Start off right with your rooster; respect their status.

[ChooksChick]

I never had a philosophy regarding roos when we started with chickens, and since I dive in head first, we immediately got into scores of birds/tens of breeds/roos and all.

I treat my roos just like my hens, which means that from day 1 they get handled a lot. And snuggled. And coddled.

They are all, and all have been, sweet as honey and unafraid. If I sit down, I need to be prepared to be covered in chickens fro9m head to toe- literally (why does the danged Polish LOVE my head so much??).

I do sit in each of my breeding pens and they come and hang out in my lap. My home flock don't bother waiting for me to sit- they fly up on me- roo included. The honor of being the one carried around seems to be a big deal.

I don't know what it would take to have a mean roo, but I've not yet experienced it, and I've been through a LOT of roos, as I raise many birds up and sell whole flocks.

Love seems to beget love around here.

 

[Yazzo]

Quote:
I agree with you, and great job!

 

[Highlander]

Yes, my roosters are calm, but I wonder if they are calm because I take the approach that I do? Perhaps they are not calm therefore this method works, but calm because this method works? Just a thought.

 

[Buff Hooligans]

Quote:
Seems Joe is starting to do his hi-falutin' rooster dance now... Calm down big fella.

 

[Olive Hill]

So to clarify you tried to be the lead rooster with one rooster who was "meaner than a snake" you then tried this other technique of live and let live/mutual respect with two other roosters who by your own account who have "never" been aggressive. And then based on that vast pool of knowledge that you gathered with a whopping three roosters you determined the latter of those techniques to be The Key Component to having a rooster who is not aggressive?

 

[Yazzo]

Quote:
Certainly. I think that some roosters are naturally calm, but some are calm because of how you act with them.

Absolutely LOVE your avatar BTW.

Seems Joe is starting to do his hi-falutin' rooster dance now... Calm down big fella.

Guess it's time for the 'ignore' switch to go on.​

 

[ChooksChick]

Quote:
I think there's something to this! Had I even known that a roo could be aggressive, even dangerous, I likely would have treated them differently than the girls- and that may have caused different behaviors.

I'd like to hijack for just a moment, since this seems like a great audience:

Have you ever noticed whether your roo has different 'chuckles' or references for different members of your household?

I swear my roo makes a different noise for each of us when he spies someone approaching, and I can tell who just walked out of the house by what he 'says.' I even hear him differentiating between the two dogs, and strangers walking down the alley!

I'm too observant and totally the weird chicken-lady...

 

[itsmyobsession]

Why does everything get taken to extremes on these posts. Geez it doesnt take much for people to get all bent out of shape about things on this site.

I think it is getting over analyzed..... You do all get that at the end of the day they are just chickens........right?

They are going to act exactly the way hundreds, thousands of years of breeding and instinct tell them to act.

We can domesticate them and spoil them and coddle them all we want but at the end of the day they are JUST CHICKENS they are going to act EXACTLY the way THEY want to act not the way we think or hope they should.

This goes with any animal we adopt or try to domesticate you raise them and hope for the best but they are going to turn out the way they are genetically bred to act.

 

[Yazzo]

Quote:

Thank you. Those are great words of wisdom, and I'm glad someone said them.

Chickens often will surprise even the best of scientists though, and I don't really agree with your last sentence.....can't people on forums all be nice to each other though?

 

[ChooksChick]

Quote:
Oy...not the nature vs. nurture argument....

How about we share our experiences and not try to conclude the reasons for such? A poll might be a good idea...Perhaps I'll figure out how to word it...