Aggressive Rooster....How do I re-home??

We accidentally (he was supposed to be a she) have an RIR who we love, but who has gotten more and more territorial lately (he's 13 months old). An incident with my young nephew this weekend made it clear he's got to go to a more suitable place.

He has been handled and well-trained all along. It's just his nature. He's a big guy!

I don't even know where to start! I don't want him being made into dinner, nor do I want him to end up cock fighting, so I'm hesitant to post on Craigslist.

How do you rehome a rooster??

Welcome! Human aggressive roosters need to be someone's dinner. They are dangerous, especially to children, they only get worse as they mature, and they will pass this behavior on to offspring. It's part of having chickens; good boys get to reproduce, jerks need to go! If he's sent off with full disclosure to someone who wants him, don't ask if he's going to be dinner. He'll have had a very good life, and do good at the end. Mary

The people who do cock fighting have specific breeds and long blood lines they use to fight. They wouldn't just pick up a bird off CL as it would stand a chance. I have had lots of luck with people who had large spaces for their birds and would not eat them. If they attack kids, generally they will only get worse about it rather than better.

Ah sigh, another Romance meets Reality in the BYC movement.

'Handled and well trained' can often lead to human aggressive birds.

Agrees he should be eaten.

Sorry, but I politely and respectfully disagree. I believe the OP is spot on in the assessment that this instance may well be, "...in his nature." I do not believe a bad attitude is the result of positive attention you gave to him that has made him act out.

Even if your rooster had not been handled at all, he probably still might have gone bad if aggression is ingrained in his gene program. Some roosters are just wired to be that way. However, if you hadn't made any effort to tame him, additionally, he would've been scared and skittish besides, always scratching or flogging you to get away.

Running after a wild, non-human friendly rooster to deal with is a horror to have to check for wounds, lice, mites, etc. Just my opinion, but, I wouldn't want to worm a big boy like that who acted wild. Or, treat any male bird for leg mites that wasn't amenable, or, somewhat friendly to us. Again, just my opinion, but life's too short to have a spooked, cantankerous or dangerous bird that just is not balanced.

There are some really good natured roosters out there looking for homes every day. I hope you find a really lovely fellow.

No need to run after any bird to treat for those issues. Wait til dark and pluck them off the roost. No running on my part, minimal struggle on their part, even if it's been literally months since the bird was last touched by a human. Way easier for all involved.

Quote: Agreed. This has been my experience. Handling does not make a rooster aggressive NOR does it keep him from being so. Temperament is generally heritable, meaning in his genetic makeup, just like any other inherited trait.

One of the sweetest roosters I've ever had was never handled much as a chick or "teen". He was picked up to assess, yes, but petted on and babied, absolutely not. That is the rooster in my avatar, Isaac. He throws sons with the same temperament and his sons and grandsons do as well, on down the line. So did my Blue Orpington rooster, Suede. My lines were actually bred for temperament. Hatchery stock is a crap shoot in that regard.

A situation where a rooster is badly frightened can change his personality, but in general, if he is not inherently human aggressive, that's that, handling or no handling.


As far as rehoming him, you could do that, with full disclosure, but you must know that when he's out of your hands, you have no say in what happens to him. If you can't kill him, allow someone else to shoulder the burden. He will pass on his temperament, most likely, to his sons, or many of them. JMHO.

That would never work for our freerangers. Sometimes situations happen quickly and have to be dealt with. Like a predator attack, broken limb or deep gash.

We once had a raven attack and blind our huge RIR. If he hadn't been tame, we would never have caught him to flush out his eye, and care for his deep wounds. Just saying, in some situations, it can be easier to have birds that let you deal with them.

speckledhen said:

Agreed. This has been my experience. Handling does not make a rooster aggressive NOR does it keep him from being so. Temperament is generally heritable, meaning in his genetic makeup, just like any other inherited trait.

One of the sweetest roosters I've ever had was never handled much as a chick or "teen". He was picked up to assess, yes, but petted on and babied, absolutely not. That is the rooster in my avatar, Isaac. He throws sons with the same temperament and his sons and grandsons do as well, on down the line. So did my Blue Orpington rooster, Suede. My lines were actually bred for temperament. Hatchery stock is a crap shoot in that regard.

A situation where a rooster is badly frightened can change his personality, but in general, if he is not inherently human aggressive, that's that, handling or no handling.


As far as rehoming him, you could do that, with full disclosure, but you must know that when he's out of your hands, you have no say in what happens to him. If you can't kill him, allow someone else to shoulder the burden. He will pass on his temperament, most likely, to his sons, or many of them. JMHO.

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- the bolded is an important point. Any animal who is frightened or in pain is going to be a different animal than the one you are used to working with any other day of their life - this is why so many folks end up badly injured by their "sweet, loving Fluffy" when Fluffy goes and gets hit by a car, etc and they go to pick up Fluffy to take him/her to the vet, etc. A little common sense can go a long way in making life less stressful and confrontational for all involved.

speckledhen said:

Agreed. This has been my experience. Handling does not make a rooster aggressive NOR does it keep him from being so. Temperament is generally heritable, meaning in his genetic makeup, just like any other inherited trait.

One of the sweetest roosters I've ever had was never handled much as a chick or "teen". He was picked up to assess, yes, but petted on and babied, absolutely not. That is the rooster in my avatar, Isaac. He throws sons with the same temperament and his sons and grandsons do as well, on down the line. So did my Blue Orpington rooster, Suede. My lines were actually bred for temperament. Hatchery stock is a crap shoot in that regard.

A situation where a rooster is badly frightened can change his personality, but in general, if he is not inherently human aggressive, that's that, handling or no handling.


As far as rehoming him, you could do that, with full disclosure, but you must know that when he's out of your hands, you have no say in what happens to him. If you can't kill him, allow someone else to shoulder the burden. He will pass on his temperament, most likely, to his sons, or many of them. JMHO.

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Well put and 100% agreed. This has been my experience as well.