Sometimes we learn before it's too late
Ol' George
--- In CHICKENS-101@yahoogroups.com, "Laura A. Roberts" <laura0554@...> wrote:
>
> I am by no means a chicken expert. I have had chickens for
> almost 4 years and that is nothing compared to all the old pros on this
> list. However, I have my own theory on the "nasty roo" debacle.
>
>
>
> Our first roos were bantams. A straight run batch of 25
> included 17 roosters! Nice, huh? They were the cutest and sweetest little
> things..and even as week old chicks, were showing offensive behavior and
> jumping at our hands. "oh, isn't that so cute...he is a fighter". Haha,
> famous last words. These chicks were handled and loved on and treated very
> well. When old enough to put outside, they all went to the same coop and I
> eventually had to separate them..too many roos for my sweet girls. We made
> small pyramid coops and kept a few in each...hell, they were all "brothers"
> so we figured they should each have company.
>
>
>
> In my larger pyramid coop, we had three cochins and two
> rir...big mistake to go in there without a weapon. I stepped in one day to
> get their waterer and one attacked. I was wearing shorts and he drew
> blood...I screamed...totally taken by surprise and startled....that
> antagonized the others and we had a free for all. ALL FIVE were tag teaming
> and hitting me in the legs- one at a time. All I could do was scream. My
> son stood there...his reaction time is piss poor and he honestly didn't know
> what to do. I screams, "Save me! Come help me get out of here". The
> problem with the pyramid coop was that it wasn't tall enough to stand up
> straight in and I had to back out....and being in total shock over the
> carnage and the fact that I was the subject of their violence....I still
> cringe over that day. The blood running down my legs to my white bobby
> socks....ack! You can just imagine.
>
>
>
> I digress....my apologies. Anyway, I have had a few more
> roosters since then. I don't handle them....in fact, we have had three
> hatched here by my sweet little hens and they were not hand raised by us.
> When we enter the barnyard, they watch and scatter. We have never had any
> problems out of the roos we didn't handle, only the ones we did...so, my
> theory is that the hand raised roosters don't ever develop a fear of us
> humans and come at us as if we were competitors..whereas the chicken raised
> roos have a fear of us...sure, they know we bring on the food, but they are
> still leary of us and leave us alone.
>
>
>
> All those bad roos were given away. Maybe eaten....I don't
> know. I currently have too many roos but they are not rebels..in fact, we
> have a NH Red and a Barred Rock...huge birds but very docile. They do not
> want to be caught or handled, but my daughter and I caught them the other
> day and removed their spurs. (only because they are hurting the hens with
> them) Our little bantams raised by the moms are still around and don't
> approach us at all. I do have a few NN Silkies promised to friend and they
> act naughtly once in awhile, but usually walk away from us because they know
> I will pick them up and carry them around the barnyard like babies and they
> don't like it. (I think it embarrasses them!)
>
>
>
> I don't order straight run anymore and if we end up with a roo
> for some reason or another, we don't handle them much. Baby velociraptors
> grow into man eating beasts and we had proof of that at our house!
>
>
>
>
>
> Laura Roberts
>
> R Half Pint Farm
>
> Spotsylvania, VA
>
>
>
> _____
>
> From: CHICKENS-101@yahoogroups.com [mailto:CHICKENS-101@yahoogroups.com] On
> Behalf Of Shari
> Sent: Saturday, October 30, 2010 11:47 PM
> To: CHICKENS-101@yahoogroups.com
> Subject: RE: [CHICKENS-101] Mean little chicky..
>
>
>
>
>
> This happened to me..one day our roo (raised from a chick, so very nice and
> sweet) turned. We think it is from our nephew who came over and the was
> playing running with him. From that day forward, I had to carry a rake
> around the property, or anything else for that matter...because it was
> either him or me. That bird would stalk and attack me multiple times a day.
> And did he ever get the hose squirted on him, shooshed with my rake, threw a
> few rocks too. THEN he started jumping on my brand new car when I would pull
> in the property and he would jump on the hood. Nope, the horn didn't work.
> LOL I was trapped!!! My husband would just laugh but it was getting
> old..fast. J
>
CHICKENS-101@yahoogroups.com
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