S-p-u-r-r-e-d

[OlyChickenGuy]

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I'm glad to hear that you find my information valuable, and that you have wits enough not to clump your chickens with your other domestic birds - I've known some people who have, and the results have been AWFUL. I know at least one woman, though, who has both parrots and chickens and recognises the differences in them - she's even offered to help teach me the different and similar ways in which they behave! I'm excited about this because, frankly, birds have scared me witless all of my life!! Honestly, I ended up with chickens by accident, but an accident I wouldn't trade for anything in the world!

As for your comment about people asking the same questions until they get the answer they want... I hear you on that one! It kills me to see how many people's immediate reaction to bad behaviour is slaughter - especially when it's something like a bantam that won't even yield a worthwhile amount of meat.

 

[ChickieBooBoo]

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well what else are we to do with them? Dress up in heavy clothing just to go in the coop cause you know your gunna be attacked by a rooster? Give or sell it ti someone else whos gunna be attacked everytime they go in their coop? Always be afraid when kids come over cause the roo is gunna take out their eye? Peek in the door and make sure he ins't watching when you slip inside, then run out as fast as you can? Doesnt make a while lotta sense to me when they are plenty roos that are not mean.

 

[OlyChickenGuy]

Now if you want my total honest opinion on the matter - anyone who thinks in terms of "aggression is impossible to deal with" is just plain lazy. I have had success rehabilitating aggressive roosters in the past into snugly lap pets. I KNOW for a fact that it is possible because I've done it. I spent all of the past two years just hanging out with my chickens, observing them and their behaviours and interactions with each other, and lived my whole life up to this point with dogs and even a few years with a woman who trained dogs and studied dog psychology and let me in on her secrets. I grew up with very little attachment to humans, and instead focused on the animals in my life. I don't know everything, and I'm still learning - especially with chickens - but I know enough to know that aggression is NEVER a permanent issue. It is an issue of laziness on behalf of the owner for not even WANTING to try and perceive their animals as anything but pre-programmed, impossible to work with, and too dumb to work with anyway. Maybe you'll get lucky with a temperament, but more often than not such behaviour on the human's part is the root cause of that aggression.

Every single query you posed, in my opinion, has absolutely no grounding whatsoever. They're inquiries from someone uneducated in the way of any animal psychology and unwilling to open their minds and learn. Perhaps I am reading too far into the message itself since there is no tone of voice to back it up, but the question itself seems like an attack. To provoke one into attacking back and making themselves look utterly witless and self-centred. An attempt to force a person to get caught up in their own words, and then pick apart every tiny aspect to turn it around to make it say what you want, then shove it in the person's face in order to be able to tell everyone else how much of a fraud this person is.

You wanted my HONEST opinion? That's my opinion on the matter. Granted, opinions can always be wrong, but that is how I perceive this interaction. If you're actually genuinely interested in what I have to say, I will be more than willing to elaborate, but if all you're going to do is corner me with your own fears, I'll have nothing to do with that.

 

[Louieandthecrew]

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After they receive it, it's theirs for whatever reason they please

 

[Louieandthecrew]

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well what else are we to do with them? Dress up in heavy clothing just to go in the coop cause you know your gunna be attacked by a rooster? Give or sell it ti someone else whos gunna be attacked everytime they go in their coop? Always be afraid when kids come over cause the roo is gunna take out their eye? Peek in the door and make sure he ins't watching when you slip inside, then run out as fast as you can? Doesnt make a while lotta sense to me when they are plenty roos that are not mean.

With bantams, though, pulling off the spurrs is good enough. A bantam with no spurrs is nothing to be afraid of. Even if they're mean as anything, they can only do so much. Just because something hurts you because of its insticts doesn't mean that it deserves death, does it? Would you rather have a rooster that couldn't protect its hens, and its chicks from preditors, but is the sweetest rooster you ever had? Or a strong rooster willing to kill off anything that threatens its hens that you may have to keep a close eye on?

