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- #501
Tallulah is acting weird today. She stayed back at the barn when the others went to free range. She sat in the pen on the edge of a nest, but didn't get in it and sit. She sounds hormonal, maybe just figuring it all out, so maybe she's heading for her own first egg. Hannah gave us her second this morning.
There was an incident today with Nathaniel. I'm not sure where this is going, to be honest. I went out toward them and veered off toward the pasture fence to check of my game camera. While I was standing at the tree scrolling through the images, I sensed somebody beside me and saw Nathaniel at my feet, acting nonchalant. He began reaching over and picking at my boot laces, pulling on them like he usually does, trying to untie them, no big deal. And when I walked away he didn't do anything. But, later when they all came into the pen, he jumped up on that A-frame "hawk shield" and was walking back and forth. That puts him at my chest level. I went over there talking to him and he began doing this head bobbing, shoulder drop thing they do when they are threatening or flirting. I reached over and scratched his chest, and he didn't bite me, but he was still doing his threatening moves. Then, he reached to pick at the zipper of my jacket. I pulled it toward him and said, "You want my zipper?" or something like that. He then jerked it hard and started more threatening moves. I was getting the sense that something had changed. As usual when a rooster dances toward me like a hen, I told him he was being rude, decided to get him off his high horse and reached to pick him up. He acted like he was going to attack me at first, then threw himself back, sort of fought with me and I let him drop, not realizing I didn't have a good grip because of his struggling. In the incident, he gouged my forearm in a line from my knuckle halfway up my forearm.
When this happened, I saw Angus running for us in my peripheral vision. I don't think he knew what exactly was happening, but he was merely being a rooster and running toward the disturbance. Tom said he thought Angus was coming to attack me and defend Nathaniel, but I didn't get that sense, just that he was running toward what he perceived as some sort of trouble. Nathaniel ran from me, realizing that I was angry. I did what I used to do with very young Hector when he got uppity, pushed him around and stalked him for the intimidation factor, reminding him that he isn't the toughest thing in the barnyard. When Nathaniel ran, realizing he was in deep chicken poop, Angus acted like he really didn't know what to do, but he didn't make any threatening moves toward me. I was hoping he'd discipline Nathaniel, but he's not to that mature place in his leadership yet, I wouldn't imagine.
So, here we are. I'm not sure Nathaniel is as intelligent as our Hector was. He's much older when I was having to teach Hector a lesson. Hector learned quickly and wasn't prone to aggression in the first place, but he was much younger than the almost 24 wks these boys are. Could it be some late boundary testing, slower maturity? He didn't actually attack my shoes, but he was really goading me, playing King of the Mountain. We immediately lowered that A-frame so that he can't get that high anymore. Now I have to see if this is a lesson he will learn or if he's going to be leaving and leave me only Angus. I don't have an answer. Any ideas? I have gone through a long process to whittle down to these two choices, none were any better. Duncan was close until he began attacking my shoes and we see how that turned out.
There was an incident today with Nathaniel. I'm not sure where this is going, to be honest. I went out toward them and veered off toward the pasture fence to check of my game camera. While I was standing at the tree scrolling through the images, I sensed somebody beside me and saw Nathaniel at my feet, acting nonchalant. He began reaching over and picking at my boot laces, pulling on them like he usually does, trying to untie them, no big deal. And when I walked away he didn't do anything. But, later when they all came into the pen, he jumped up on that A-frame "hawk shield" and was walking back and forth. That puts him at my chest level. I went over there talking to him and he began doing this head bobbing, shoulder drop thing they do when they are threatening or flirting. I reached over and scratched his chest, and he didn't bite me, but he was still doing his threatening moves. Then, he reached to pick at the zipper of my jacket. I pulled it toward him and said, "You want my zipper?" or something like that. He then jerked it hard and started more threatening moves. I was getting the sense that something had changed. As usual when a rooster dances toward me like a hen, I told him he was being rude, decided to get him off his high horse and reached to pick him up. He acted like he was going to attack me at first, then threw himself back, sort of fought with me and I let him drop, not realizing I didn't have a good grip because of his struggling. In the incident, he gouged my forearm in a line from my knuckle halfway up my forearm.
When this happened, I saw Angus running for us in my peripheral vision. I don't think he knew what exactly was happening, but he was merely being a rooster and running toward the disturbance. Tom said he thought Angus was coming to attack me and defend Nathaniel, but I didn't get that sense, just that he was running toward what he perceived as some sort of trouble. Nathaniel ran from me, realizing that I was angry. I did what I used to do with very young Hector when he got uppity, pushed him around and stalked him for the intimidation factor, reminding him that he isn't the toughest thing in the barnyard. When Nathaniel ran, realizing he was in deep chicken poop, Angus acted like he really didn't know what to do, but he didn't make any threatening moves toward me. I was hoping he'd discipline Nathaniel, but he's not to that mature place in his leadership yet, I wouldn't imagine.
So, here we are. I'm not sure Nathaniel is as intelligent as our Hector was. He's much older when I was having to teach Hector a lesson. Hector learned quickly and wasn't prone to aggression in the first place, but he was much younger than the almost 24 wks these boys are. Could it be some late boundary testing, slower maturity? He didn't actually attack my shoes, but he was really goading me, playing King of the Mountain. We immediately lowered that A-frame so that he can't get that high anymore. Now I have to see if this is a lesson he will learn or if he's going to be leaving and leave me only Angus. I don't have an answer. Any ideas? I have gone through a long process to whittle down to these two choices, none were any better. Duncan was close until he began attacking my shoes and we see how that turned out.
