Where on His Body is the Worst Place

[ClareScifi]

In the summer when he babysat my chickens, this sitter wisely ran the rooster off with the lid of the trash can. That worked fine. But this time the neighbor's son happened to be around. The neighbor's son lives on a ranch and has roosters and thinks he knows it all. So he gave my sitter a lesson on how to deal with roosters by kicking them. Just my luck. To make it even worse, the egg that this rooster hatched from came that neighbor's sons ranch, a gift for my hen to hatch last fall. My hen didn't like the baby chick when it hatched and nearly pecked him to death, so I had to raise him by hand. I've spent so much time nurturing him and loving him and then to have this happen.

He is partially flapping today. I hope he is okay. His appetite is good and his eyes are bright. He doesn't seem to be flapping as much as he did before I left on vacation, though. I'm afraid his spirit might be broken, though he is crowing well.

I have no one else lined up for when I leave on a trip next week. I don't know where one would find a reputable sitter. I might get a worse one than the one I have. My plan is to have a new wooden sliding door in place that can't break and to emphatically state that the rooster must never ever be kicked again, that roosters have very hollow bones and I can't afford a vet bill, that the sitter must just stay away from the rooster and keep him penned in the greenhouse while doing the chores in the coop. I wonder what kind of freaky, unforeseen situation might come up this time?

I don't even know that the sitter will agree to sit the birds again. He lives here on the property, so it's not too inconvenient for him, but it is a big responsibility, because he knows how much I love the chickens and worries that something might happen to them in his care. If the neighbor's son hadn't shown up and given him that terrible advice of kicking him, I wouldn't have this problem. The sitter would never have done it on his own. I think the neighbor's son felt entitled to instruct him, since he had donated the egg that hatched the rooster. But the rooster is mine, not his!

 

[ClareScifi]

Well, I went outside to give the chooks some yogurt and a man drove up as the chicken sitter and I were chatting. The man said to the chicken sitter, "I hear you are the Big Bad Chicken Kicker!" Oh, dear. Word had spread... In a way it was a good thing, because I was able to talk about it with the chicken sitter. I said it wasn't his fault, it was the fault of the person who told him to kick. Unfortunately, that person's brother was standing nearby, so it will get back to the neighbor's son that I blamed him, but that's the way it goes. The chicken sitter was understanding. He didn't know kicking could injure a chicken. I asked him to show me how hard he kicked. He said that it had worked. He had kicked 4 times on the 1st day, 3 times on the left and one on the right side. From that time on the rooster bothered him no more. The rooster had been charging him and flying up in the air at him. But not after the kicking. The Chicken Sitter gave me a compliment as we were ending our conversation. He said that he doesn't believe in Reincarnation, but that if he did, he would want to come back as my Pet. I thought that was sweet. I will give him his check for $100.00 tonight. Do you think that is enough money for 11 days of care? He lives on the property, right near the chicken house.

The good news is that Baby, the Rooster, flapped his wings this afternoon, so I think he's okay. Whew! What a close call. Scared me silly.

 

[ClareScifi]

Happy Thanksgiving, everyone! I am so grateful that Baby seems just fine.

What I referred to as 'kicking,' I guess, as the chicken sitter has described it was more of a shooing the rooster out of the way with one's foot, not actually kicking, per se, but firmly enough to get the rooster's attention. It wasn't hard kicking or jump-kicking, but still it scared me, hearing about it after-the-fact.

The chicken sitter said that after he did it, the rooster didn't bother him again. No more charging at him or jumping up in the air.

Now, I have heard about this technique from some in this group, but I have never believed in it or thought it really worked. I would never have tried it myself, and I wouldn't want it to be done again, but I do think it is quite interesting that it seems to have worked.

The chicken sitter did say he thinks the rooster would have gotten aggressive with him had the chicken sitter gotten close to the hens, which he was careful not to do. But as far as the rooster leaving the chicken sitter alone, it worked. The chicken sitter explained he wasn't trying to hurt the rooster in any way, just trying to get his attention, so he could get the chicken chores done so the rooster and hens could have a nice clean place to sleep, fresh water with lettuce, apple cider vinegar in their water, etc.

 

[LaynaDon95]

Happy Thanksgiving, everyone! I am so grateful that Baby seems just fine.

What I referred to as 'kicking,' I guess, as the chicken sitter has described it was more of a shooing the rooster out of the way with one's foot, not actually kicking, per se, but firmly enough to get the rooster's attention. It wasn't hard kicking or jump-kicking, but still it scared me, hearing about it after-the-fact.

The chicken sitter said that after he did it, the rooster didn't bother him again. No more charging at him or jumping up in the air.

