How to raise Backyard Chickens: [CHICKENS-101] Re: I cooked Hanibelle & Mean rooster

--- In CHICKENS-101@yahoogroups.com, "barnmanager32" <barnmanager@...> wrote:
>
> Hi Dorothy, With chickens it's a territorial thing. The rooster has a job to do. He finds goodies for his hens, he keeps watch and warns them of danger. This can be anything from a stay cat to a helicopter. If he thinks that the best defense is a good offence he will attack. Let's face it this is a chicken, they don't think that much. Other than being a nuisance a young rooster isn't much of a problem. The trouble is they grow up and grow spurs. Lethal weapons they put to good use.
> In most breeds today aggression has been tamed down by careful breeding and mean roosters ending up in the pot. However there are some exceptions and the occasional throw-back. The infamous RIR is a good example. A true devil bird, not so distantly related to the dinosaur, the kind that had teeth. As many a kid has learned, it rules the barn yard. In my opinion exposing any child not old enough to handle a gun to an RIR rooster is `child endangerment'. A chicken's feet are not kept in the cleanest places and getting hit with 3 inch spurs usually results in a medical emergency. If you have one of these post the phone number of the nearest hospital on the refrigerator.
> Just sayin'
> Ol' George
> Oh Yeah, they go for the face.
>
>

This may sound silly but it has worked with all the roosters we have had thru the years, we do not use aggression towards the boys as people would , we use chicken speak. ok does look weird but it works. Turn your back on the rooster, watch him over your shoulder, and stracth dirt towards him, like a bigger badder rooster Once you have shown you are top bird, all goes well. Hittin or brooming seems to make them more aggresive and doomed for the pot.
With free range chickens having a good rooster or 2 keeps the flock safe.

We have always had 2 roosters an old man and the young man, once you train the young one, you will have a sweet bird. I no i will not admit to our old man as being a lap chicken.