2 yr old rooster has gone psycho

6of6chicks said:

Just curious - and will admit this post was where I stopped reading to ask this question - but I'm looking at this from a dog owner perspective. If one of my dogs suddenly turned on me and attacked me, after NO previous aggressive behavior - my first thought would be medical and we'd be taking a trip to the vet to rule out any diseases. My dogs have all their shots and are highly trained/socialized, so any sudden behavioral change would be an immediate red flag for a possible illness.

Can that happen with chickens? There are loads of medical reasons why dogs can turn aggressive - everything from rabies to thyroid problems. Are there chicken-equivalent diseases? Common illnesses where sudden aggression is actually a symptom? I realize that in the OP's case there were behavioral signs (recognized or not) indicating a long-term problem - and that's a breeding/temperament thing. I'm just asking about chicken illnesses/aggression because I'm new to chickens and know that I would probably miss any behavior/warning signs because I'm simply not knowledgeable enough about chickens (yet!).

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Ganjaroo said:

 I should add, this roo 'makes me laugh on a daily basis', EXCEPT for the day that he seemed to want me dead Yeah. ..that really wasn't all that funny.

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Pinkaboo said:

Quote: Thanks, Pinkaboo! So far, so good!

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lularat said:

I'm so glad you didn't cull him right away as some suggested. He may have just been having a bad day or not feeling well. I do know that an animals behavior changes when they are sick. Just like us when we don't feel well, we get ill and don't want anyone around. Sometimes people are to hasty and want a quick fix to a problem, instead of figuring out what may have caused the problem. I like to take a slower approach and then if that doesn't work and the behavior continues, then I will try something a little more aggressive. I do know that there are a lot of people who do not bond with there chickens, so the culling is not too difficult for them. I develop a bond with all my animals, chickens included, which makes some decisions really difficult. But I do trust and follow my instincts and rarely have no regrets. I am realistic and do realize that sometimes an animal has to be put down when it has been determined that it poses a threat to other animals or people. I hope that your rooster continues to be his feisty, lovable self and please do keep us updated.

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Ganjaroo said:

Thanks lularat, I feel exactly the same way. In fact, when I first decided to get a few chickens, It was a year after I had to put my Lab of 17 years down due to cancer and old age. Then, shortly after, the same happened with my 20 year old cat. Needless to say, it was absolutely devastating, and I foolishly thought that I wouldn't get as attached to the chickens. Ha. Yeah, well.. that didn't quite work out as planned.

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heartsizedfarm said:

I've had some success with my roo. Maybe not completely out of the woods yet but I can see light between the trees.

Also raised from the egg on. Not cuddly, but perfectly decent youngster. Never attacked anyone. Then one day I caught and dusted all his hens in front of him and that seemed to set him off.

He would take a run at me and I was hit a few times. Read lots of threads on the matter over the past weeks and decided to try a few things. I don't challenge him or fight with him. I'm working to restore trust and good will. I sit with them sometimes in the yard. If he comes towards me I stand my ground and use my shepherds stick to tell him to back off. Just poke it in between us to protect my leg and to push him a little bit. I don't hurt him, I don't inflame the situation. My roo sounds like yours. He doesnt really want a fight. So when he back off or saunters in a different direction I praise him and make cheerful noises at him.

I've been working on getting us back to improved relations for about three weeks now. And I haven't been hit by him in that time. Moreover he runs at me very infrequently now and has not once run right up to me. A couple little feints. And lots of times I've been working in shared space with him.

I'm keeping him because, like yours, he's good with his hens and they like him. And I respect he's just being a rooster. It's a tough job, being a rooster. If you're too soft the coyotes will eat you and if you're too tough the humans will eat you!

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Ganjaroo said:

Heart, you remind me of a very important factor that I left out for anyone reading this story. I've told this to my wonderful 'chicken friend' who I've been PM'ing with, but just realized that I had not yet mentioned it here! The day my roo attacked, I had been out earlier that morning playing with the chickens. I was holding his favorite hen and teasing him, because I'd always found it funny how jealous he gets! Yes, in hindsight this was obviously a very stupid thing to do, but I had done it 1000 times before with no such severe actions by him. He would always do things like come running when-ever he spotted me picking up 'his' girls, or stomp around and flap his wings, or sometimes he'd stand on my feet and stare up at me with that, "You'd best put her down!!' look, lol, but never an attack, a peck, ..nothing like that. Anyway, I'm sure this had quite a bit to do with it, although I realize it is still unacceptable for him to attack if I pick up a hen! Nevertheless, I will not pick her up again and tease him with her by saying, "I've got your girly bird!!" and running away from him. In part because I NOW realize how dumb it was, but mostly because I do not plan on turning my back on him anytime in the near future. lol

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Pinkaboo said:

Quote: Hahaa.. yes, it would be quite embarrassing to be maimed or die from Roo Rage. I can think of far more noble ways to go.

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