My Rooster Pecker

Saturday morning, I went out to the chicken coop to let the chickens out and check for eggs (most of the chickens are laying eggs now). I was hanging around in the chicken yard, just watching the chickens.  At one point I was looking at some chickens off to my left, when suddenly I felt something hit my right leg.  It was the rooster!  He had attacked me!  Not only had he attacked me, he was still right there, facing me a few feet off, bobbing back and forth, itching for a fight.  I checked my right leg (fortunately I was wearing pants, although they were pretty thin) – he had left a mark on my leg!  (Which is still there, by the way.)

The arrogant cock

My first reaction was shock.  My second reaction – since he was still standing there, and especially after I saw my wound (red but not bleeding) – was to kick the rooster.  However, he very easily dodged my soft slippered feet, and just stood there, still bobbing around, waiting for his chance to get in close and get me again.

Well, if I couldn’t connect with my feet, I could at least chase him, so chase I did.  I didn’t come close to catching him, but I chased him long enough to put some fear back in him and to burn off some of the adrenaline I had surging through me.  I also glared at him a bit too.  He got the message.  He didn’t start crowing again until I went back in the house.

My first thought once I was no longer showing him who was boss was, of course, to get rid of the rooster.  Then I reminded myself that I had wanted a rooster in the first place, and – well – our rooster is a handsome fella.  So I decided that I was just going to have to make sure he always knew who was boss.  From now on, I’d have to chase him around a bit whenever I went into the chicken yard, as well as shoot him the occasional “I’m the boss” glare when I didn’t feel like going in the chicken yard to chase him around.

Just chasing him, though, seemed unsatisfactory as far as maintaining dominance.  I don’t know how chickens think about such things, but in my mind, if I couldn’t at least get in a few blows once in awhile, then I wouldn’t be convinced that I was really dominant.  So I figured poking him with a stick while I was chasing him would do the trick – “pecking” at him the way another rooster might, if he was being chased by a rooster.  (My inspiration for this idea was Cesar Millan and his use of the “hand bite” to assert dominance with dogs.)

An obliging storm swept through just a day later and knocked a perfect rooster pecker down to the ground for my use.  It’s about five feet long, giving me a pretty good reach without being too heavy.  I’ve chased and “pecked” the rooster a few times since I got it, and it works great.  Whenever I let the chickens out (once or twice a week) I lie in wait, rooster pecker in hand, and I poke him once he’s out of the coop and caught sight of me, and I chase after him a bit.  Of course I have no desire (any longer) to do any physical harm to him.  I just don’t want him attacking me anymore.

The rooster pecker, ready for pecking

And here I am harassing the rooster.  I would have preferred more of an action shot, but my camera isn’t that obliging.

Asserting dominance in my territory

Keeping chickens has certainly been an interesting experience so far.  My husband and I do like having them, especially since they started laying eggs.  They are fun to watch, and as I have demonstrated here, can even help build new skills and self-esteem.  I just have to keep an eye on the rooster!