Shadrach's Ex Battery and Rescued chickens thread.

[fluffycrow]

Oh don't even get me started on the control over animals. Please, your male nor your female thinks you're the boss. How many times I've seen people suggesting shoving the male to the ground to make them submissive or something...same crap they do with dogs. You're not the alpha of your dog, chicken, rat or giraffe. You're just the weird two-legged creature walking around and making weird noises. If people need to feel dominant over their animals, then maybe don't get any

Just to be clear, I don't mean that people who get rid of their aggressive animals should stop having animals altogether. What I'm saying is that people who have the need to feel dominant over animals shouldn't. If an aggressive animal is making you feel unsafe, by all means do what you feel should be done, but don't try to "tame"it by trying to make it submit

 

[RoyalChick]

Just to be clear, I don't mean that people who get rid of their aggressive animals should stop having animals altogether. What I'm saying is that people who have the need to feel dominant over animals shouldn't. If an aggressive animal is making you feel unsafe, by all means do what you feel should be done, but don't try to "tame"it by trying to make it submit

There is nothing like living with cats to teach a person that they are not the master. I had four, sadly now only three, and I know my place.

 

[Perris]

"culling" (killing, people, just say it, it's ok)

formally they aren't the same. Culling means removing from the flock; killing is one way of doing that, but selling it on is another, and it's not always obvious that even the rooster-domineering people are using the word as a euphemism for killing.

 

[BDutch]

I love the tent set up for the chicks. That's how we roll here off grid in the jungle. Just get something up, a piece of roof, a sheet of plastic, anything to keep dry. The chickens are grateful for any shelter and if it's simple and pest free even better. They aren't looking at the paint colors.

I was thinking of buying a new tarp in a Barbie pink colour. Glad you bring this up, now I don’t need to buy one to please the chickens.

btw, chickens love red nail polish, red caps and red shoes . No doubt.

 

[MaryJanet]

My family raised some pigs for awhile. As soon as we got them my parents made sure to emphasis to us kids how dangerous they could be, maybe the things they said seemed a bit extreme but it kept us safe.

I am still shocked at how casual I see people in the US (and wherever else it's legal) are around emus, they are aware they're very much wild animals and quite a threat to the small children they allow around them?

Yes! What is it with people trusting emus?? Have they not registered the feet and the sheer size of the bird? They startle easily too, and if they were to jump forward into a child, the child will not come out of it well.

 

[BDutch]

Oh don't even get me started on the control over animals. Please, your male nor your female thinks you're the boss. How many times I've seen people suggesting shoving the male to the ground to make them submissive or something...same crap they do with dogs. You're not the alpha of your dog, chicken, rat or giraffe. You're just the weird two-legged creature walking around and making weird noises. If people need to feel dominant over their animals, then maybe don't get any

The first rooster (actually cockerel because he was under a year old) I had was very protective to girls. I did have to do something to change his behaviour towards the bringer of food. I don’t appreciate getting attacked.

Reading about how you can learn him his place in the bigger household (i don’t mean the flock/or tribe) was to grab him and put his shoulders to the ground for 30 seconds.

It worked, and I would do it again if I had had a cockerel like that and not knowing another way to change his behaviour.
I’m not a rooster whisperer. And I dont have two hours every day to sit with the chickens. If you know another way, please tell me. But otherwise I need to dominate my next cockerel too if he shows such stupid behaviour.

PS

Just to be clear, I don't mean that people who get rid of their aggressive animals should stop having animals altogether. What I'm saying is that people who have the need to feel dominant over animals shouldn't. If an aggressive animal is making you feel unsafe, by all means do what you feel should be done, but don't try to "tame"it by trying to make it submit

I read this after my posting. Thanks for explaining.

 

[Shadrach]

Two hours today. Mostly dry and reasonably warm at 18C.
I pulled a few more onions and have them drying out in the greenhouse at the allotments until I can bind them and hang them.
Fret seems fine. Hand fed her again this evening. Partially cleaned Carbons bum which has suffered from the recent high fruit intake.
I forgot to take my camera so these are pictures taken on my phone.

 

[Perris]

Two hours today. Mostly dry and reasonably warm at 18C.
I pulled a few more onions and have them drying out in the greenhouse at the allotments until I can bind them and hang them.
Fret seems fine. Hand fed her again this evening. Partially cleaned Carbons bum which has suffered from the recent high fruit intake.
I forgot to take my camera so these are pictures taken on my phone.
View attachment 3597455View attachment 3597454View attachment 3597453

So when are you going to introduce us to the new residents?

 

[Shadrach]

So when are you going to introduce us to the new residents?

Assuming you mean the two hens in the post, they are not residents. They visit from time to time, usually when their keeper (the Russian) wants a second opinion, or some help treating something.

 

[TropicalChickies]

I've never had a human aggressive rooster, but I had 4 jakes that the dominant would attack me. I got them at 8 weeks and I think they imprinted on humans.
Having a 20lb bird jumping on you from behind is dangerous.
I tried several things. I had intended on keeping one for breeding and the others were for the freezer. Feeding a 28% helped a lot, until the mulberries or grass seeds ripened. Then they ate those instead of feed and got aggressive again.
I ended up starting over the next year and didn't have any problems with birds from a different breeder.

True, I don't mean to underestimate the danger and strong possibility of harm. Lucio's probably more like 12 lbs now, and certainly he could hurt a person. But to put it in perspective, speaking of Jakes, I had a great-uncle Jake who was a butcher. He walked with a pronounced limp because he tossed by a bull and broke his pelvis. Lucky not to have been killed. A bull is a really dangerous animal. Some folks act like they are going in like matadors to the bullring every time their rooster gets "too close" to them.

And you know, I'm thinking that might be another sign of just how disconnected hyper-civilization has made people in general. On some deep level, we crave that good burst of adrenaline, some extreme situation, some danger to keep us on our toes, to get the blood flowing more strongly in the veins. In the colonial era, there were Europeans stomping over the African savannas shooting lions. Now there's software developers who take single engine planes to remote mountains to snowboard. Insurance actuaries who decide to train for the Ironman. And backyard chicken keepers who secretly relish logging in to a forum to report that they had a near brush with death-by -rooster before their morning latte.

Which is kind of funny. Or would be if so many roosters weren't demonized for being exactly who they are.

I think it's really cool that some of you like @fluffycrow have affectionate bonds with their roosters, but as s long as these ladies get this kind of attention, I really don't care if Lucio ever hugs me