Watagamefowl
Hatching
It’s perfectly fine
Is it okay to tie my roosters???
- Thread starter jackrooster
- Start date
Jenn1018
Songster
I landed here because my 16 week old rooster just starting attacking my hens. I have 7 yo girls and his brooder mates. he was going after his brooder mates aggressively, but I thought well they can run away, but when he targeted one of my 7 yo girls to the point he jumped up on her roost after she tucked in just to peck her head, that was it! I came here for advice on what to do about my newly aggressive rooster and I walked away with "kill him, its not worth it". That wasnt helpful. So I thought what if I tether him so he can't chase the older girls. Seems to me this would be a good solution. They will be safe and he gets to stay here. This really seems like a win win to me. I hope this solves the problem and keeps my girls safe. in the meantime I hope he will grow out of this...certainly couldn't find any info on that.
Yeah, a mindless "off with his head" is a pretty common reaction any time a rooster or cockerel is mentioned on this forum. Sometimes it is the right reaction, but a lot of boys die because they do things that are natural and normal. You may still wind up with that being the correct action.
You do not have a rooster. You have an immature cockerel where the hormones are in control. At that age it's not about sex or fertilizing the eggs, it's about dominating the flock. In the mating act the one on bottom is accepting the dominance of the one on top, either willingly or by force. At that age it's usually by force. I assume forcefully mating is what you mean by "going after his brooder mates aggressively". They are not ready to be dominated by that immature brat so they tend to run away. Pullets his age hardly ever fight back, they usually try to run away.
The older hens are often different. They tend to want a rooster that would make a decent father to their potential children. An immature cockerel doesn't measure up. When he bothers them they sometimes knock the snot out of him, especially the dominant hen. More often they just run away. It's fairly common for the dominant hen to knock him off another girl when he's trying to mate her, whether she is willing or he is forcing her. Often an immature cockerel has a healthy respect for a mature hen, especially the dominant hen.
Your hens are probably too old for that. They don't have the energy to fight or run away so that one tried to get where he would not bother her. It did not work, he followed and started pecking her head. That's how they kill other chickens. He's trying to remove a rival for dominance. So yes, you did the right thing by removing him.
When he matures to the point that he has the self-confidence to win them over by the magnificence of his personality instead of having to rely on brute force, he may be able to peacefully take over. May, that is not definite. When might that be? I don't know. I've had a cockerel as young as 5 months be accepted by the older hens as flock master, a very peaceful takeover. I had one not manage that for 11 months and that involved serious violence between him and the dominant hen. Most of my cockerels manage that at 7 months or so with a smooth takeover. In my opinion the personality of the hens has a lot to do with that. Some hens are much more willing to be dominated than others.
If you want to keep him and see if it can work out you need to separate him from the older hens at least until he gets older. Tying him may work, I'd have never thought if that. You could isolate him in his own shelter or pen him with his brooder mates or keep the older hens in their own shelter. I don't know how much older he may need to get. It's also possible the older hens will never accept his dominance and you have to decide between him and them.
You do not have a rooster. You have an immature cockerel where the hormones are in control. At that age it's not about sex or fertilizing the eggs, it's about dominating the flock. In the mating act the one on bottom is accepting the dominance of the one on top, either willingly or by force. At that age it's usually by force. I assume forcefully mating is what you mean by "going after his brooder mates aggressively". They are not ready to be dominated by that immature brat so they tend to run away. Pullets his age hardly ever fight back, they usually try to run away.
The older hens are often different. They tend to want a rooster that would make a decent father to their potential children. An immature cockerel doesn't measure up. When he bothers them they sometimes knock the snot out of him, especially the dominant hen. More often they just run away. It's fairly common for the dominant hen to knock him off another girl when he's trying to mate her, whether she is willing or he is forcing her. Often an immature cockerel has a healthy respect for a mature hen, especially the dominant hen.
Your hens are probably too old for that. They don't have the energy to fight or run away so that one tried to get where he would not bother her. It did not work, he followed and started pecking her head. That's how they kill other chickens. He's trying to remove a rival for dominance. So yes, you did the right thing by removing him.
When he matures to the point that he has the self-confidence to win them over by the magnificence of his personality instead of having to rely on brute force, he may be able to peacefully take over. May, that is not definite. When might that be? I don't know. I've had a cockerel as young as 5 months be accepted by the older hens as flock master, a very peaceful takeover. I had one not manage that for 11 months and that involved serious violence between him and the dominant hen. Most of my cockerels manage that at 7 months or so with a smooth takeover. In my opinion the personality of the hens has a lot to do with that. Some hens are much more willing to be dominated than others.
