*IMPORTANT* - How to deal with an Aggressive Rooster

[Yazzo]

BlackHawk37:

Once again, thank you so much for backing me up and sharing your advice. I think that anyone who has had chickens for 70 years deserves to be listened to!

AlbinoChicken:
I totally agree!

bburn:
Any of my roosters that get too mean with the hens go into the orchard, where they'll be until I can sell them, or figure out how to keep them. It's not cruel if they have company: the only thing that would be cruel would be to leave them there the rest of their lives, I think. I try to not leave them in there for more than a year, or if I leave them in for a prolonged time, take them out for 'visits' occasionally.
Right now, I have 5 roosters in with 22 hens. The roosters are about as gentle as they can get.

Glad you found the thread so useful, that you're making progress with your own roosters, and finding some of them homes.

There are reasons to keep the roosters, reasons to put them in the freezer (food....and knowing where it comes from comes to mind) and there are reasons to rehome. Having the knowledge to be in control of your flock is very helpful.

Those are certainly words I think everyone can agree with.

crj:
You're right: it seems that they don't like to be petted on the back. Could be several reasons for this, but if they get used to it young, they actually DO seem to like it: something that I didn't even try until recently, because there was really no reason to. They sure to like having their wattles and combs rubbed though!

Handling the rooster is always a good thing. Shows you are the boss right off the bat.

Naughty:

He's getting a "piggy back" ride - which is what I tell my 3 year old.

Thanks for the input!

Tennis racket is a good idea for a shield, if you're still uncertain with your rooster. It may not be the best thing to LET him attack the racket....that has the potential of showing him that he can be really aggressive in front of you, but I'm not sure. Totally up to you of course.

 

[Gold Griffin Chicken Mom]

My two younger children have zero fear of the roosters. The Eldest Child (now 15) was the one that was the most skiddish. I started explaining Chicken Psychology to her and she started to like them. "They run up to you because YOU ARE BRINGING THEM FOOD, not to fight you! They just want to see 'whatcha got for us now?'" Once Eldest Child was having a bad day. We went out to work with the birds and talk about her day. She picked up one rooster and sat on a haybale. He looked her in the eye and started singing the "Everything is OK" song. She almost cried. Nothing I could have said would have worked better.

I watched one of the roosters side-step at my (then) 7 y.o. son. The Boy Child totally ignored Blackie and continued to the coop to collect eggs. Blackie had a look on his face as if to say, "Well, THAT didn't work!" TBC picks up the roosters and sings to them and tells them they are good boys.

Middle Child (girl #2) is the Chicken Hugger. She has long talks with any badly behaving roosters and they shape up quickly. I still haven't figured out exactly what she says.

I believe we need to spend time everyday with our pets. If you ignored a dog for days on end, he would get mean. I ask the kids to "go collect the eggs and talk with the chickens." Collecting the eggs sometimes takes an hour.

I do discourage teasing and other "abuse" of the birds. The children are not to harrass the hens. Don't chase the babies and make them too tired. The babies need to spend their energy growing large and healthy (my future laying flock). At the beginning of Summer (before it got so stinking hot!) my son came racing across the yard, yelling about needing the wagon. I asked exactly why he needed it. "The rooster wants a ride in the wagon." Umm, nope.

But I did take pictures of the children posing on the wagon with the rooster.

 

[snowflake]

how long do you carry them around? I tried that with my Sussex, twice he got me in the head while digging in the garden, don't think I was producing worms fast enough for him, the last time he nocked my glass off and broke them costing me almost $400, he would be OK with me most of the time but couldn't be trusted in the same yard as little kids, even with me standing nest to him. And how do you catch them? not so easy when they don't want to be caught. I do agree that chasing them around only makes them worse. I have an EE that is king of the roost and very tame, handled a lot as a baby, I also have a Lakeenvelder that is starting to be aggressive I hope it works on him cause I would like to keep him. I have some young roosters that have to go though cause to many roos is hard on the hens. and they fight all the time for pecking order. I have 2 in a separate run right know and I went to put them to bed last night and there was blood all over the corners where the under dog, had tried to hide his comb to stop the attack,

 

[Naughty]

Quote:
He's getting a "piggy back" ride - which is what I tell my 3 year old.

I wouldn't leave him anywhere near your 3 year old. It will only take a split second and before you can even think about getting there he'll have jumped her. Not worth the risk.

Oh Definitely not! he is not left unattended. He knows that that kid is my baby- and he knows not to even try it with her. Hasn't for a long time - but I still don't trust him enough.... I have 2 - that are still relatively small - and they don't have their spurs yet - waiting to see who makes me maddest as to who gets "rehomed" - plus my lil dog is always with us - and he will usually get between the kid and the chickens - he just lays there watching em. All of my animals know the kid's place in the world is over them - and they'd better respect it. I am nice person - but mess with my cub and the Tigress comes out...

