Rooster Questions.

Hello! So I've got some questions regarding our Rooster. I've done a lot of reading and everyone has a different idea, most resulting in eating and or just killing the rooster.
Our Rooster has recently started trying to chase me / attack me. He doesn't do this to my husband however. I've held him, I've swatted him, I've even gone as far as trying to hold him down as people have suggested. These all seem to work for a day or two then he's back at it. He's midly kind to the hens but seems to be food aggressive, this is when he commonly comes after me and the hens. My husband rarely tends to them. My question is... If we build him a separate living area will that be a humane way for him to live, alone? I find my desire to spend time in the coop dropping vastly every time I have to deal with his well... Crap. I really enjoy the hens and they seem to enjoy me also. Always wanting to perch on my shoulder and just get the lubbins. The Rooster will start pecking at and some times just attack them for coming to me. And yes I do mean straight up attack them. He is about 6months old they all were hand tamed and up until recently a lot of time spent with them. Is it fair to him to just build a area and house.to live alone? What options do you have for me? I can't see trying to rehome a mean rooster, I don't believe in spreading the troubles of naughty/bad pets. Thank you all sooooo much!

You have two options - keep him or get rid of him. If you get rid of him problem solved. If you keep him, again, you have two problems - separate him or not. A month long separation might give his testosterone time to calm down. Or it may not...... It may seem cruel to him to pen him by himself, but, have you considered how cruel it is to allow him to mistreat the hens? And more importantly, you .

I'm just not sure how the chicken behavior works. Yes, I agree 100% its cruel to the hens. It makes me sad they lose on all accounts. Less time with me and being attacked. They are so very sweet and just love my husband and I. I will try locking him up for a month like you suggest. And just go from there. Is it possible to get a rooster who isn't a jerk? We got them at a day old held and loved them all the same... Was that,are error with a rooster? Or is it like dogs/cats aggressive behavior breeds into chickens as well?
Sorry for all the questions, its so hard to find Rooster information past culling them.

The best way to get a polite/mannerly rooster is let a flock of mature hens raise him. They will teach him manners, the hard way or the easy way. He will determine which way they use. Young roosters mature faster than the pullets they grow up with. Mature hens already have the jump on that.

enola said:

The best way to get a polite/mannerly rooster is let a flock of mature hens raise him. They will teach him manners, the hard way or the easy way. He will determine which way they use. Young roosters mature faster than the pullets they grow up with. Mature hens already have the jump on that.

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So is it best we find him a new home? And try again with a rooster once pur hens have matured?

If you house him by himself, how much enjoyment will you get out of trudging to his pen to tend him every day? What kind of existence is that for him, or you? I can tell you that a good roo would not attack his hens when they interact with you. He'd be watchful of the interaction, but he'd not attack you, or his hens. As Enola said, you can try penning him separate from the pullets. That will either: curb his behavior, or make it worse, or not change it. I had a RIR roo, hand raised who would attack me when I fed the flock. He became worse when put in a time out pen. I couldn't even feed him without holding a stick in one hand to push him away from me long enough to set down the feed and water. He was tasty. I have a roo right now. He's a delight. He comes up to me just to talk about the goings on in the coop. He helps the ladies with their egg laying efforts, shares tender morsels with them, dances a bit, breaks up any hen fights. He's just a pleasure to have around, but he's on my watch list. If he should become aggressive, he'll be issued a one way ticket.

That is entirely up to you. Making him his own separate home could be your best option.......

sarahag said:

Is it possible to get a rooster who isn't a jerk? We got them at a day old held and loved them all the same... Was that,are error with a rooster? Or is it like dogs/cats aggressive behavior breeds into chickens as well?
Sorry for all the questions, its so hard to find Rooster information past culling them.

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Yes. Not all roosters are jerks. A lot of people say making a roo too tame can cause problems down the road. He doesn't respect you then. You're not the boss, he is (in his view).

Many people say that roosters raised from the brooder up with their flockmates, with no older hens to train them, can be bigger jerks than ones that get schooled by mature birds as they grow. So if you WANT a rooster and this one doesn't work out, you can try getting a young one from someone else (we all seem to have them and let your hens train him.

Most people also say that jerkiness is inherited, so if you have a nasty roo, you don't want to breed him as you'll just end up with more jerky roos down the line.

That said, your boy is a teenager who's testing boundaries. He may well settle down in a few months, or he may not.

You are not dealing with an adult rooster, you are dealing with an adolescent cockerel with hormones running wild. He may or may not straighten out when he matures some. I assume the pullets are the same age? They haven’t exactly matured either, if they are that age. Your facilities and general flock make-up have an effect too.

A lot of cockerels literally lose their heads at this age because of immaturity. Many of them would make good flock masters if allowed to mature, but at the same time, some won’t. And it is often not easy dealing with them at this age.

I see four options.
1) Permanently get rid of him. How you do that is up to you.
2) Just let him go and put up with it, trying some control management with him. That may or may not work out long term, and even if he learns to live around you and your husband, he may still be a danger to any visitors or children. You are dealing with living animals. No one can give you guarantees how this will work out.
3) Isolate him for a few months and let the entire flock mature. That may or may not solve your problem, but have a contingency plan ready in case it does not.
4) Get rid of him and bring in an older rooster, one more mature, when the pullets grow up some more if they are still fairly young.

The only reason you need a rooster is if you want fertile eggs. Anything else is pure personal choice. Some people would not dream of having a flock without a rooster, others are quite happy with an all-hen flock, even if they free range. My suggestion is to keep as few roosters as you can and still meet your goals. That’s not because you are guaranteed problems with roosters but because there is a greater chance of problems the more roosters you have. Your perfect number of roosters may be zero.

Sigh, he doesn't do any of that. He's a real ***, doesn't share with them. He's just a jerk. They are silver laced wyandottes. And currently two of my hens are very small, half the size of the other 4. So they really get beaten up by him. Thank you for the input, being 6 months into our first ever chicken experience its hard to know what's the correct way to handle things. I can tell you I feel absolutely aweful using any domination or swatting. Working with dogs/cats for the last 9+ years positive reinforcement has always been my preferred and only method of training. But even holding him he trys to attack me.