Why have a rooster? new Pg 10 video pg 13

[ScaredOfShadows]

I've never stood for a people aggressive rooster in my life - i was attacked by one when I was 5 - my favorite "sweet pet" roo turned into an ornery fellow twice - second time he tore my legs up. Got rid and culled a few others over the years when they showed mean signs...Now I did once and only once make an exception - why? because that roo only had it in for me - lol. me and him just didn't get along. My daughter (at the time 3 - 4) it was her rooster. And he'd let her go in mess with him, and harass his girls to her hearts content...He didn't care. he'd keep an eye on what was going on, but that was about it. ME? he hit a year old and decided he hated me -

- he was fine except when I messed with his girls and got them fussing, then I was guaranteed a pair of ripped jeans. of course I fixed this, i locked him out of the coop if i was inside, or nabbed him and stuck a infant's onsie on him, with is legs out - he would get so distracted by the darn thing on him and just lay out - I could do whatever I wanted while he laid there all peeved. Of course it didn't make him like me any better obviously...

Now I will tell you - he and his flock were almost always locked up - only ever let loose for an hour or two in the evenings. well once day their pen had been knocked open and he made me so glad I had kept his mean old hide. If it wasn't for that roo protecting his girls and being the phenomenal boy he was - a stray dog would have probably killed most of my brown leghorn girls (his girls) Elvis ran this 40 or so lb dog off yipping. I hadn't realized what was going on till all hell broke loose, my dogs start going nuts and I hear this huge chicken ruckus. Just as I'm opening the door (i've just woke up - its 6am) I see this dog comes flying out of the coop, hens running every which way (6 girls) and elvis hot on the heels of this dog,

dog turns around as the screen door bangs behind me - (wrong move for the dog to stop)

and Elvis is all on top of that mutt. That stray ran off with its tail between its legs and yipping cause Elvis had near 2" spurs that were sharp. and when I nabbed him he had a couple tooth marks on him, but plenty of blood on his feet and spurs (and fur) from that dog. He also lost 1/2 one spur (presumably in the dog's backside - lol )

Lancelot is absolutely gorgeous and such an awesomely brave rooster.

 

[Cetawin]

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Oh yes the night that happened, I brought him in the house and he had a wonderful dinner.... he got grapes for dessert and baked chicken, yellow rice and peas for dinner. He had two of his favorite things today...fresh apple chunks and salmon.


Cyn, thank you for coming to visit us and for sitting watch with me...you know I would do it for you too and bring my rifle with me.

 

[Cetawin]

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Oh your roo reminds me of my Precious Thor...he scared the crap out of a Irish Wolfhound at the vet's office when he went for his helth certifcate. LOL And someone dropped off one of those tiny little Paris Hilton Chichis and it wandered into the backyard with Thor and his girls...That big ole boy grabbed the dog and was shaking it like a ragdoll and literally slapping it off the ground and back down again. I had to rescue the dog from him. LOL

 

[ScaredOfShadows]

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LOL! Thats too funny about the chihuahua. but I miss old Elvis - he was a funny and gorgeous roo to have around, he now lives with a friend of mine a few miles away. I had re-homed him when we moved and I started over with chickens. (I would have kept Elvis and his girls but my friends fell in love - lol ) Elvis is 6 years old now and has new home's flock of a dozen girls grandly for 2 years.

I have been blessed with having some great roosters I have to admit.

I now have 2 main roos - Silkie boy Pika (as in Pikachu from pokemon - again my daughter's rooster) lol and Titan a mille fleur d'uccle. These two are typical boys - hate each other just hate each other so they are always seperated...WELL one day my neighbor's barred rock rooster got out and come down here, had been loose for 2 days and had been terrorizing the d'uccle girls when I had let them out one day...Well he made the mistake of finding a way to get right into the pen with Titan for his girls on day 2. Little 3 lb Titan the d'uccle against a 9 10 lb barred rock rooster....One of my dogs are having a fit, and looking right at the pens, so I go flying out to check it out. What do you know - that little d'uccle had done beat the snot out of that big old BR roo. won't taking none of another rooster terrorizing his girls.