So far all is peaceful... one of the roosters appears to be learning and will have a nice cozy home with a waffle for breakfast every sunday... the other's fate TBD

 

[Yazzo]

Quote:

Also, your kids are awesome!

They have certainly got it figured out! Your 15-year-old will master it soon, I'm sure. I must admit though, I have seen the odd rooster going a little ways in the cart once in a while, the cart occasionally being helped along by me!

Course, he would just jump out almost right away anyways. Did you happen to post any of those pictures?

snowflake:

Honestly, you don't have to carry them around at all. Just picking them up will suffice, although carrying them helps too. If I was you though, I would never let him peck me....even if I couldn't dig up worms fast enough!

Don't stand for any pecking, especially if it costs you $400! What I do, is I hold the roosters comb, at the base with a bit of pressure, then I push his head down. After a few seconds, after he's stopped struggling, I let go and pet him a bit. If he tries it again, I just repeat the process, until he stops. Sometimes, I shake him up a bit (without hurting him), just to show him that I may be a friend, but I am not a force to tangle with.
If he's threatening your kids, you shouldn't let them in with him alone (which you obviously know), but I would let them handle him a bit, so that he at least sees they are "higher up" than him. You may want to hold his comb or head, or teach them how to when you're doing this, if he's prone to pecking.

Chasing them around a bit doesn't always make it worse - as long as you show them that you're friendly once you catch them. But, if the rooster is really not tame, it's not only hard, but it can be counterproductive. The best to catch them then, is to just get him when he's on the roost, when it's light enough that he can still see you, and thus learn that you aren't to be feared.
But if you have a lot a patience, just sit near him, talk softly if you like, hold out some food for him and the hens. They'll slowly come forward, even if it takes a few days. Make sure you don't make any sudden movements. If the hens go to the food first, he's more likely to come too, although some roosters are just too proud to take food directly from your hand when the hens are watching! It takes time, but it does work, and chickens are not that hard to tame.

Hope that helped! Let me know, would you?

Thanks!

 

[ParadiseFoundFarm]

Dear Yazzo:

Please see my page. Thank you for the "Norman-Rockwell-esk" scene showing my Sainted Father with a "Blanche 2" in his lap surrounded by other hens & roos all getting along and wanting our company. It's your methods that made this possible. "Thank you" is not enough!

 

[Germaine_11.20]

 

[Yazzo]

Quote:
You just made my day - nope, scrap that: my WEEK!

I LOVE your pictures, and thank YOU for trying the techniques!

Keep up the great work!

 

[shareverwonder]

Thanks for the info. I have started picking up my roo every night. It's easy to do, but he sure gives me a look. I haven't been attacked for a week now, but my fiance can't go out the door without the roo coming after him. I tried to tell him to now fight back but show him who's boss (you know how guys are some times). Dave would rather throw his shoe at him or swing a stick at the roo instead of trying to tame him.

 

[mama24]

I was a little worried about having a rooster. My youngest child is 2. My sister told me to kill the rooster right away b/c she had a rooster that went for her then 2 yo's eyes. That roo went in the stew pot, and I agree with my sister that it is not worth chancing my child's safety to try to tame a mean rooster. The guy we got our chickens from wouldn't give us the hens w/out the roo. I expressed my concerns about having a rooster around the kids (in case we decided to keep him, which we did, we originally thought we were going to eat him within a week of getting them. Our neighbors asked us to keep him, they like him. LOL We are in an urban neighborhood, btw, small yards.) Anyway, the guy told me he didn't think the roo he was giving us would be a problem, but if we ever had a mean roo, he just needed to be taught who's boss (much like a dog, I suppose) He told me if the rooster ever got fresh, to pick him up and bop him on the head. Not hard enough to hurt him, but just to show him that you can pick him up and you *could* hurt him if you wanted to, and you don't. I am not really interested in being friends with my chickens. I have always been an animal lover, and I do think chickens are neat and fun to watch. But we got them for eggs and meat, not to be pets. Maybe if I didn't have 4 young children I would have more energy to spend on loving an animal, but I don't. They are here for food and maybe a little entertainment. IF I ever end up with a mean rooster, I will give him a second chance, but not a third. Sorry, the safety of my children is much more important and he would have ended up in the stew pot eventually anyway. But I have to say I have been pleasantly surprised by the roo we have now. He's only 9 mos old, so I suppose this could change, but he ignores my children. My 2yo plays out there and he completely ignores her unless she gets too close, then he simply walks away. He *is* afraid of my 5 year old and gives a warning call when he sees him, but for good reason. My son will chase, catch, and carry them around any chance he gets. The rooster has never acted aggressively toward any of us, and he takes good care of the hens, so we're keeping him for now.