 

[beaglelover26]

in the past i had a black australorp and buff brahma rooster. both had dull spurs but they never tried to spur me i would remove them so they would hopefully stop destroying the feathers on our hens backs. my BA was very attached to me since he was only 2 chickens left from my dogs killing them one runny night in the coop since the wind blew the door open it was a really bad storm that night, so he would follow me around and greet me all the time when i got home or went outside he knew his name too i called him penquin lol. but now i can't have roosters where we live now so any roosters that pop up in my chickies are going somewhere else.

 

[galanie]

After all this discussion, I do know one thing. I want a roo, and I want a nice one. I think I have three to choose from in the batch I just hatched so training aside, I'm still going to pick the nicest one. I don't really want chickens that jump up in my lap but I do so love the way my hens follow me around. They were NOT going to be pets! hahhahhahaha right...

I can take them outside of the fenced area and walk them around the front yard. I show them where there are likely to be some bugs and they eagerly scratch where I show them. My Big Girl has so much faith in my bug finding ability that she will scratch for a long time where I tell her to. She just KNOWS there has to be something there cause I said so!

Keep in mind that these are large birds, Orpingtons. Hawks and cats are not interested in them at all, so maybe I can do more than those with smaller breeds can. I carry a long stick in case I see a dog and to herd them if I need to, but they've learned their limit. (I also know their "danger call" and if I do this, they will immediately run for cover) They know exactly how close to the road they're allowed to go, and not to go past a certain point on either side. Even if I run into the house for a minute, they don't stray. Usually when I come back out they will be close to the door. We have great walks in the front yard every evening and sometimes people walking with their children stop and pet my Big Girl. The kids love it and it's allowed me to be viewed as a nice lady by the many new Spanish speaking people around me. We can't talk to each other much but I've learned a few more words and also that these are nice people too.

So I guess my hens are ambassadors lol. Were I to add a roo to this mix, I doubt I'd be able to walk him with them, but I'd sure love to. Time will tell.

PS - New Girl loved the movie! It took her a while to digest what had happened afterwards, but she is now joining the flock when treats are passed out and is not so shy about being close to me. A few days later, MayZell got to come in and have a mealworm beetle. Yum! She was a little shy too, but now everyone appears to be on equal footing. It helped also that I now stop the top hen from pecking the others. She doesn't do it in my presence like before and all seem happier.

 

[ChickieBooBoo]

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Even so, a bantam who flys at your face, spurs or no spurs still has claws. I have absoulutly no tolerance for a roo bantam, standard, purebred or crossbred who attacks me. And does that mean I am limited to bantams if I want to ever keep a mean roo?
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Not all roosters have that instict. I have a HUGE EE roo named Frank, he comes up to my waist easily. If he ever decided to attack he could do some serious damage to me or anyone around the coop. And if he ever did he could be in the pot before he could say sorry.
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What makes you say a friendly roo won't protect his hens? All my roos are friendly and they are willing to protect the hens, but to them I am not a predator. And that to me, is the difference.

 

[OlyChickenGuy]

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I am glad to hear the movie watching worked for you! I have updated my blog with an article on dealing with shy and skittish chickens if you need anything else to chew on. I'm actually writing this from a 24-hour tea house in my area with a someone playing a guitar live, plugged into an amp, a fairly large crowd of people, and was just in a group of dogs and cats mostly for the charity vet clinic ( and found out that the AWESOME vet who helped me save a scalped chick had begun volunteering there! ), and then went to see the outdoor gospel of a pastor who preaches to the homeless... the whole time with my young bantam mutt rooster on my arm. He told me today that the crowds and loud noises make him a little nervous, but he got used to it and is now napping in his carrying bag. My other boy could handle this no problem - he goes everywhere with me regardless... but it makes me so proud that the other one, who's not even a year old yet ( and my big boy is about a year and a half ) trusts me enough to rely on my reaction to the situation to gauge it. He was constantly checking in with me, constantly making his little curious noise and and looking at me, and I was able to tell someone today, "Yes, it's my life goal to give everyone the knowledge that will allow them to have a rooster like him."

 

[Louieandthecrew]

Sorry for all of the argueing everyone