Now, I have heard about this technique from some in this group, but I have never believed in it or thought it really worked. I would never have tried it myself, and I wouldn't want it to be done again, but I do think it is quite interesting that it seems to have worked.

The chicken sitter did say he thinks the rooster would have gotten aggressive with him had the chicken sitter gotten close to the hens, which he was careful not to do. But as far as the rooster leaving the chicken sitter alone, it worked. The chicken sitter explained he wasn't trying to hurt the rooster in any way, just trying to get his attention, so he could get the chicken chores done so the rooster and hens could have a nice clean place to sleep, fresh water with lettuce, apple cider vinegar in their water, etc.

That's what I was trying to say earlier. I'm sorry if I came across as more roughly than I meant. I love each and every one of my animals and would NEVER hurt them on purpose! I "push" more than "kick". I use my foot because I wear rubber boots at the coop, and when a roo is attacking me, I'd like ALL the rubber I can get between him and my skin. As I said before, it's a dominance thing. How do roosters show each other who is dominant? They chase each other, fight, knock each other around. When a rooster shows aggression towards you it's usually a challenge, and if you don't do anything about it, it can get worse and worse and worse. I have hatched almost all of my birds (and all but 2 of my roosters) and raised them from eggs. I watched them grow and develop. I do not want to break or injure the bodies I worked so hard to grow. But I can't let an aggressive rooster stay around, because I have babies and small children visit all the time and they LOVE to visit the "chichins". I've also heard that you can pick up the rooster and just carry him around to show him who's boss, but I can never seem to catch them, so that doesn't work for me.
I can only say that I have never injured a chicken by "kicking" it. Anyone who kicks a chicken hard to enough to break it's bones ought not have animals in my opinion.

 

[ClareScifi]

Thanks for explaining this. I think I do understand it now. I've always been a Pacifist, and anti-spanking, but this whole episode has been rather enlightening to me, challenging my mindset entirely. LOL. I could never have scooted Baby along with my foot myself, so it's interesting that the Chicken Sitter and the neighbor's son was able to try it out. I know I overreacted now, and I feel somewhat like a Dufus, but I love my Boy so much. I couldn't stand the thought of him possibly being hurt. I guess I'm a bit overprotective. :>)

Today I'm building a new sliding door for the coop. Baby knocked the makeshift one over, getting out of the coop. He's a very strong, good boy.

 

[LaynaDon95]

Thanks for explaining this. I think I do understand it now. I've always been a Pacifist, and anti-spanking, but this whole episode has been rather enlightening to me, challenging my mindset entirely. LOL. I could never have scooted Baby along with my foot myself, so it's interesting that the Chicken Sitter and the neighbor's son was able to try it out. I know I overreacted now, and I feel somewhat like a Dufus, but I love my Boy so much. I couldn't stand the thought of him possibly being hurt. I guess I'm a bit overprotective. :>)

Today I'm building a new sliding door for the coop. Baby knocked the makeshift one over, getting out of the coop. He's a very strong, good boy.

hahaha Well, I'm from Texas. We strongly believe in a good spanking around here. Nothing wrong with not wanting your animals hurt. Chickens are resilient, which is why I am shocked that anyone would kick them hard enough to hurt them. I would think you would have to kick him pretty hard to break his bones.

Can you post a pic of Baby? I would love to see him.

 

[CluckyCharms]

May I ask a question that is really none of my business? Why do you have a chicken sitter? O_O I've never heard of that before. I mean, if you're out of town and you need someone to feed/water them for you that would make sense, but if that's the case why is this person having *any* sort of interaction with your chickens at all?

Chickens usually do really well all on their own...so curiosity got the better of me and I had to ask about a "chickensitter"

Also - I don't think it's humane to abuse an animal in any way. On the other hand, I also don't believe it's okay to keep a mean roo and if the sitter felt there was a reason to be kicking at a roo, is there a reason not to have the roo for dinner? Why did he kick the roo?

Lots of questions on this one, but I'm new to chickens so that may be most of it.

 

[aoxa]

May I ask a question that is really none of my business?  Why do you have a chicken sitter?  O_O I've never heard of that before.  I mean, if you're out of town and you need someone to feed/water them for you that would make sense, but if that's the case why is this person having *any* sort of interaction with your chickens at all?

Chickens usually do really well all on their own...so curiosity got the better of me and I had to ask about a "chickensitter"

Also - I don't think it's humane to abuse an animal in any way.  On the other hand, I also don't believe it's okay to keep a mean roo and if the sitter felt there was a reason to be kicking at a roo, is there a reason not to have the roo for dinner?  Why did he kick the roo?

