Post by simplynaturalfarm on Oct 26, 2007 9:51:24 GMT -5
Yesterday while working on new pig fences, my little girl Emily (2) kept screaming in her "I'm terrified by an animal" way. Now she is not the world's most aggressive child when it comes to animals (thankfully because she is a wild child otherwise), and everytime Isabelle goes near her (mastiff x pyrenees puppy) she screams because Izzy is so dreadfully big (she is exactly 3 months old and weighs 45lbs). So I peaked over my shoulder, saw nothing but a bantam partridge cochin rooster and kept working. After a few more shrieks I looked back and said, "Emily run to Momma" and as she took off, so came the rooster chasing her and leaping in the air to spurr her. Now I thought maybe she incited him with her running and wanted to give him the benefit of doubt. It's been a long time since I had chickens and I was 13 the last time a rooster attacked me and was dealt with. He was a mean mean one that attacked every single human around. Anyway, I set her back down and told her she'd be all right. She walked away and was petting Izzy (one of those love/hate relationships LOL) and the rooster came running up behind her and attacked her and she came running. I took a cord and was smacking him away and chased him around, thinking that might settle it - it never has in the past with a rooster. ANyway I haven't ever had a little child around roosters so didn't know what to think. I sent her to sit by her sister in the stroller and told her the rooster was gone. Well, after a moment she got up to go pet a meat chicken and the rooster saw her again (I locked up the other 14 as I was tired of the hens being attacked, so he is on his own) and ran a good 40 feet across the yard and she saw him and ran at me screaming her head off with him tucked right behind her. SO I followed him around til DH came out and told him to dispatch the little fellow - the rooster isn't even 2lbs live weight, so after spending too long trying to catch him and one missed hatchet blow (DH hasn't done that in a long time as he prefers to slit their throats), DH got his gun and that rooster is history. I showed his dead carcass to Emily and she spent the next 1/2 hour walking around holding somebody's hand saying, "Bad rooster? dead and gone." over and over (children delight in the monotonous!)
ANyway, long story, short question. I have large roosters that are almost as tall as her and weigh 7+lbs. THey have never been aggressive to me, but I do not want to risk her being attacked by a real rooster. THey usually run around free range but I locked most of them up to give the hens a break, cull the ones I don't want and will let 2 back in with the 50 hens when the hens become acclimated to their new coop and learn where to come home to lay eggs. Do I need to worry about other roosters attacking her? She is always near me, but wanders in about a 50 foot circle playing with her sister and the dogs and cats. She is very obedient and comes directly when I tell her to and her sister is always in a stroller.
Heather
ANyway, long story, short question. I have large roosters that are almost as tall as her and weigh 7+lbs. THey have never been aggressive to me, but I do not want to risk her being attacked by a real rooster. THey usually run around free range but I locked most of them up to give the hens a break, cull the ones I don't want and will let 2 back in with the 50 hens when the hens become acclimated to their new coop and learn where to come home to lay eggs. Do I need to worry about other roosters attacking her? She is always near me, but wanders in about a 50 foot circle playing with her sister and the dogs and cats. She is very obedient and comes directly when I tell her to and her sister is always in a stroller.
Heather