Suddenly mean rooster ):

Date sort Score sort
I don't handle my roosters at all. Not as chicks and not as adults. The only handling they go through is the transfer from summer to winter coops and vice versa. They have never sized themselves up to me, they respect and act friendly towards me instead. They associate treats and food with me instead of associating me as another rooster. I respect them and they respect me. They do eat treats from my hands and love to walk around the pen with me. Always underfoot
1f602.png
but not trying anything. I also don't handle their ladies either, as it stresses everyone out. The only time I do (when not moving them from pen to pen) is if someone is sick or injured. Even then the roosters know I'm only helping. With not being handled my birds are quite human friendly since they all associate food and treats with me and all other humans. Whenever they see or hear me coming they get all excited and run to greet me. So in my experience (which is ten years of it) don't handle the roosters at all when babies. They don't see you as a threat then. Along with this I'll give you a pic of two of my roosters eating treats from my hand. Never handled but will handfeed:
400

400

Pictured is my one and a half year old Silver Laced Wyandotte rooster Noah and my 2 year old Porcelain d'uccle rooster Levi. Both have never been handled as chicks but are still very friendly.
 
IzziesChickies said:
I don't handle my roosters at all. Not as chicks and not as adults. The only handling they go through is the transfer from summer to winter coops and vice versa. They have never sized themselves up to me, they respect and act friendly towards me instead. They associate treats and food with me instead of associating me as another rooster. I respect them and they respect me. They do eat treats from my hands and love to walk around the pen with me. Always underfoot
1f602.png
but not trying anything. I also don't handle their ladies either, as it stresses everyone out. The only time I do (when not moving them from pen to pen) is if someone is sick or injured. Even then the roosters know I'm only helping. With not being handled my birds are quite human friendly since they all associate food and treats with me and all other humans. Whenever they see or hear me coming they get all excited and run to greet me. So in my experience (which is ten years of it) don't handle the roosters at all when babies. They don't see you as a threat then. Along with this I'll give you a pic of two of my roosters eating treats from my hand. Never handled but will handfeed:
400

400

Pictured is my one and a half year old Silver Laced Wyandotte rooster Noah and my 2 year old Porcelain d'uccle rooster Levi. Both have never been handled as chicks but are still very friendly.
Click to expand...
Totally agree with you. I don't have much experience but two out of the three were human friendly. I never pick them up unless necessary. They both would eat out of my hand. For some reason though, that one roo just wasn't human friendly at all. Wish I'd kept my wyandottie roo. He would jump on the mean roo when it tried to spur me. But the roo I kept is a good roo too.
 
rIrs roost said:
Totally agree with you. I don't have much experience but two out of the three were human friendly. I never pick them up unless necessary. They both would eat out of my hand. For some reason though, that one roo just wasn't human friendly at all. Wish I'd kept my wyandottie roo. He would jump on the mean roo when it tried to spur me. But the roo I kept is a good roo too.
Click to expand...

Yeah I had an issue with a nasty rooster awhile back and it happened to be because we handled him lots as a chick. NEVER doing that again
1f602.png
(p.s. My Wyandotte is my big baby, he has tried flying up onto my arm to eat treats and talk to me
1f60a.png
He's my big baby).
 
IzziesChickies said:
I don't handle my roosters at all. Not as chicks and not as adults. The only handling they go through is the transfer from summer to winter coops and vice versa. They have never sized themselves up to me, they respect and act friendly towards me instead. They associate treats and food with me instead of associating me as another rooster. I respect them and they respect me. They do eat treats from my hands and love to walk around the pen with me. Always underfoot
1f602.png
but not trying anything. I also don't handle their ladies either, as it stresses everyone out. The only time I do (when not moving them from pen to pen) is if someone is sick or injured. Even then the roosters know I'm only helping. With not being handled my birds are quite human friendly since they all associate food and treats with me and all other humans. Whenever they see or hear me coming they get all excited and run to greet me. So in my experience (which is ten years of it) don't handle the roosters at all when babies. They don't see you as a threat then. Along with this I'll give you a pic of two of my roosters eating treats from my hand. Never handled but will handfeed:
400

400

Pictured is my one and a half year old Silver Laced Wyandotte rooster Noah and my 2 year old Porcelain d'uccle rooster Levi. Both have never been handled as chicks but are still very friendly.
Click to expand...

I have two Roos that I handled their whole lives. One is still great and sweet he's about 4 months older than the one who is attacking. I'm not convinced handling matters. My grandma raised chickens for over 40 years and handled all. Growing up, there was always only one Roo we watched out for. And over the years she had Many roosters.
- Actually, I'm starting to wonder if he just has a screw loose. He attacks the back door that only he uses, the wood panel by the roost, and even one of his girls. I do handle the girls, but I handle them all and there is only one he picks on. I will try next time not to handle my next set. This was my first go round. Thanks for the advice, and will definitely try, it seems to have worked for many of you to just be the provider of food and not affection. And it makes sense.
 
I don't think it's handling, it the way people are handling and interacting, they are petting, they are basically doing mutual grooming, which sets you up as an equal to the rooster, and there is hand feeding, another behavior done between equals, the problem comes at sexual maturity when the rooster wants to dominate everyone in his flock, you have made yourself part of the flock. If I pick my roosters up to check them over, or to carry them somewhere, I'm dominating them through restraint. It's in the small details of the handling. I always say don't pet the roosters, that's what messes them up, some can handle it others can't, but you can't tell until it's too late and now you are trying to undo months of conditioning which can be almost impossible.
 
Human aggression is a personality defect. It will manifest itself, if it is there, sooner or later. Obviously a bird that is familiar with you will not be afraid to invade your personal space. An unhandled bird may take longer to turn and may not be as bad when he does. My birds are consistently sound, mentally, and I can handle and pet and feed them as much or as little as I want and they will still be friendly and easy to handle and not prone to attack humans, because that is the way they have been selected and bred for hundreds of years.
 

Similar threads

Muser
Early signs of agression in Roos/Cockerels
Replies
7
Views
1K
Happy Chooks
Happy Chooks
LuciferRoo
Is my rooster worthless?
2
Replies
16
Views
1K
Huntmaster
Huntmaster
M
Suddenly aggressive bantam
Replies
8
Views
846
Folly's place
Folly's place
Fluffy_Moth_With_Silkies
    • Like
    • Sad
Suddenly aggressive rooster - Please help
4 5 6
Replies
53
Views
5K
CrazyChickLady64
C
M
Rooster not aggressive to me but sometimes mean to hens
Replies
7
Views
1K
16 and me
16 and me

New posts New threads Active threads

Back
Top Bottom