Chicken Memorials

[Lailapet]

Today I let the chickens out while I cleaned and moved the eglu. They've been shut in all week, so I felt a little guilty despite the bird flu thing...

I have one cockerel and to hens and just after letting them out the cockerel flapped his wings and sort of charged at me a couple of times. I walked towards him a little and he blinked and turned away, but I wonder if he would actually seriously attack me? I'm still a lot bigger than him and didn't feel scred, just surprised as he has never done that before. In fact I stroked him as he went through the eglu run door... I know cockerels can be aggressive and if it's a problem I'll just not let him loose while the children are in the garden - they would get scared as he makes himself very big and threatening. But what could he have been upset about? Me touching and cleaning his home? Moving it a few yards in another direction? Being too close to his hens or just stretching his wings now that he had the space to do it? Anyway, they stayed close to the house, found a mud bath (it's been raining a lot so no dust...) and after a couple og hours they had gone into the run and I shut the door behind them. Everything back to normal.

Laila

[Guest]

could have been any of the above or he might have been showing off to the girls, who knows what goes on in their heads

 

maybe he sees you as a threat to his position as top of the pecking order?

[Egluntyne]

I should imagine he would be upset about all of the above.

 

Maybe when he gets used to you it won't be so bad.

 

You haven't had him long have you?

[CockADoodleDoo]

where the rest of them walking away from you?

if so one of mine charge after the others if they start to move on to a different part of the garden and leave her behind.

[xChicken04x]

The only thing I can think of is that its coming up to breeding season and he is protecting "his" girls. Maybe he saw you picking them up or stroking them and he is getting a bit jealous?

Maybe he knows you haven't let the girls out of the run for a while and he knows they would rather go out to play, so he is trying to teach you a lesson?

Maybe he couldn't see you moving the run, and thought they where under attack, so when he did see you, he charged until he realized who it was?

Or when you where cleaning the eglu, where your girls partucually interested? If they where, he might have seen you as a threat for distracting the girls away from him?

 

Other than that I don't know, Iwould keep him away from the little uns' though.

 

xx

[Lailapet]

Thanks all of you! I just love this forum. I let them out again today but didn't touch any of them. The girls wandered off towards the bushes like yesterday and he just went after them and flapped about a lot for about 10 minutes - sort of to stretch his wings and assert his authority I think. Then William and his dad (who is visiting for a week fromLondon) went outside to play on the swings and he came out of the bushes for a very short little show off session and then back to herd them further into the undergrowth. So, yes, I'll keep them in the eglu while the children play and at least for a while to see how it goes. He did give me the impression he was just showing off. Had them since beginning of November but haven't had as much contact with them as I would have liked with it being dark virtually all the time and me working except for weekends. Think they're actually getting more used to me than I to them. Thanks again...

Laila