Any advice for making my rooster less aggressive?

[SimonRooster]

So, my big handsome boy has some aggressive issues.
He is segregated from the other girls, and lives in his own coop, which may be part of why he is so mean to them, since they don't commingle often. (Now before you ask, the reason he is segregated is because we don't want broody hens or my roo being too rough on the hens when mating. And I know you can eat fertilized eggs if you collect them soon enough, so that is not really an issue)
My boy is nearing a year old. he is a speckled sussex, if breed makes a difference. Its spring where I live so he is just started to roam again, after this long snow-filled winter.
Along with being aggressive towards the hens, he sometimes pecks me. I am worried that, come summer and I am finally wearing shorts and flip-flops again, that he will go after my legs and feet...
Worst case scenario (no I am not thinking about eating him...) we give him away, altho I hope it doesn't have to come to that.
Anything helps!
Thanks

 

[justplainbatty]

So, my big handsome boy has some aggressive issues.
He is segregated from the other girls, and lives in his own coop, which may be part of why he is so mean to them, since they don't commingle often. (Now before you ask, the reason he is segregated is because we don't want broody hens or my roo being too rough on the hens when mating. And I know you can eat fertilized eggs if you collect them soon enough, so that is not really an issue)
My boy is nearing a year old. he is a speckled sussex, if breed makes a difference. Its spring where I live so he is just started to roam again, after this long snow-filled winter.
Along with being aggressive towards the hens, he sometimes pecks me. I am worried that, come summer and I am finally wearing shorts and flip-flops again, that he will go after my legs and feet...
Worst case scenario (no I am not thinking about eating him...) we give him away, altho I hope it doesn't have to come to that.
Anything helps!
Thanks

He is getting older so, not quite so randy as a few months ago. But, he doesn't know his girls and they have not been made to submit or know him very well either. It is normal for a roo to be aggressive with hens while he works his way to the top of the pecking order. Once he has accomplished that, he should be better. Hens and roos alike will go after toes, moles, hairs, rings ect. They are curious animals. I quit trying open shoes around chickens' living space long ago. Good roos will go about their business in the yard just like hens, not paying you much mind. If you don't want broody hens, collect eggs twice a day and break ones that insist on sitting anyway. All eggs are for eating and good for at least 6 months, fertilized or not.

 

[SimonRooster]

Thanks. Im just worried he is going to injure the hens. He is more that double this size of some of them. And he tends to go after one hen in particular....

 

[justplainbatty]

Thanks. Im just worried he is going to injure the hens. He is more that double this size of some of them. And he tends to go after one hen in particular....

There's always gonna be one that gets rode more than the others. There's also gonna be a top hen he rarely messes with. He will pull feathers out of their heads and rake their backs. If the backs are bare, he can slice them while mounting. (this is not intended by roo) You can put saddles on the hens who get it the most. After he gets established, you can go back to penning him and rotate hens with him. They will submit to avoid pain and punishment.They have learning to do here too. He will not need to be as hard on them then. he may even dance for their attention if he's good. Chicken mating is rough and not pretty, that's just how it is. Roos do not kill during mating. After he is top bird, you can decide who and how often he gets to mate.

 

[SimonRooster]

Ok, I guess I will have to try that.

One more thing I forgot to mention, his toes broke when he was a chick, so he practically has curled toes. He can walk fine, as he has grown up with them, but when he tries to mount it is a tad difficult and he can't get his footing right off.

 

[justplainbatty]

Ok, I guess I will have to try that.

One more thing I forgot to mention, his toes broke when he was a chick, so he practically has curled toes. He can walk fine, as he has grown up with them, but when he tries to mount it is a tad difficult and he can't get his footing right off.

Ya, that doesn't help his cause or the hens' backs. Mounting is such an ungraceful balancing act anyway. Did you ever try making chicken shoes for him? It's likely too late now, wouldn't hurt to see if there is anything to be done about it. If I run across anything I'll post it.

 

[SimonRooster]

Actually, he wears boots!

They are just to keep his feet from getting cold in the snow, but I could make more formal ones.

 

[justplainbatty]

Actually, he wears boots!

They are just to keep his feet from getting cold in the snow, but I could make more formal ones.

That's actually pretty cute but I meant to keep his broken toes straight during healing back when it happened. I can see how the hens heads are at risk, comb rips or scalping, bc he can't get a grip with his feet. Poor guy! Saddles on the hens might actually help him.

 

[SimonRooster]

Thanks for the feedback, I guess I will just have to let him experiment with his immature roo ways.
I usually do updates, and I do ask BYC questions frequently!
Thanks again!

 

[justplainbatty]

Thanks for the feedback, I guess I will just have to let him experiment with immature roo ways.
I usually to updates, and I do ask BYC questions frequently!
Thanks again!

YW, any time, and we love updates!