If you want to keep him and see if it can work out you need to separate him from the older hens at least until he gets older. Tying him may work, I'd have never thought if that. You could isolate him in his own shelter or pen him with his brooder mates or keep the older hens in their own shelter. I don't know how much older he may need to get. It's also possible the older hens will never accept his dominance and you have to decide between him and them.
Jenn1018
Songster
Thank you for your insight. That is really what I needed. Killing him is not an option and never will be for me....for many different reasons.
When I say aggressively, I don’t mean trying to mate. It’s more I hate you and want to kill you and he seems to target 2 girls out of 12 in particular. I also have 7 older girls and he’s decided to target one of them. I saw him mate one of his sisters this morning and although a little rougher this was what I would consider normal behavior. These other 3 girls he goes at from the front and grabs their heads pulling feathers out while they scream. I have a rooster with my big girls so what this little one is doing I don’t see as normal behavior.
I have him locked in the run. To me this isn’t him living his best life. But if I can tether him in the yard he can still be a part of everything until he goes over the line and they can at least get away. Ive read a lot of posts that say tethering is horrible how dare you but this sure seems to be a good solution for this situation. But I often get a lot of things wrong
thank you for your insight. It’s greatly appreciated.
That does not sound like normal behavior to me either.
Sleigh
Songster
I would love an update as this is so similar to my 10-month old boy. He is gentle with his "sisters" but wildly aggressive with my 3-year-old hens. I need a solution where everyone lives without harm.Thank you for your insight. That is really what I needed. Killing him is not an option and never will be for me....for many different reasons.
When I say aggressively, I don’t mean trying to mate. It’s more I hate you and want to kill you and he seems to target 2 girls out of 12 in particular. I also have 7 older girls and he’s decided to target one of them. I saw him mate one of his sisters this morning and although a little rougher this was what I would consider normal behavior. These other 3 girls he goes at from the front and grabs their heads pulling feathers out while they scream. I have a rooster with my big girls so what this little one is doing I don’t see as normal behavior.
I have him locked in the run. To me this isn’t him living his best life. But if I can tether him in the yard he can still be a part of everything until he goes over the line and they can at least get away. Ive read a lot of posts that say tethering is horrible how dare you but this sure seems to be a good solution for this situation. But I often get a lot of things wrong
Many keepers of game fowl tether their roosters. Some of the advantages are outlined in this post;
https://www.backyardchickens.com/threads/is-it-okay-to-tie-my-roosters.330460/post-13299713
Falconers use tethers.
No, a bit of string tied around a leg isn't the way to go. Nor is tethering and leaving the rooster out while you go off shopping for the day imo.
Talk to some of the game fowl keepers on this site and learn how to do it properly.
A couple of the game fowl keepers I know introduce their roosters to the tether while still contained in a run and gradually increase the tether length in short periods of being supervised outside the run.
https://www.backyardchickens.com/threads/is-it-okay-to-tie-my-roosters.330460/post-13299713
Falconers use tethers.
No, a bit of string tied around a leg isn't the way to go. Nor is tethering and leaving the rooster out while you go off shopping for the day imo.
Talk to some of the game fowl keepers on this site and learn how to do it properly.
A couple of the game fowl keepers I know introduce their roosters to the tether while still contained in a run and gradually increase the tether length in short periods of being supervised outside the run.
Jenn1018
Songster
Update:
Grape is one of my sweetest roosters now. He is wonderful to his girls and to us. He has never been mean again to us or his girls. He loves them and is very gentle now. He needed to “learn” to be a rooster. I have another young one now doing the exact same thing and I’ve separated him until he can learn how to be a rooster too.
It takes time for them to learn how to mate and how to behave. I had another rooster to teach him. Maybe that helped.
Don’t give up on your boy. He’ll get there.
I never tethered him. Just kept him separated. I think that was enough to teach him how to behave. I don’t think it took too long. 2 months at most?
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Do you happen to keep g!we fowl? I am not looking to fight birds but I would sometimes let them out. Keeping more than one would be a problem and tethering seems like a good idea. I saw a farm once in passing where a person must have had 50 rooster tethered and each had a small A-frame to keep them out of rain heat or whatever I guess. I wouldn't think this would be good though. Our weather doesn't usually get below 20° F and doesn't stay cold but a few days in the winter. I have ordered some Liege Fighters because they are supposed to be friendly with owners and Flarru Greys because I like the color and looks.
I can't seem to find much of anything on keeping them even though I have searched and searched.
Putting them on cords is good for them they have alot more room than domes like I have. They get used to them fast and will love the space. Only problem with cords is that they defensiveless to any predators
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