Abe is a jerk. Two ?s

[Somshine]

I'm so disappointed. My rooster Abraham is not quite 2 years old and has become a jerk. Never had a problem with him before. When he was a year old we were able to pick him up and hold him. Well this spring we started hatching our own to build our flock as we only had eight hens before. Those are his hens. We've got a new flock of nine now that are 16 weeks and about 19 more babies that are around 7 weeks. Lately he's getting meaner and meaner. Seems to be with the addition of all the new chickens. He's actually quite nice with all of them. We recently had to weed our 16 week olds down to all hens and one rooster but before we culled the other six roosters. He really only straightened them out when they were getting too out of hand while everyone's out and free-ranging. So he's the well established head of all chickens and everything is quite peaceful. Except it seems being king of so many has given him a new attitude. He started to attack me and up until recently he always ignored our 170 lb livestock guardian dog. He went after him the other day! Oz was on him like flies on s*** and it didn't work out but I have a feeling he'll try again and I don't want a one-eyed dog. Not to mention I've now got 11 purple puncture scars from being flogged at random times. Now I'm not afraid of him. I will snatch him up. And if I stand there and take the time to back him down for the most part he will. But I'm about tired of having to do that just to move freely about my backyard when they're out. If I were to just try to walk straight through the yard to go turn the hose on I'm sure I'd be attacked from out of somewhere. He's gotten to where he likes to hang out around the porch waiting for me to come into the yard. Last time he came after me as he rose up to flog my legs I caught him in midair and of course did the walk of shame and carried him around and he bit me in the face! He knows I'm not a threat I'm the one who takes care of them. So I have a feeling he is trying to establish his pecking order with me. I've already gone through reestablishing over and over that that's not going to work but he never seems to give up. So I have two questions. It's obviously time for him to go correct? And also do you think my remaining older hens will join the younger flock so that the younger rooster will look out for them when they're loose? They have separate coops and runs but they do all free range together but tend to stay in their own flocks.

 

[NatJ]

So I have two questions. It's obviously time for him to go correct?

It certainly sounds that way to me.

And also do you think my remaining older hens will join the younger flock so that the younger rooster will look out for them when they're loose? They have separate coops and runs but they do all free range together but tend to stay in their own flocks.

They might all hang out together, or they might not. Becoming a single flock will be more likely if the younger ones are also old enough to lay, and will also be more likely if they share a coop & run.

Even if they do spend time separately, the older hens might still listen for warnings from the young rooster, to hide from hawks and similar dangers. So they might get part of the benefit from the rooster even if they are not really joining his group.

 

[LaFleche]

I'd be attacked from out of somewhere. He's gotten to where he likes to hang out around the porch waiting for me to come into the yard. Last time he came after me as he rose up to flog my legs I caught him in midair and of course did the walk of shame and carried him around and he bit me in the face!

It is high time you had "Coq au vin" dinner!

My late neighbour waited too long because he liked his extremely aggressive rooster and almost lost his eyesight because of him.

The rooster would sneak up behind him and jump up on his back fiercly ramming his spurs into the man's neck and sometimes he was hiding behind the pidgeon house on top of the fence waiting for my unsuspecting neighbour to come along and jump right into his face.

We saw this happen often enough from our side of the fence.

Your adult hens will soon connect with the younger. male

 

[Coops Dad]

Turn him from a rooster into a roaster.

 

[HeritageFan]

Just to add another layer as someone who hatches babies- I don’t want that aggression in my lines.

The nice guys get the girls. The ass hats go to freezer camp!

 

[Somshine]

Yeah we did it. It was really sad and I cried. But it needed to be done. He was such a nice rooster for so long. But clearly going from just him and his eight hens to having 40 birds around the yard put him in boss overdrive. I could not however take him to the chopping block and process him. He deserved a noble death so my husband took him to the creek with some bird shot so he could be standing on his own two feet. We buried him in the hen grave yard

 

[GreenJay]

sorry y'all had to do that.

 

[Somshine]

He was the father to most of my flock. Did not keep any of his roosters. But I also sort of feel like it was more situational than genetic. Because he really was a very nice rooster for quite a while until the numbers drastically increased within a couple of months.

 

[Folly's place]

We've had adult roosters, one to two years of age, decide to become attack birds. Not often, but it does happen, and it's never good. Glad you removed him before worse happened!
Now you have cockerels to raise, hope one or two of them work out for you.
Mary