Making Sure Your Rooster Knows You Are Top Dog

[BBG2014]

I have had my roo in "solitary" for over a week now. He was aggressive to me and we had a hen die, I think he may have been too rough with her during mating because all of our other hens are fine. It seemed to me that she had a broken neck. Our roo is RIR and the hen in question is a buff orp. The buffs frequently fly out of our fenced area and the roo hates this. The day the hen died, she had been outside the fence. I did not witness this, but I was fearful that the roo "punished" her for leaving the area and that was what caused her death. I was afraid he might attack another hen, so I separated him. I was hoping a "time-out" might reset his thinking. Have I waited too long now? Do you think he could be rehabilitated and rejoin the flock? He was such a good roo before all this, I really hate to lose him.

 

[icyclipper]

I have found that if the rooster is territorial, none of those ideas will work. I have tried them on roosters. Now, if I have a dangerous rooster, he gets cooked, plain and simple.

 

[BBG2014]

How exactly does one "put him in the pot"? Thanks to all the helpful responses here, I've accepted the fact that my roo is unable to be rehabilitated. I won't have a problem chopping off his head because I took on the role of chicken herder with the intent that they would someday become pot pie, dumplings, and salad, so I did not get emotionally attached. This is why I have been springing for the non-GMO organic feed - to put healthy meat on the table for my family. But my main question is where to do it? **graphic question-alert** If I do it outside, won't the blood draw other animals (coons and coyotes?). Should I put a bucket underneath? I have a milk jug with the bottom cutoff and the top opening widened so I can stick his head through. I'll nail it to a tree first. How long does it take for them to bleed out? then what do I do with the bucket contents? I think I'm good from this point as far as de-feathering and eviscerating - sorry for the graphics . . . not very good at euphemisms I guess

 

[Dollar]

I would like to know how to stop him from attacking a hen. He does not like one of them. I have had to separate her. There is no problem with attacking me he is very afraid of me

 

[aart]

How exactly does one "put him in the pot"? Thanks to all the helpful responses here, I've accepted the fact that my roo is unable to be rehabilitated. I won't have a problem chopping off his head because I took on the role of chicken herder with the intent that they would someday become pot pie, dumplings, and salad, so I did not get emotionally attached. This is why I have been springing for the non-GMO organic feed - to put healthy meat on the table for my family. But my main question is where to do it? **graphic question-alert** If I do it outside, won't the blood draw other animals (coons and coyotes?). Should I put a bucket underneath? I have a milk jug with the bottom cutoff and the top opening widened so I can stick his head through. I'll nail it to a tree first. How long does it take for them to bleed out? then what do I do with the bucket contents? I think I'm good from this point as far as de-feathering and eviscerating - sorry for the graphics . . . not very good at euphemisms I guess

I use a cone and bucket underneath, all blood, feathers, and guts go in bucket and are dumped out in the woods.
I learned a lot from this tutorial.
There is a meat bird forum here on BYC with lots of advise on butchering.

 

[Egghead_Jr]

There is very little blood. Many like the cones. I'm happy with a hatchet and block of wood. I use to toss them in a lined garbage can for the fluttering time but that mainly was because kids would be around. Now I just chop the neck and toss them to the side and walk away for a minute, grab another bird or have a cigarette. Then dunk in 155F water, dunk and swish, pull out then dunk and swish. Keep dunking while holding the feet until the tail or wing feathers pull out without effort. Your wasting time plucking if the feathers are not ready so keep dunking and checking those hardest to pull feathers until they pull with ease then entire bird can be plucked in about 2 minutes, feathers by the handful over a bucket or lined garbage can. Forgot to mention the head is cut completely off if it didn't with the dispatch cut prior to dunking in 155F water. I have a bucket of cold water that they get put in if I'm doing several birds until all are plucked then move onto the cleaning out of organs.

Just started using an exacto knife to clean birds and love it. Super sharp and if it does dull quick to change out the blade. Cut around the neck,remove the crop and ensure all at that end is disconnected then cut around anus and up cavity so you can reach hand in, grab and all/most will pull out as you already disconnected windpipe from other end. Reach in again and hand scrape off anything still attached then wash birds and put in refridgerator to rest. To take off legs cut inside of joint then pull leg backward, it will disconnect at knuckle, then cut rest of way around leg. I put them into a caning pot with lid on for 2 days then make a brine to soak them in the fridge for 18-24 hours. 8 oz of salt (any kind so by weight not volume) per gallon of water and just cover birds with this to soak. I don't keep any giblets so everything from bird other than carcass and whats left of neck gets tossed either into woods or if in suburbs into the garbage. I planned slaughters for day before garbage day when living in town.

 

[chickmomma03]

I don't do any of those. IF I do anything I will pick him up and carry him around for all to see. If he acts like he's going to scoot toward me to try to "corral" me (or try to get me to back off) I give a firm NO, and he DOES back down. I haven't had to and refuse to be aggressive with my cockerel. I also don't/won't hold him upside down and won't let anyone else either. He only has 2 people he's ok with and that's me and my son's father who have hand raised him. My son doesn't want to be around the chickens up close, so he watches from outside the coop (even if I didn't have a cockerel he won't come in). Once I learned his behaviors, calls, and signs to look out for, I have had a better understanding of things. He doesn't have aggressive behaviors toward me, but I'm also smart enough to know I need to keep an eye on him. He calls out for treats, loves the girls, and is a great protector. So if I tell him I'm coming through and he doesn't back up I tell him he needs to and he moves.

 

[chickmomma03]

Quote:
I've been the same with my cockerel. I handled him a lot when he was younger, but I didn't know he was a male for sure. He let me know (in a NON-aggressive way) he didn't care to be held anymore and we have a mutual understanding now. I don't pick him up unless absolutely necessary, and I've gained the confidence needed to do so (a few times at night to help him onto the roost mainly).

I also agree that confidence is important. I didn't KNOW how to handle him, but I learned very quickly that I needed NOT to be afraid of the unknown, and that took some work on my part. Since I HAVE sorted through that now, we are in a good place. He definitely shows concern if I have to move a pullet out of my way and she protests, but I will move them when they're in my way. Especially when I have TRIED to block the coop without closing the door so I can clean it and they take it upon themselves to fly up and go over my barricade and get in my way lol. I just tell him she's fine Oreo, I am moving her, and he backs off immediately.

One thing I have learned too, don't corner the rooster. They don't like it, and they WILL try to defend themselves when they feel threatened. This didn't happen to me, but I witnessed him defend himself.

 

[spiritbrook]

Removed because I was told I would make roosters dangerous. Someone please delete this. I'm leaving the board now, I didn't want to mislead anyone.

 

[varidgerunner]

Here are some ways to make a rooster mean. Corner him, startle him, hold him upside down by his legs, chase him, make kicking motions at him, handle him when he is molting, pull out his feathers while attempting to grab him, engage in anything that resembles mock battle when he is a chick. Some of them just have a screw loose. Once they are mean, there isn't much of a way to make them not mean, in all cases. I have had birds that you could put to sleep by circling with their head under their wing and when they woke up they would come for your face. If you get a bad one, there is only one option that will work, and that involves a stove.