Don’t you just love it when the children chickens all play together nicely and no one causes trouble? My 13 red chickens do so well together. Every now and then, there’s some squawking and chasing and flying feathers but I don’t ever see any one of them being real dominant. They’re all hens but even in MO when I had all hens, they definitely had their pecking order.
The Dominiques do ok. The three roosters seem to want to kill each other but once they get out of their fenced run, and running loose in the yard, their only priority is catching bugs and they forget about killing each other.
The Bantams . . everything would be fine except Otis is a bully. We’re resisting getting rid of him because he’s so comical to watch but he just isn’t a nice rooster.
I was sitting outside watching them the other day and I glanced over and saw Otis and one of the Dominique roosters going at it through the fence!
Good grief . . Dominique rooster . . just walk away! Otis is behind the fence. You’re free to go anywhere you like . . 45 acres to roam and you’re going to stand there at the fence and fight with Otis?
Look at Otis! He has a bad hair day every day but when he’s mad . . well, he should just look at himself in a mirror and I don’t think he’d be doing that!
The Dominique rooster has his feathers ruffled around his head too but I can’t really see much of his head.
Look at Otis! Talk about a bully. Puffing out his chest and trying to look like the big dude. He’s a bantam, for goodness sakes! He’s a mini chicken! Oh, yes, Otis! You’re bad!
See Tiffany in the back? I think she’s fixing to start selling tickets to watch this fight.
I walked off and left them alone and I guess one of them found a bug to chase because they soon forgot about each other. Why can’t they all get along and be happy? Don’t they know life is short and everyone should find a way to get along. In fact . . life is going to be even shorter for Otis if he doesn’t find some way to be a nice rooster . . and I doubt he’s going to do that.
Gwen says
Banties as the elders called them always think they are “cock of the wall” regardless of how much space they have. They are the doxies of the chicken world! LOL!
carol yonts says
Oh my, what children! And I thought humans were bad!
Diana in TX says
Maybe they are like us and get “owly” when they are hot!!!! And of course the one could have walked away, back like most small dogs, just because they are small doesn’t mean they will “turn the other cheek!” Too funny to watch them.
Clare says
I just love reading your blog. You make me laugh!!!
Clare
Linda in NE says
Otis can’t help his attitude, he’d just a cocky little banty rooster. -giggle-
shirley bruner says
Otis needs his own bachelor pad..all by himself. LOL
Margie Campbell says
Otis is protecting the chastity of his hens! LOL … we had 20 roosters at one time…and had BILaw come help thin them out…only kept one…Big Daddy…the one my BILaw hated and was wanting to “thin out” …. we tried deep frying a few of these guys…tough as leather. Anyhows, we lost Big Daddy a year later…and had one red rooster (son of BDaddy) left…he hated everyone…so one day hubby saw me trying to get to the car & that darn rooster didn’t care that I had a BIG stick.. I went back in…few minutes later I hear a “Pop”…hubby says…you can go now, he won’t bother anyone any more…so now, we are down to three hens who think they are cats
Winona says
My experience with roosters is that the bullies make excellent chicken and noodles. (grin) Of course a bantie wouldn’t have a lot of meat on him. He will just get worse as he gets older.
carol c says
they cant help it, males have their job and position, females have theirs-hormones-lol
love Otis though
Elizabeth Johnson says
I would almost drive to Texas to save that rooster. But WV is just a little to far to drive for a rooster. Can you mail a rooster? He is so funny! Thanks for the laugh somedays you just need a good one.
rusty says
I *love* those chickens! In addition to ‘banties’, my granny called the Dominique, ‘dominickers’. You know the coop wouldn’t be the same without Mr Otis! (maybe quieter, but not nearly as interesting:))