RECOVERY
I am quite pleased to report that Fabio has transformed back into the boy he was before this project began.
Still not a fan of me, but he will allow me to groom him on occasion, will gently eat from my hand and hasn't really flogged me since construction ended. Just once. A rather pathetic scolding of me to remind me of how he feels about lawn tractors, weed trimmers and the chop saw.
He knows he is a daddy and I look forward to the day he can meet his chicks. I will post a few pictures of this when the day comes.
I want to now extend a "Thank You" to @Shadrach for his very well written article. I've read it twice. I've learned a lot. I'll read it more and continue to learn.
If you are like me and want to learn how to work with and understand your rooster, please give it a read. Give peace a chance!!
When the chicks began to mingle with the adult flock, Fabio was hands down the kindest to them. Even the young Ameraucana cockerel, Captain.
My little Ancona, Annie, is snuggled up right next to him in this image.
Mom, Barb, out with the first three chicks hatched here with Dad watching over them.
Spring 2020 arrives and with it, the hormone surge and the shaggy line backer tries to be a tough guy while my back is turned.
What I said to him after the auto-recording ended was "Would you care to repeat that?" He didn't.
I have had a lot of positive results bribing Fabio with raisins. He will come to me when I call him with a specific hand motion that wins him a raisin. He has allowed me to pet him without going on the defense.
He is a daddy again and was in checking on the new mother-to-be in the now called Maternity Ward in this snapshot.
Another "Thank You" to my friends in the Café who tolerated my regular updates and tales of woe with Fabio. You guys are the BEST!
Still not a fan of me, but he will allow me to groom him on occasion, will gently eat from my hand and hasn't really flogged me since construction ended. Just once. A rather pathetic scolding of me to remind me of how he feels about lawn tractors, weed trimmers and the chop saw.
He knows he is a daddy and I look forward to the day he can meet his chicks. I will post a few pictures of this when the day comes.
I want to now extend a "Thank You" to @Shadrach for his very well written article. I've read it twice. I've learned a lot. I'll read it more and continue to learn.
If you are like me and want to learn how to work with and understand your rooster, please give it a read. Give peace a chance!!
My little Ancona, Annie, is snuggled up right next to him in this image.
Mom, Barb, out with the first three chicks hatched here with Dad watching over them.
I have had a lot of positive results bribing Fabio with raisins. He will come to me when I call him with a specific hand motion that wins him a raisin. He has allowed me to pet him without going on the defense.
He is a daddy again and was in checking on the new mother-to-be in the now called Maternity Ward in this snapshot.
Another "Thank You" to my friends in the Café who tolerated my regular updates and tales of woe with Fabio. You guys are the BEST!
I hope you enjoyed this article and thanks for getting this far! It was very long in the making but I couldn't be more pleased with how well my setup is running. If you have any questions not answered in this article, please feel free to ask in the comments section and I will do my best to answer them.- Previous page: The Cameras!!
Very cool coop!
Oooh, a serial story!
Thank you so much for posting in such detail—it is very generous of you. I'm probably going to owe you brownies or a tea towel or something for stealing so many ideas and design elements! 
but I see you are using wood chips. Why did you choose this material? Where did you get your chips from?