GREAT NEWS!!!

[swampducks]

I had some very nice buckeyes and a lovely roo from Meyer till the fox got my roo last year. *sigh*. Got an electric fence now but when I ordered I could only get 3 buckeyes so opted for all pullets. Mine are arriving tomorrow. Must be an advantage to last minute ordering? I am sure my extra they usually send will probably be a Dark Cornish.

But you should be very happy with the buckeyes. I'll see if I can find an old photo of my roo and post it.

Not the best photo but there he is.

 

[nachoqtpie]

I sure hope that my roo is sweet and not aggressive!!

Any tips on how to make a sweet roo??

 

[desertlady]

I wish I kept my EE rooster ! I gave him away because he was getting too big, and a little aggressive. He was beautiful. Hes happier on another farm !

 

[Kassaundra]

I sure hope that my roo is sweet and not aggressive!!

Any tips on how to make a sweet roo??

No expert here but I think 80% is the rooster, the other is the same dominance that applies to any other animal. I have hand fed treats to my roo since day one, I treat him like he is my subordinant by feeding him like he would one of his girls, I regularly walk in such a way as to make him yeild to me, even if it means going out of my way. I will not let him mount a girl in front of me, no dominant roo would. I watch him for any even little sign of him testing his dominance on me and nip it in the bud, the least little sign and I stop what I am doing and stand tall over him and display dominance by staring him down and dominant voice and force him to yield by movement or stare. Once a test is started I win at all costs I am prepared to win even if it is by physical means, like I said I win at ALL costs, so far it hasn't come to that. He has been my only roo, so don't know if my methods work or it's just been coincidence and I got a good roo from the get go.

 

[digitS']

Personally, and as I said: I haven't had a roo for many years, but I think Kassaundra is doing the right thing.

You do not have to pester them or pick on them or anything like that. Just be assertive and expect bad behavior but require good. I never had a rooster that was aggressive any length of time with me and I had a RIR once, noted for problems. He was a real good guy! I didn't even know about their reputations then. There was one Australorp cross that I got rid of because he was too much for the hens: he was young and stupid, they were older.

We had chickens on the farm & I had my own bantams as a kid . . . did you ever see my BYC page & picture of me as a kid:
www.backyardchickens.com/a/digitss-page

When I got a flock as an adult I had a neighbor with a Leghorn rooster. It spurred him in the knee one day. His knee swelled and he missed a day of work! That little lesson may have taught me that even a skinny Leghorn can be a pain! I remember slapping a rooster with my gloves once . . . no, that may have been a gander . . .

Steve

 

[nachoqtpie]

I'm kinda worried about the roo! I really want him to be nice! I will try your method Kassaundra. How do you "feed him like he is one of his girls"? Also... I'm a lil worried about his spurs!! Couldn't he hurt me with those?!

 

[nachoqtpie]

And Steve you were a cutie patootie!

 

[desertlady]

Dont tease roosters No matter what ! Spurs can be cut off. they dont hurt much.

 

[nachoqtpie]

I wouldn't even dream about it! I am a little worried about the dogs tho. They've really calmed down about the ducks, but they do go over and bark at them on occasion. How do you cut spurs? Is it like cutting dogs nails?

 

[The Mama Chicken]

My EE roo is a very nice boy. I don't handle my chickens very much, so none of them are really "tame" but he is good to his girls and he's not aggressive with people at all. He did run towards me one time, I chased him down (in front of his girls), caught him, and hung him upside down for a minute and he's never given me another problem. He may be the roo, but I'm The Mama Chicken!