Pika is a super rooster and will always stay here - he is a great look out for his girls, plays babysitter for the chicks, feeds the chicks like he does the hens, and while he's not a bit people aggressive he lets you know he doesn't appreciate you bugging his women, he flies up making a fuss about 2 feet from where one of his girls is hollering and gives me an "earful"

and then when I let his girls go, he does his happy strutting dance for her, and herds her back where he wants her.

Roosters are so full of character - and are important for your girls especially if you free range. - they take their job of protecting them girls very seriously.

 

[Cetawin]

LOL Elvis sounds awesome. I miss Thor every day. He passed away almost a year ago. Almost 10 months old. My little porcelain duccle whipped the tar out if my former EE roo. They are very agile little guys.

 

[ChickenAlgebra]

Our white banty Cochin roos like the other one who looks like them, but any other roo is EVIL and must be whipped. 3 pound bird beating up JG roos. Sigh.

Wtay, the little frizzled lemon yellow banty Cochin, doesn't have it in him to whip on another roo who is bigger than him. But a hawk, oh boy he's alerting!

The big roos all seem to get along fine as long as there are enough hens around for them to have their own girls.

 

[HHandbasket]

I just read the original story, and it brought tears to my eyes. I love roosters. We got Rico, a mixed mottled java, a few months ago to protect the flock. Over the last month or so, however, Rico has gotten mean. He came after me a couple of times, and I thought he was just being protective of a broody hen in the coop that was sitting on a clutch. But he started coming after me a LOT, but not every single time I'm in the yard. He came after me again and drew blood on my knee last weekend & I thought ok, what's going on here? What's been the common denominator every time he attacks me?

Then it dawned on me... I started going outside in shorts and skirts and dresses, and he apparently does not care for my pasty white legs! I tried the theory and put on some jeans, went outside and mingled amongst the chickens, and he never paid me a second thought. Came back in, put on shorts, went back out (bringing treats this time, even). He gladly took the treats, but as soon as I walked away... whap! He flogged me RIGHT in the back of the leg, smacked me and left a red mark.

I can't have a rooster that's going to attack me every time I go out to feed the flock in shorts or a skirt in the summertime.

But it got worse. The last week and a half, after living peacefully and doing so well for so long, he started attacking the bantams. He got a beakful of feathers out of my little porcelain d'uccle pullet, then he started pecking at the heads on my silkies. For the last 3 days, the silkies and d'uccles wait until later in the day when Rico is taking his afternoon siesta before they come out of their coop to free range, and they stay behind their buddies, the tweenager Jersey Giants. Yesterday, Rico got a good bite of my partridge silkie & TOTALLY made me mad. Then he went after my porcelain d'uccle roo and bit him in the comb and stamped on him.

Then this morning, I went out in the back yard and found him with Sascha, my 3-month-old white silkie baby, in his beak & he was flinging her across the yard. I came out... in shorts. He postured and came after me full force, and right as he came to make contact with my leg, I surprised him and jumped back, and instead he made contact with the sole of my shoe.

Half an hour later, he did the unthinkable. He attacked our 2-month-old (albeit VERY large) delaware/EE cockerel and broke his neck, and we had to put him down.

I have a friend who is processing birds sometime in the next couple of weeks. Rico has been locked up in a small coop/run by himself and is getting fattened up.

We have other cockerels in the yard that come from good lineage that actually grew up in this flock and will make better protectors.

ETA: I still love roosters and will still have one with my flock. Sometimes, a good rooster goes bad when he hits maturity. But even bad roosters taste good with BBQ sauce.

 

[Cetawin]

I am so sorry about your little boy...Rico would have bit the dust around here long time ago...the second time he attacked me would have been it for him. If I had seen him with one of my little ones in his beak, I would have broken his neck or removed it from his body. No excuse for that nonsense. Too many good ones out there.

 

[uncle rico]

HEY!!! You guys better not be talking about ME

 

[Cetawin]

Naaaa unless your feathered and are being a roo, you are pretty safe.