Rooster started humping my TV remote.😱

[garlandchickens]

Heh I think we kicked off all the haters

 

[Hei 20]

Dear OP, I apologize for some of the more insensitive peeps on this thread. There was a member who kept a house duck and everyone was so supportive. I’m so sorry you’ve not been as supported. It’s no different really. As long as you give the rooster plenty of company (like spending time with him), he should be okay. I hate the double standard some people have :/

Thank you

 

[MilesFluffybutt]

Thank you greatly!!
We do all types of things together. I already have a harness, but I have not started walking him yet. We started out with driving first. LOL baby steps.

Yes! Driving adventures! Hawke runs errand with me and Pixie (the dog), too. He rides shotgun and appreciates the seat warmer.

Pre-COVID the tellers at my bank wouldn't take me at the drive-thru if I had Hawke. They'd tell me I had to go inside where one of them would take him around the building.

 

[Hei 20]

Nah it's just a very funny idea. I think that what livestock is or isn't is pretty meaningless here because that varies by country, and obviously livestock can be intelligent and trained to litterboxes and many other pets are not intelligent or litter trainable, and most animals can live outside in the wild. I mean, I have a husky that hunts rabbits and is suited for the environment and it's ILLEGAL to keep her outside where I live. Some people think that's cruel, it's very cultural. So just because it's not commonly done doesn't mean this rooster is unhappy IMO.

I think if we look at actual research on if an animal is happy in its environment we look at a few things;
Activity level
Natural behavior fulfillment
Destructiveness
Habitual neurotic behavior
Health

For example, if a horse is cribbing in its stall, a dog is shredding your couch, or a chicken is lying about depressed and unmoving, or a snake has scale mites - that's not a happy animal.

But if the rooster here is crowing, digging in its litter, and not actively trying to destroy household objects from boredom... Plus it's eating, drinking, healthy and safe... There's nothing to ACTUALLY point to this chicken having a worse quality of life than any other bird. We like to say "chickens are happier when X" but... We humans are happier when we're cozy and warm indoors with easy access to food as opposed to our natural environment. So how do we really tell if an animal is doing well?

There's a LOT of research on this, especially out of zoos, and how to keep animals in confinement that would normally be unhappy in an enclosure happy. This is a regular occurrence in our human society. We observe their behavior, make changes, and then re-observe. We can see when pacing decreases in captive animals, when sleep balances out with activity, when animals are preforming natural behaviors and when they're refusing to. There's no reason at all that those same techniques for enrichment and monitoring can't be applied here. It's all very quantifiable.

And tbh, OP would know better than most of us if any quantifiable negative results were taking place. I see many posters suggesting that the rooster is mounting the remote is a sign they are lonely. It's not. It's normal horny teenager behavior - actually a sign of a confident and healthy animal exhibiting normal behavior. I've had house rabbits that used to wanna mount my legs, dogs mount stuffed animals, and like other have said outdoor birds mounting random objects. Nothing about this chicken screams to me that it is in a situation detrimental to its wellbeing.

If someone has some sort of ACTUAL evidence to the contrary - maybe a report on house chickens living shorter lifespans, showing increased stress hormones, or showing decreased activity levels compared to flock chickens- I'd love to see it. But right now it all sounds kind of like conjecture and posturing and feels and has very little to do with the reality of how well off this bird is or isn't.

Thank you.

 

[Hei 20]

Very well said, a lot of people are very quick to shoot down things when they have nothing to back it up now if they could provide evidence about how detrimental having an indoor chicken is for the chickens health I could totally change my mind if shown actual facts. This topic is a topic that as of right now is based pretty much on opinion, at the end of the day we are not OP so who are we to say how that chicken is doing.

Thank you

 

[Hei 20]

Hei Hei seems very happy and Hei20 from what I can tell takes amazing care of him. If the rooster is happy, has everything it needs, and is allowed to be there I see no issue. If the rooster isn't happy then bringing him to the farm probably would be best.... It will be hard but it will be best

Thank you

 

[Hei 20]

Yes! Driving adventures! Hawke runs errand with me and Pixie (the dog), too. He rides shotgun and appreciates the seat warmer.

Pre-COVID the tellers at my bank wouldn't take me at the drive-thru if I had Hawke. They'd tell me I had to go inside where one of them would take him around the building.

Has yours wore any pants yet? LOL

 

[Hei 20]

Gorgeous! Still looks just like him!View attachment 2416529

I believe he looks just like the real Hei Hei in this picture.

 

[AngBantamLuv]

Has yours wore any pants yet? LOL

No, but i bought chicken tutus that coordinate w their cute chicken diapers! Saving my daughters pretty dresses to make chicken dresses too... next i just need those chicken arms!

 

[MilesFluffybutt]

Has yours wore any pants yet? LOL

No, but he's a cross-beak so he has enough problems with self-esteem. He does have blue jean diapers I make him wear (some of the time.)