Jensownzoo
Songster
Okay, I have a light Brahma cockerel , Mongo, that I've become attached to. He's roughly 8 months old. He was one that was attacked by a predator (at about 4 months old) that ripped quite a wound in his back...required daily bandage changes, aspirin in the water, and an indoor cage for two weeks. We got to be buddies during that time. Now he's huge. He discovered that he has testicles a few weeks back and stopped wanting to be picked up, which I respected. I show my roos respect as long as they reciprocate.
Okay, now the issue. Obviously he's new to the whole mating thing and has no clue how to woo the ladies. Instead he's just grabbing them, which they don't appreciate. I think I have him broke of grabbing them out of the nesting boxes. I do not have him broke of ambushing them during evening meal...such that several pullets refused to go into the coop to eat/roost. When he starts causing a ruckus with the ladies, I figure he's done eating, grab him, and he gets to spend the night alone in a dog kennel outside the coop.
So, I understand that Brahmas can be slow to mature. I have several other non-Brahma cockerels that are behaving appropriately with the ladies (two standard EEs and one bantam), but no experienced roo to lay the smack-down on Mongo. I've got to plan out who is being housed where for the winter. I am considering pulling him from the laying flock to spend the winter in a bachelor pad (I've got some other cockerels that I'm holding onto for possible spring breeding) so he has time to mature before being re-introduced to the ladies.
I suppose what I am asking is, when will he be more receptive to learning to treat the ladies right? His hormones are talking pretty loudly now, but younger animals tend to be more easily trainable. Alternatively, wait until spring when he is more used to his hormones talking to him, but risk missing a crucial learning period? What to do...what to do...
Okay, now the issue. Obviously he's new to the whole mating thing and has no clue how to woo the ladies. Instead he's just grabbing them, which they don't appreciate. I think I have him broke of grabbing them out of the nesting boxes. I do not have him broke of ambushing them during evening meal...such that several pullets refused to go into the coop to eat/roost. When he starts causing a ruckus with the ladies, I figure he's done eating, grab him, and he gets to spend the night alone in a dog kennel outside the coop.
So, I understand that Brahmas can be slow to mature. I have several other non-Brahma cockerels that are behaving appropriately with the ladies (two standard EEs and one bantam), but no experienced roo to lay the smack-down on Mongo. I've got to plan out who is being housed where for the winter. I am considering pulling him from the laying flock to spend the winter in a bachelor pad (I've got some other cockerels that I'm holding onto for possible spring breeding) so he has time to mature before being re-introduced to the ladies.
I suppose what I am asking is, when will he be more receptive to learning to treat the ladies right? His hormones are talking pretty loudly now, but younger animals tend to be more easily trainable. Alternatively, wait until spring when he is more used to his hormones talking to him, but risk missing a crucial learning period? What to do...what to do...