Trash Talking Rooster

[dogdollar]

I read a lot on here about how people keep their roosters in check, and I believe it's something important to consider. After all, a rooster really does nothing for me; he's there to protect the girls and keep some order in the flock. If he becomes a liability, I'll put him in the road...but then I'll just need another rooster. I truly believe that every flock should have one.
Lots of ideas here, but when you read them, it's important to temper your judgment with the fact that no two roosters, no two people, no two sets of circumstances, are exactly the same. Like all things, I believe that the right solution for anyone will be derived from the sum total of their knowledge on a given subject, as it applies to their own, unique situation.
I have a six month old barred rock rooster who has found his voice, and, to all appearances, is doing his job pretty well. He is not as aggressive to outside animals entering the yard as I would like to see, but he does sound the alarm, and I know that HE knows when a hen is missing (like when they sneak off to lay an egg in the bushes), and he will call for her and search the yard until she shows back up. At free range time, he's the first one out of the coop, and the last one back in.
As far as aggression, I do sense that he is testing me. He eases up to me sideways and gives me the Evil Eye, for which he receives a full-on boot to his fuzzy posterior. I also make a point of walking in his way and making HIM move, and occasionally approaching him in a challenging way, forcing him to retreat. I won't let him mount a hen if he's near enough to me for me to kick him off, but if he does it across the yard, I would rather just pretend not to notice than to try, but not get there in time to stop it, and look ineffective. The few times I have seen him show overly-aggressive or cruel behavior to any of the hens, I knock him in the head with a sawed-off pool noodle, which seems to be the perfect tool for that job.

What he does do, is raise seven kinds of hell every time I pick up one of the hens....you never heard so much BockBockBocking in your life when I pick up one of his girls...but he just stands at a distance and talks trash, so I guess that's okay.
I just wonder...if I spoke chicken what would I hear him saying about my Momma ?

DD

 

[Whispering Winds]

Good one~you tell a good story, even though its reality.

 

[dogdollar]

I really need to record it when he does this.....I've never heard a chicken being so vocal.
DD

 

[ChooksChick]

I don't try to dominate any of my roos. They are actually more sophisticated than folks give them credit for.

My roos trust me and have been handled daily their whole lives, and because they trust me, they don't feel the need to fight me for dominant status. We're friends, and they are wonderful at doing their jobs.

I suppose one day I'll have the struggle many seem to have, with that mean roo, but so far, never happened yet. I have 10 breeding flocks right this minute, btw, and have had many others.

 

[featherbaby]

Quote:
You don't want to know what he is saying......it would just hurt your feelings.

 

[joebryant]

I have no problems with my older and junior roosters whatsoever; however, I would not pick up a hen before I have all the hens in the run and both roosters outside the run where they cannot get involved with what I might be having to do. I would not want to make them look to the hens like they were not doing their job or cause them to become upset with my actions and be able to carry through with what their natural instincts tell them to do. For instance, when I was treating everyone for mites, I had them all in the run. I picked up the rooster first, dipped him in the five-gallon bucket of water/Sevin; then I set him outside the door soaking wet and immediately did a hen and put her outside the door with him. By then he knew what I was doing would not harm the hens, so it did not upset him at all as I continued catching one hen at a time to dip. When I give them treats, I always put them down in front of him so he can pretend he found them for the hens. I'm sure he knows what I'm doing when I let only him eat out of the birdseed container. I know that he knows that I look out for his status.

ETA I'm not saying this will work with every rooster, in fact I'm sure that it wouldn't. Unlike my first rooster that was mean as a trapped/cornered raccoon, this new one was born a good guy, and I make sure that I don't do anything to make him have to change. Same goes for the younger rooster too. Neither one has ever indicated that they feel a need to challenge my wife's and my position as the caretakers and providers of food/water for everyone.

ETA Something else. He breeds hens right next to me. I would never disallow it. I wouldn't want him to think that I might be interested in his hens. No, really, I'm not.