Mean Young Rooster

My young rooster is strutting his stuff around the coop. But, when I go to pick up a hen or feed and water them. He jumps up at me like he's going to flog me. I know he's just showing me that he's king of the roost. But, how do I get him to stop. Before I put him in the freezer?

I'm having the same problem. He doesn't mess with me, but he got my wife today. Drew blood.

meandthegirls9 said:

My young rooster is strutting his stuff around the coop. But, when I go to pick up a hen or feed and water them. He jumps up at me like he's going to flog me. I know he's just showing me that he's king of the roost. But, how do I get him to stop. Before I put him in the freezer?

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The best thing is to stop picking up the rooster's hens in his presence. Hens and roosters are chickens and i don't know of any chicken that has ever won a Nobel prize.

So your rooster likely thinks that you intend to breed his hens because you are trying to catch the hens or pen them down, and that is a big No-No to any rooster. You can call it chicken logic instead of chicken math.

If you plan to eat your rooster anyway, then I second chickengeorge. Hold out until he goes to freezer.
If you're wanting to keep him and just plan to eat him cause he's mean, and really want him to be tame, then try this: When he comes at you grab his legs and hold him upside down. It doesn't hurt him, and assuming since he's young his spurs aren't sharp (Though I do have a Cochin that had little 'leg knives' by three moths old ) you shouldn't get hurt either. Hold him like this until he stops struggling, turn him right side up, and carry him around with you. You're teaching him you're his friend, and the boss. Chickgeorge's right that he thinks you're gonna breed them, but if you become the boss then he has no choice. I have two Silkie roos together and only the boss can breed. If the lower one tries, he gets put in his place by the boss. You've just gotta become the boss. He won't be happy about it, but he should stop jumping you. Worked with my little stinker, who is now one of the sweetest rooster ever. He still gives me the stink eye when I pick up one of his girls though...

But, like today. All I did was go in to feed and water them. And he jumped me as I was going out the door.

meandthegirls9 said:

But, like today. All I did was go in to feed and water them. And he jumped me as I was going out the door.

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There are many techniques to 'tame a rooster', do a search here and you'll find them......many are time consuming, many don't work.
None will work well if you are afraid, that's the first hurdle.

If you are new to chickens and you don't really need a rooster, get rid of him pronto.
Down the line of you need a rooster to make new chicks, get a docile adult rooster.
There's plenty of nice ones out there that folks don't want to eat because they are nice.

Welcome! He should taste really good.... You can spend time trying all the behavior modification techniques described here, or move on and find a sane and sensible boy instead. This boy is likely to sire more little terrors, also not a good thing. Only polite cockrels get to stay on here, and they tend to produce nice offspring. And I'm not carrying a weapon, and watching out for sneak attacks out there. Mary