Ok now I know that Chicken Psychology 101 is a weird title, but I dont know what to call it.
Spiderman the Rooster Billy and I have raised from days old, attacked the people feeding him while we were on vacation in July. At first I could not understand it, cause he is so gentle that Billy can pet him and he will eat out of our hands.
Two days ago, I stopped on my way home, (wearing my Brown Cowboy boots and carrying not the normal feeding container) and went in to feed. He attacked me twice, prompting me to send him flying with my boot. It freaked me so bad, I did not collect eggs that day. The next day, again on my way home from work, I fed and he tried to attack me.
Today I came home and changed into my barn boots, (Which are pink by the way)(Oh I hear the snickers now) and grabbed the blue normal feeding container which he has eaten out of since he was little, and a stick, and went in. HE looked me over once, studied the boots, and went on about his business. He did not try and attack.
Can he see in colors, and know I was not the normal feed lady? I always tuck my pants in my barn boots, so he see's my boots as my feet?
Ok now that you have picked your self off the floor from Laughter, what is your opinion?
Edited for speln erors...LOLOL
This message was edited Sep 17, 2009 7:13 PM
Chicken Psychology 101
Hey MsJ!! That was just the "chicken fix" I needed. LOL Great story! He just missed you.. :)
Nah.. I really don't know.. but it seems that way.
I had pink boots...so does Krystal.. I think they are too cool..
Sorry MsJester/ Can't answer that one I too busy picking myself off of the floor. Watch kicking that one, if Billy see's you doing that he will be calling the chicken abuse police. And the whole barn yard will errupt with laughter. LOL...
Can I have some cowboy and pink barn boots? PuLEASE.
I've never in my life owned a pair of cowboy boots, but last week I tried some on, and oh wow, they felt awesome. The only problem was, the one had been tried on so many times it was stretched out, but the other one fit fine.
My daughter said she would not let me have cowboy boots, but she didn't see them and has never tried on a pair in her life. So what does she know?
What is it about cowboy boots? Whatever it was I liked it. They were a fawn colored suede, with a little bit of a rounded toe. It was the only pair I liked. Thank you for reminding me about those. I'm going to keep looking for a pair.
I'm very tired of tennis shoes. Pink barn boots... I dunno, but it would be a change. Are barn boots the same as cowboy boots?
Actually had a similar experience just the other day! I went out to the coop in my bathrobe (fuzzy purple!) which I have never done before. Roosters are little bantams and they can be snotty but usually don't give me much trouble.
I bent over to pick up an egg and the little brat jumped up on my sticking-up bottom!! I straightened up and he ran up between my shoulder blades (had great grip on the purple fuzz!) When I tried to shrug him off, he flapped up and spurred me in the side of the head!! Argh!!
So I'm standing in the chicken yard in my robe bleeding from the head! I flung the little bugger about 20 feet before I even thought about it, I was so surprised. Went in the house and it was just a little scratch, no big deal, but you know how head wounds bleed.
Put antiseptic on it, got dressed properly, went back out there, and he comes running up just as nice as can be looking for a handout. I honestly don't think he knew who or what I was in the robe. At least the neighbors weren't looking!
My boots are blue with polka dots.
This thread is getting better and better.
no laughing at her please.. i have a lil bantam roo named Sage. He attacks anyone & everyone that comes in the yard that does NOT belong. he is my watch dog. He will attack me if I wear the wrong shoes. Everytime. He does not like pink... or red.. He doesn't seem to mind white or blue. (i wear flip flops out there in summer time).
While on vacation the lil 4 yr old boy next door fed my chickens with his grandpa. He brings a bucket of corn from his grandpas feed stores & feeds with his own bucket. THis is the cutest lil guy ever. His grandpa was telling me that the lil boy & Sage have a "mexican standoff" each time they go over. The boy holds the bucket up in the air & glares at Sage & Sage dances & glares right back. He's never attacked the boy... but he sure lets him know he's not "right" BUT.. he's the only one he's never attacked that didn't belong. I guess the kid is just enough the same size yet bigger that Sage feels threatened. I've footballed him more than once when i couldnt' get him off my leg before I thought. He'll slide back up to me & wanted picked up then snuggled for a bit.. but when i put him back down... he looks at those shoes, his lil pea size brain clicks on it being the wrong color & away he goes again flogging the crap out of my ankles. You don't even want to knwo what he did when I went out in bright red PJ pants that had multi colored snowflakes on them last winter.. or my black pj pants with rainbow hearts. He hates both of them. Jeans or shorts... solid dark colors is all he allows me to wear. mom says he can't see color.. i swear he can.. & he can comprehend what your saying too!
yes chickens can see color. it makes perfect sence since u changed something and they don't think it is the normal feed ladies, they r trying to protect their hens.
i have a silkie rooster who does that to me cause he is used to my hubby feeeding his pen. he is fine with the kids and my hubby but wants nothing to do with me and he is a baby i hatched and spoiled till he went to the breeding pen. i have a showgirl roo who is the opposite he loves me but attacks my hubby cuz he's a momma's boy, rotfl.
Great thread!
Peggle, my frozen rescue roo from last winter has decided that I am his arch enemy.. my feeling were very hurt, I nursed him and kept his foot cared for so he only lost a few toes. He was my sidekick.. my heart is broken..
He goes after anything that walks into the goat or sheep pasture, except DH.. very funny until I was added to his hate list. Nobodys allowed in, not because of the goat buck who has a 4 foot horn span, but because of this silly chicken!
I feel better knowing I am not alone.