Lots of questions on this one, but I'm new to chickens so that may be most of it.

 

If you go away, you need someone who will feed, water and open and close the coop morning and night.

A good chicken sitter is very hard to come by. No one seems to take care of the birds quite like yourself.

 

[ClareScifi]

The roo is a very good roo, kind to his hens, and chivalrous. He finds them choice tidbits and always lets them eat to their fill before he indulges. Once he gave them a college lecture about snakes. They were in a circle around a garter snake, and he was talking to them, explaining about snakes. He is very handsome and loves me to hand feed him baby lettuces through the mesh. Since I had to hand raise him (his StepMama nearly pecked him to death), he thinks I'm a chicken. I put a lot of TLC into raising him and I would never eat him nor any of my other chickens. They are like children to me. I have no children of my own. My chickens are far too pretty to eat. They are works of art, each one a little bit of Heaven.

He is very protective of his hens and doesn't care for close contact with any people, especially men. He does love for me to talk and sing to him, like I did when he was a baby.

The only reason the chicken sitter (equivalent to a babysitter) had to get close to him was because the window that slides to close the run shut from the outside of the run accidentally broke, due to heavy snow, and there was no way for the chicken sitter to throw away the glass fragments and remove the broken window without the rooster being in the vicinity. With the working window in place, the rooster could be segregated from the coop, inside the chicken run, but with it broken, the rooster had free access to both coop and run. The rooster did not peck him or hurt him, but he did get feisty, thinking the chicken sitter was out to get his girls (the hens). The rooster was merely doing what he thought was his job, as the chicken sitter acknowledged.

Wanting to do a good job as a chicken sitter, the chicken sitter had to interact with the rooster, in order to clean up the dangerous, sharp glass, scoop the poop off the nesting shelves each morning, gather the eggs, put apple cider vinegar in their fresh water, make sure plenty of dry oystershell was available each day, as well as plenty of food and fresh lettuce each day. Without having a way to confine the rooster away, that was where the problem lay.

Now a new wooden sliding door is in place and there should be no more need for the chicken sitter to have to interact up close and personal with the rooster in the future. Unless there is an unforeseen freak accident with the door breaking or warping or some such. Hopefully not. It will make both the rooster and the chicken sitter very happy, not having to get in each other's personal space.

A chicken sitter keeps an eye out on the property-- watching for raccoons and other potential predators such as runaway dogs or hungry thieves, as well as any escaped chickens (which he will corral back into the chicken run), making sure the water hasn't frozen, making sure the food hasn't gotten rained or snowed on and wet and molded while one is gone, making sure the water and/or food hasn't gotten turned over by the chickens, ensuring the coop door hasn't blown off the hinges in a windstorm which could expose the chickens to a dangerous draft at night, making sure there is not emergency that might entail them needing to go to the vet (I have the Avian Vet listed for the chicken sitter to call, should he have need of medical services for my chickens), making sure no one comes up to the run and teases the chickens, that sort of thing. He also makes trips to the grocery store for fresh lettuce for the chickens, since lettuce lasts only a day or two, at best, after purchase. If you're gone for 10 days, that entails quite a few trips to the grocery store.

Does this answer all of your questions?

 

[ClareScifi]

P.S. I think a better solution than shoving the rooster out of the way with his foot would have been for the chicken sitter to replace the broken window at night, when the rooster was sleeping and not aware of the chicken sitter's nearby presence, with a new window/board, but this would not have worked because the window broke in the morning, during the day. had he not cleaned up the glass right away the chickens would probably have walked over the sharp pieces of broken window and cut themselves. So the chicken sitter had to make a decision as to how best proceed, and I believe he made the right one.

It might have been possible for him to pull the broken window out, from the outside of the run, and replace it with a board until he could clean up the glass, but there was a lot of snow, and I suspect he could not have pulled the window out without it having shattered in even more pieces, IF it would even have come out. And I don't know that he could have found a board that would fit the slot in all that snow, without having to make a trip to Home Depot or some such.

So he did what he could, under the emergency, in the awfully cold and snowy environment.

I really hope $100.00 was enough to have paid him. At first I was upset over his treatment of my rooster, but considering the whole situation in a calmer frame of mind than when I first got home from my trip, I now think my chicken sitter is a jewel. He had to handle a totally unexpected crisis. I don't know whether I would have kept as cool a head as he did in a similar situation. I would have probably freaked out, but he didn't

I'm not sure he would have told me about how he booted the rooster out of the way, knowing it would probably be very distressing to me, had my neighbor not told me about it. So I'm glad she did, because it gave me an opportunity to process all of this and troubleshoot for future occasions when I will be out of town.