had a very few aggressive males and it seems to me to be environmental with specific lines being more predisposed to it. To be certain, they are very smart birds and nature requires them to be capable fighters with all the forest hawks, martens and small wild cats of northern China's forests. Until I kept them free ranging I hadn't realised how active a protector they are. The old males will perch high up in the pines and take on all sorts of creatures, grey squirrels and kittens, driver mowers, the errant sheep or llama, and its favorite nemesis the Goshawk. I've never seen them in the air chasing after a hawk as they are described in Chinese literature but I have seen them whizzing rapidly into the woods -males only with their psycho whistles blaring. I tend to think they are after some sort of small raptor that's dared to show itself at their territorial elevation- from about forty or fifty feet to the forest floor. I think owls get alot of them, especially the hens and young of the year and unless there are a few swarms of them around they don't last long- a lone male ostracized from the group will vanish or take to killing roosters as it moves into the barnyard. They call them arrow pheasants in China because of their swift rapid flight. I doubt any hawk could keep up with them and sustained flight including straight up the mountain and through stiff wind is nothing out of the common for them, especially when there's deep snow on the ground.

If you don't respect them in their aviaries- collect their eggs in the day time- and/or don't keep them in a complex social group- where they are kept on their toes- Chukars work well in that department- you'll sometimes end up with a head and neck tenderizer/helicopter. I like them mean and there is a reason they're coloured like wasp.