Texas

[uglychickens]

  Ours go straight to it too!  And I think the hens just get annoyed, kinda like us if we are doing the laundry and swat at DH.  Man I am busy, can't this wait? 

Lmao!!! You got that rite sister!

 

[uglychickens]

OMG!!
You gotta listen to this!!
Rotflmao

 

[mandaleigh1981]

OMG!!
You gotta listen to this!!
Rotflmao

 

[Italia]

It is a trait that wasn't valued by the commercial breeders, primarily. It's been bred out of them.

I get upset when I see the ladies being taken against their will. My husband always laughs at me about this and said I know you do not like this but it is nature. So hearing that the dinners and dancing has been bred out of them makes me very sad. It makes me value my courting roos even more. I might have to start cracking down on the offenders.lol

 

[bnjrob]

It is a trait that wasn't valued by the commercial breeders, primarily. It's been bred out of them.

Our chickens are old line breeder stock - Javas that nearly went extinct when the poultry business became so commercialized in the early 20th century, so perhaps it may also be a breed thing or an individual flock or chicken thing too. Or it could be that because I don't spend hours every day with the chickens, I have missed the dance because it is too subtle.

 

[galanie]

Personally I'll take the one with good manners over the one with poor manners every time. It doesn't upset me when roosters do that unless they damage the girls, making them bleed. But I'd much rather one that dances and does his job, and I mean all of it, feeding the girls and protecting them too, over one that just bullies them around.

 

[uglychickens]

Could a young cockerel learn good behavior from observing a good roo doing his job? Or is it engrained in him that he'll always be a bully?

 

[bnjrob]

Personally I'll take the one with good manners over the one with poor manners every time. It doesn't upset me when roosters do that unless they damage the girls, making them bleed. But I'd much rather one that dances and does his job, and I mean all of it, feeding the girls and protecting them too, over one that just bullies them around.

Amen. We culled some cocks we had that were just "too amorous" and tore the hens feathers up so bad. They were good looking birds and fine with people, but they were just way too rough with the mating and didn't seem to know when to stop. It was interesting though because when we butchered them, their testicles were so much larger than the testicles of the other males that we'd butchered.

 

[Italia]

Our chickens are old line breeder stock - Javas that nearly went extinct when the poultry business became so commercialized in the early 20th century, so perhaps it may also be a breed thing or an individual flock or chicken thing too. Or it could be that because I don't spend hours every day with the chickens, I have missed the dance because it is too subtle.

Where do you get your Javas? I have three mottled Java hens. They were some of my first birds and are getting old now but still lay great and one likes to go broody often. I would really like a few more but never see any for sale.

 

[galanie]

Personally I'll take the one with good manners over the one with poor manners every time. It doesn't upset me when roosters do that unless they damage the girls, making them bleed. But I'd much rather one that dances and does his job, and I mean all of it, feeding the girls and protecting them too, over one that just bullies them around.

Amen.  We culled some cocks we had that were just "too amorous" and tore the hens feathers up so bad.  They were good looking birds and fine with people, but they were just way too rough with the mating and didn't seem to know when to stop.  It was interesting though because when we butchered them, their testicles were so much larger than the testicles of the other males that we'd butchered.

I had one that was a HORRIBLE bully and found the same with him. His were like big rounded giant butter beans. But he was absolutely delicious.