Serama roo getting aggressive

I have a Serama family in a cage in my house since it's too cold outside for them. They started out in the living room. The roo is ear piercing! They are so messy too! No matter what I do, they kick the bedding all over the floor. They were put downstairs in the game room at Thanksgiving and I liked them there so that is where they stayed. They don't get out as much now. The roo has started to bite...hard! Is it because they don't have as much interaction with the family? The boys are down there all the time playing video games. They don't get out much because he bites me when I even try to feed them. Thinking of selling them.

It is not due to lack of interaction. The aggression is due to the fact that they are confined in the cage. They need to be outside in their coop/run area with adequate space. I realize that Seremas are the smallest breed chicken, but they still need to peck at the ground, and be chickens. The serema breed is generally said to be nonaggressive.

How cold is it where you are? Seremas are not cold hardy therefore your coop needs to be insulated and have a heat source such as a heat lamp ran to it. You can also add black sunflower seed, scratch, and a small amount of corn to their diets. I say a small amount on the corn, because corn has no nutritional value to the chickens, but it will help with their body temperature.

I worry about predators and the cold if I put them outside. My Son saw a rat. I don't want one digging under the coop and getting them. I have an extra coop and a heat lamp, so I'm going to bring it by the house and see how they do. I really worried about how loud he is. He is ear piercing. I wonder if the sound would be better outside instead of in a small room. I have a cochin roo that isn't too bad and I dont' think my neighbors mind him. But if Oreo bothers them I will have to rehome him. People in Malaysia keep them in their house in small cages. Thought they would be ok in a cage with lots of perches and attention. Not if they are downstairs I guess.

My opinion - they are chickens, not parrots. As Outpost JWB stated, they need to be where they can scratch and peck and do chickeny things. They need more room. Could be your rooster is getting aggressive because of the attention. There are many threads on here that start out with, "My sweet rooster that we've hand-raised and made a pet of is now attacking me!" The theory is, when there is too much interaction between roosters and their humans, the roosters think that they are on an even level or even above their humans in the pecking order.

If you have a secure coop, predators should not be an issue. How cold does it get in Oregon? I don't know anything about Seramas, but I would think they would be able to stand some cooler weather. Maybe not below zero, or maybe even below freezing, but I would think in a draft-free coop they'd be OK with temps in the 30's to 40's. I am a strong believer in not adding extra heat to the coop, but I have cold hardy chickens, so I don't need it. Put poison out for the rat. Put it where your chickens and other animals can't get at it. Are you not allowed to have roosters where you live?

It gets down to the 20's when it's at it coldest. It's about 40 at night now. How would I know when they are too cold? Not really sure on the roosters where I live. The code is very vague. It says there cannot be a noise disturbance. But does specify roosters. It also says, "Livestock is not allowed unless you can prove to the city that you can keep it sanitary." Seems vague to me. The rats are coming from next door where there is a 5 foot tall junk pile. We have a fly problem up by the house and not much by the coop when it's warmer. I have called the city about that and nothing gets done. So if my chickens are ever questioned I guess I have leverage there. Just don't want my roo to bother my neighbors. I really like them! Don't want to be "that" neighbor.

I got my little family from a friend who knows much more about chickens than I do. He said they should be inside and the cage came with them. I trusted his knowledge on the Seramas. I am figuring out that he doesn't everything and they really should be outside.

Skye727 said:

It gets down to the 20's when it's at it coldest. It's about 40 at night now. How would I know when they are too cold? Not really sure on the roosters where I live. The code is very vague. It says there cannot be a noise disturbance. But does specify roosters. It also says, "Livestock is not allowed unless you can prove to the city that you can keep it sanitary." Seems vague to me. The rats are coming from next door where there is a 5 foot tall junk pile. We have a fly problem up by the house and not much by the coop when it's warmer. I have called the city about that and nothing gets done. So if my chickens are ever questioned I guess I have leverage there. Just don't want my roo to bother my neighbors. I really like them! Don't want to be "that" neighbor.

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I honestly can't say how you'd know - my chickens have never been too cold. I would think they'd shiver like anything else. They may not be as active. When it's really cold here (In the teens and 20's below zero), my chickens tend to huddle in the coop more, instead of scratching around on the floor in the straw.

That law is pretty vague. I guess I'd just put them out there and see what happens. So happy to hear that you are being considerate of your neighbors. So many aren't. ("The law says I can have them, so it's my right - even if it does bother everyone around me!")

I would think that if you can keep your ducks' area sanitary, you could keep your chicken coop clean also. I don't have ducks, but I understand they're messy! There are ways to poison the rats without your other animals getting to it. We used a metal box upside down with a weight on it so the rats could come and go, but nothing else could get to it.

Skye727 said:

I got my little family from a friend who knows much more about chickens than I do. He said they should be inside and the cage came with them. I trusted his knowledge on the Seramas. I am figuring out that he doesn't everything and they really should be outside.

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Maybe he figured that out, too, and that's why you got them...