Light, all I own and wear are cowboy boots, I love them. Course since I live in the desert, its not a bad choice. I own about 11 pair, some for work, some for riding, some are dressy and then there is my barn boots, and a pair of pink lace up ropers as well....... When I was in the red hatters, I got a pair of lavender and pink boots, and they were my favorite. many years have passed, and they are well worn. They are really high, so I figured they would be great for barn time, since I can tuck my jeans in them.
Haystack I hope you did not hurt yourself when you fell from laughing....Billy is in California right now, so he cant see me do the football practice with his beloved rooster LOL
Sylvi, you had me imaging what would happen if I went out in a robe, mine is sunny yellow...
If he continues to attack, I dont know what to do. I have made arrangements for people to take care of the critters when I am in the hospital, and I dont want him attacking them. It will give me incentive to get better so they dont get hurt...
You can always have your caretakers wear your boots.. LOL, maybe spray paint their own boots..
If you ladies miss me, it's because I'm out looking for a pair of pink barn boot's with yellow polka dot's on them, and a robe of purplish, and yellow. Gotta tell you ladies, Your a MESS, but a FUNNY MESS.
MissJestr - I have cousins that had a rooster who did the same thing. They kept a plastic clothesbasket outside the run. When anyone besides my cousins went into the run, they would take the clothesbasket and put it over the rooster when he started his attack. It got to where all they had to do was take the clothesbasket into the run and he would go to the other end of the run.
great idea loreen.. makes better sense than this big ole stick I carry..
Haystack, we have a Pards here that carries those very boots.. search no more!
I'm going to have to see if I can find boots with ducks on them. I didn't think about getting something to wear on my feet when going to the duck pen; I'm so used to going barefoot when outside.
Loreen that is a great idea... I think I will try it,
Hay, they are made by Ariat, and are really comfy. I wont part with mine, or else I would send you them... I have to see if I cant find that picture that was taken with me and my boots. for you... Oh they went great with the pink horse.. LOLOL
I thought this was kind of a joke, you and your pink boots. I googled "ariat pink boots" and got 46,000 sites that came up. This is no joke and they are some nice looking boots. One is even a pink camo pair. :)
This is just getting better and better. First you guys talk me into getting chickens, then into building a chicken coop, now, it's hot pink boots. You are just too much!
I love ariat boots, most of mine are that brand... They fit comfortable...LOL Not joking I actually own 2 pair of pink boots and one pair of Red... LOLOL
Chickens are an absolute riot! I've only had mine about a year and a half but they are great. I don't hold it against Mr. Snotty Rooster - he's just doing his thing. Didn't apprieciate getting kicked in the head, but I guess these things do happen.
All my friends are having a good laugh about it too!
We love our chickens, they are part of our family... It is teaching Billy to care for animals, and responsibility. The roo in question was bought for Billys 3rd birthday, and lived in my bedroom for the first few months as it was too cold to put them outside when we got them.
Agreed! the chickens, no matter how many we have all are part of the family.. the each have names.. except the meat guys.. then they are called "hey chicken", but they are still treated with respect and have the run of the field.
Riot.. yep.. they are so??? Entertaining (stupid) but probably smart in their own little peabrains.. lol.. gotta love them.
My personal experience has been that the chickens are actually much smarter than I was led to believe before I got them.
I have to say that I don't think they will be inventing spaceflight any time soon! But they are just so different from the mammals I have had all my life that I have begun to think that it isn't they that are stupid but instead it is me who doesn't understand them.
They learned almost instantly who feeds them and they come begging from me but ignore hubby. They come running at the sound of my car in the driveway. They know what "come on chicks time for bed" means, even though sometimes they'd rather do something else.
When my bantam hatched chicks, she was an excellent mother and taught those chicks how to do chicken things. You could watch her show them the best dirt to fluff in and cluck to them when she had something good to eat - and you could see them copy her techniques. After that, I felt kind of bad for the feed-store chicks I bought who had no mothers and just had to figure it all out on their own.
My boss is a professional dog trainer for a large animal welfare organization, and she says chickens are incredibly trainable and very smart about learning new things. I am going to try some training with mine this winter when there is nothing else to do.
Chickens are incredibly smart. I read the other day that they are one of the few animals who have an intrinsic ability to do math. Not just tricks, like you can teach a dog, but they can actually count. They don't have an active connection between their brain and their butts though. That's why they can't be potty trained, lo. They can see colors, that's why the waterer's are always red. Oh and mine like triple chocolate fudge ice cream, but don't like chocolate mint.
My chickens are definitely smarter that my ducks (which may not be saying much). When given watermelon leftovers they eventually flip them over so they are rind - up. The hens will take a foot and turn the pieces back over so they can eat the rest of the red part. The ducks either try to stick their heads underneath, or else they seem to feel the treat has simply disappeared. Also I'm convinced that several of the hens know their names .
sorry fellow chikenettes.. I didn't mean that chickens were stupid.. I meant some of thier antics were in a larual & hardy kind of way..
did you ever try to help a chicken get through a gate.. they will panick hysterically.. (sp) and pace less than inches from the opening.. until someone else walks through..
yet the same chicken comes when I open a certian door which means food. They know where I am going before I do..
Oh I didn't think you meant anything by that! It's just that I went into chicken keeping having been told that chickens are dumb as posts, and I really have found they aren't dumb, much to my pleasure.
Yeah, they definitely do things that seem obvious to me (like that gate thing, mine have trouble with tight spaces, or run past open doors without seeming to see them) but I am trying to learn to see the way the birds think instead of the way the mammals think.
And, they still aren't inventing spaceflight! LOL.