Harold the Rooster

[AMKuska]

I went out to get my shoe back, and guess who was offering me tricks?! He sat, bowed, crawled, and scratched his feeder (scratching a target.)

I'm so glad he still wants to work! Just have to make sure pink or orange is not part of the wardrobe until he's finished his color therapy.

 

[AMKuska]

Color therapy is really coming along! I loaded the shoe with corn this time and popped it in. He jumped on it with his neck feathers raised, but did not knock the bowl out or send my shoe flying. He quickly jumped off when he saw the food, and was most happy to call the girls over for a snack.

He still really doesn't like those colors, but it's clear he's willing to be flexible if corn is involved. That's my boy!

 

[AMKuska]

Today I went inside the pen to work with Harold after several days of color therapy. I did not wear any pink, orange, or red! Harold could barely contain himself. He flew up to the coop, he flew down to the floor. Up, down, up down! He wing dragged, but not in a mean way, he rushed around searching for a gift for me. (Sadly, nothing.)

I just got the stair out and asked them to go under it. The girls were perfect as always, but Harold preferred strutting grandly about in the background. Toward the end though, he noticed strutting grandly does not win corn!

He strutted up to the step, looked EXTRA mighty and powerful--like a king really--and then elegantly stooped and walked under.

I know he already knows this, but I'm just sooo happy he is working again! I also got it on video for 4/15 tricks to submit.

 

[AMKuska]

I believe Harold has come to peace with my pink shoes. I left one in overnight with bread stuffed in it. When I went to retrieve it this morning Harold did not attack the shoe because it was moving. He was very cheerful for his morning feed. I'm going to train him later. We have 4/15 tricks done, so today I'm going to try and get number 5 recorded. I'm so excited!

 

[AMKuska]

I was unable to get trick #5 recorded, but it was NOT charming, sweet, brave Harold's fault.

Directly in back of our yard is a large wooded field, which often has deer and other wild animals running through it. When I went out there to work with Harold, two big dogs (a golden retriever and some kind of bully) ran up to the fence and started barking hard and mean at me/the chickens.

Poor Harold. He knew he was 100% no match for those dogs, but he stood between us and those dogs anyway. He puffed. He stood on the very tip of his toes! He crowed! He waited to get eaten.

I decided to leave since the dogs were barking at me and not the chickens, and Harold clearly thought this was the moment he lays his life down for the flock. They did leave, and I snuck out and gave Harold some treats to relax with. He's a very, very good rooster.

 

[baymule]

Harold and the colors he hate and attacks! How funny! You are awesome, training Harold to accept those colors.

 

[AMKuska]

Harold and the colors he hate and attacks! How funny! You are awesome, training Harold to accept those colors.

Making progress too! I wore a red sweater, which is less offensive than pink and orange, and although he gave it a small side eye, he otherwise didn't react.

 

[baymule]

I had a horse once that hated sheep skin lined brown Marlboro coats. I had a brown corduroy coat with the fake sheep skin lining, it was close enough. He attacked me, kicked me, leaving a round hoof print bruise above my knee. I couldn’t figure out why he suddenly went nuts and narrowed it down to the coat. So I wore it again and he came at me with ears laid back, teeth bared. Yep, it was the coat.

We bought 4 horses from a widow and all I could figure out was that her husband had worn a coat like that and beat those horses. Two of those horses were total screwballs. The one that attacked me was dangerous and he was sold to some cowboys with full disclosure. They treated me with an attitude like I was a stupid idiot woman. Heh heh heh. They soon learned and wished they had never laid eyes on him.

 

[AMKuska]

I had a horse once that hated sheep skin lined brown Marlboro coats. I had a brown corduroy coat with the fake sheep skin lining, it was close enough. He attacked me, kicked me, leaving a round hoof print bruise above my knee. I couldn’t figure out why he suddenly went nuts and narrowed it down to the coat. So I wore it again and he came at me with ears laid back, teeth bared. Yep, it was the coat.

We bought 4 horses from a widow and all I could figure out was that her husband had worn a coat like that and beat those horses. Two of those horses were total screwballs. The one that attacked me was dangerous and he was sold to some cowboys with full disclosure. They treated me with an attitude like I was a stupid idiot woman. Heh heh heh. They soon learned and wished they had never laid eyes on him.

When something terrifies horses, they take a mental 'snapshot' of what it was that terrified them. This is actually why horses who were frightened when pulling back on a lead rope or snapping harness lines for example, also spook at broom handles. That mental snapshot isn't moving, so that broom handle looks close enough to a lead rope in their brains.

I know I read about it in a horse magazine somewhere, but its been years since I did anything related to horses so can't say for certain where/who wrote it.

Looking back on Harold's fear of pink, I know he was terrified when we put rocks down around the coop to keep raccoons out. I was wearing the pink shoes then. I bet he thought to himself, "Well mom is good, so it can't be her...that must mean the scary SHOES are making all this terrifying racket!!"

 

[AMKuska]

Got another one of Harold's tricks recorded today. I wore a pink shirt and brown pants today, and he immediately attacked me as soon as I came into the coop. I was so annoyed with him I just netted him off from the girls and told him he was fired if he was going to act like that.

Once he determined that I was really going to give all the corn to the girls he was sweet as pie again. >_> Naughty boy.