Shadrach's Ex Battery and Rescued chickens thread.

[kattabelly]

Agree. Definitely not aggressive. I will try the squawk and swear approach.
Thanks!

It doesn't have to be super dramatic - you're trying to communicate, not scare them.

My lot are just used to me shouting and swearing every time I almost break my neck tripping over one, or a little chicken that hasn't learnt manners yet unexpectedly lands on my head. I think all of them think their name is something that sounds quite similar to duckhead.

 

[Shadrach]

I started out looking for a picture of Jenny perching on the fence. I knew I had some somewhere.

It's taken a long time for me to be able to scroll through the pictures of the tribes without feeling sad.
Well I found a few others while I was looking.

Moon sitting.

Treacle.

Harold.

Fat Bird overseeing.

 

[BDutch]

Oh, and also on the plus side I think he is rather good looking!

He sure is!

My last cockerel, Whiskey was more than 2x the size of my Dutch. I was afraid he was hurting them. But they didn’t run away from him when he tried to / did mate. A rooster crack here told me big roosters put their weight on the ground as well in order not to hurt the hen.

 

[fuzzi]

I do hope so.
I have read everything you have written and I am hoping you and others here will give me coaching and advice.
@rural mouse has already signed up to the ‘keep RC calm’ club and has me constructing all sorts of fun things for the little pullets to be able to dodge behind or up on to when he becomes an hormonal idiot.
I have two main concerns at the moment. One is how big he may be relative to my smallest hens. He is a big breed and I have three hens that are very small breeds (not bantams).
My other concern is that he bites. Some of my hens bite too (no manners). I mean when I hand feed - not all are very discriminating about the fingers versus the blueberry. He is already big enough that it can be quite painful!
On the plus side, he already knows where the blueberries come from and follows me around like a little dog, and he is absolutely terrified of three of my older hens (including one of the small ones). They don’t have to do more than look up for him to be fleeing for his life! Hopefully they will school him to be a gentleman.
Oh, and also on the plus side I think he is rather good looking!
View attachment 4252659

Nice dark color!

My Zaccheus was terrorized by the adult hens. He's grown into a good roo.

 

[rural mouse]

Do you squawk, yelp or swear like @kattabelly? I need to get ahead of this because my reaction is to withdraw my fingers into my sleeves which is probably not a sustainable approach.

Logically (strange concept any more, right?) When a chicken (hen or roo) pecks another, they squawk loudly in protest/"that hurts". Might be worth trying something similarly dramatic along with waving the hand in the air.

 

[RoyalChick]

Logically (strange concept any more, right?) When a chicken (hen or roo) pecks another, they squawk loudly in protest/"that hurts". Might be worth trying something similarly dramatic along with waving the hand in the air.

I will practice my ‘that hurt’ squawk this evening and deploy it tomorrow.