Mean Mr Rooster...solved!

[miwin1000]

I have a RIR Rooster that came with the 5 hens all as 2 day old chicks. He was great until he got close to a year old, then he started attacking. I have found 2 solutions: 1. Mr Rooster recognizes me by the cloths (colors) I wear. He's used to seeing me in either shorts, or jeans. If I wear a sun dress...he attacks. So, wear cloths (colors) he recognizes. 2. I put a dog harness on him (upside down) and put him on a leash! He doesn't like it, but it sure does calm him down for a good while. And, if I'm having someone he's unfamiliar with come to see my set up, he can't reach them! Now I don't have to kill him!

 

[Peeps61]

Sounds like you found a solution that works for you! Good job.

 

[RJSorensen]

It would seem that a fair number of RIR roosters have problems of some sort at or about the one year mark. That upside down dog harness is quite a trick. I'll have to add that one to by bag of tricks. Thanks for it.

RJ

 

[aart]

Wants to see a pic of the rooster wearing the dog harness and leash!

 

[Mrs. K]

This sounds like belling the cat? How do you get the dog harness on a mean and mad rooster?

Try a fish net, the kind for scooping fish into the boat. Just drop over the top of him, and the handle will keep it in place. Generally they become very still when they can't get out of the net.

But why would you want to keep him?

 

[miwin1000]

Here's Mr Rooster in all his glory with his dog harness on. You can only see the clips where I hook the leash, but it fits him just like it fits on the dogs, except you put it on upside down so the tie comes out the bottom. Birds don't like things above them, and it's too difficult for him to walk around with the clips on top. In any case, this works, and he has adjusted to wearing it all the time very well. He doesn't even realize it's on him.

 

[miwin1000]

I chased him into the coop, closed the door, and cornered him...chased him till he submitted. That cooled him down and he is no longer aggressive to ME. He is still protective of his hens, and is still aggressive to people he doesn't know. But when I have guests or workers come, I put him on h is leash, and things work out very well. WHY DO I WANT TO KEEP HIM? Because he protects the hens, AND I just love him too much to kill him. He has a great personality and he is beautiful in my eyes. I don't like killing animals. Even when my hens are too old to lay eggs, they will live out their natural lives here...NO STEW POT on my miniranch. If I want to eat chicken, I will buy that which is already done in by someone else. My grandson on the other hand, is a willing and eager subject that will kill him in a second...all I gotta do is say the word...and it's done.

 

[aart]

There are some folks who keep lots of roosters for a certain purpose we won't discuss here....

....but what they do is put a metal ring around one of their legs, with enough room between the leg to hook a dog leash clip to it, then hook that ring to a 'tie out' of sorts...might be another technique for you to out try if the harness rubs him the wrong way and break his feathers after a time.

 

[miwin1000]

I thought about doing the "ring around the leg" thing but couldn't find a suitable ring. I would have had to special order one and I didn't want to go thru the time and expense when this would work. Mr. Rooster runs free with the hens most of the time, but I have to tie him up when small children or strangers are about. Thanks for the reply tho...I'll keep it in mind.

 

[aart]

I thought about doing the "ring around the leg" thing but couldn't find a suitable ring. I would have had to special order one and I didn't want to go thru the time and expense when this would work. Mr. Rooster runs free with the hens most of the time, but I have to tie him up when small children or strangers are about. Thanks for the reply tho...I'll keep it in mind.

Do you find it pretty easy catch and hook him up when he needs to be 'restrained'?