Reforming an aggressive rooster (project)

[LaurenRitz]

This was started on another post. For reference, I have included the initial comment from @triciayoung and my response. Since the post about training roosters belongs to someone else, I have kept only the link and the six steps of the training.

At the bottom of this initial post is my comment from this morning.

If a person has enough self confidence to let them have that perceived power, they will win with respect to a relationship with their rooster. And it will be a relationship like no other. Roosters are very deep loyal friends.

But how do you set up that relationship? I've had a rooster for about a month, been spurred multiple times. If I turn my back on him, he attacks. If I face him down, he attacks. If I ignore him, he attacks. This behavior has to stop or he'll end up culled, and that's the last thing I want.

I am pretty certain that retreating will only make matters worse. He attacked from behind once when I opened the pop door, and no way I'd done anything to earn that one.

He objects to me bringing treats, going near his girls or near the coop. Have you ever heard a bird growl? Well, he does whenever I'm in sight.

For the first couple days he was fine, but once he decided this was HIS territory, the truce was over.

He's great with the girls, his reaction to predators is perfect. In all other ways a perfect rooster, and I would like to keep him.

A relationship on those terms would seem to be impossible.

I was out in the coop just now, refilling their water after closing up, and he came down off his roost to growl at the pop door. I don't see any way to establish a "relationship" under those conditions.

Aggressive roosters: How I tame mine with love in 6 simple steps​

Chicken careChicken behavior

6 steps to end your rooster’s aggression

Step 1: When you’re not training your rooster, do not allow him to attack you.​

Step 2: Change your rooster’s dominant/submissive mentality into a partnership

Step 3: Get down at your rooster’s level—communicate through eye contact, body language, and a kind tone of voice.​

Step 4: Reinforce good behavior with food
Step 5: Begin small movements and reward any positive behavior.

Step 6: Teach your rooster not to attack when you’re not training​

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Now, my response from this morning:​

Poor, confused kid. In Rooster, what you're saying is that by showing him I was still willing to fight (not backing down immediately and watching him all the time) I was telling him that our flock positions weren't established yet, but I acted otherwise like the dominant rooster.

I have noticed that there's never any conflict with the younger rooster. The senior rooster completely ignores him. Which made me suspect that I was somehow being chicken-autistic and missing social cues.

So this morning I got all armored up (I feel like that kid in The Christmas Movie) and when they all came out into the run I completely ignored him. He just scuttled out of the way. We'll see what happens tonight.

 

[LaurenRitz]

I used to work with autistic kids, and various animals. The first step to successfully training is understanding the motivations of whoever you’re working with.

In the case of a rooster it would be a mistake to attribute human motivations to the animal. I have to understand what he's thinking, not what a human would be thinking.

In this case, by not being a predator and being around, I have established myself as part of the flock. I am the provider, so I must either be mother or rooster.

That means I don't fit within the hen hierarchy, but the rooster hierarchy.

My problem is that I was (and am) inexperienced. The first time he attacked me I was shocked and instinctively knocked him out of the air. He came at me again with the same result, but ever since I have been wary, watching and waiting for the next attack.

It seems that by watching him, facing him directly and other behaviors I have been unconsciously indicating aggression, which as a rooster he is hardwired to respond to.

I have been indicating, without knowing it, that I don't consider my position in the flock secure--that I still feel a need to fight him for supremacy.

And while that is a battle he can't win, it's a battle I can't win either. I don't want to be in a constant battle with him.

I am going to try this another way, modifying the information in the article linked above as necessary.

This morning I think there was progress. Him not growling at me this evening was also progress.

 

[LuciferRoo]

Very interesting. Can you guess the reason for my screen name? One if my roosters, all of whom I had since little chicks and raised, has pecked at my hand twice and broke the skin. I chocked it up to an accident as I was feeding them treats from my hands. Then few days later he was standing on a board that is about knee high, and stretched the distance of about to feet to get my leg. He drew blood again and put a big strach with his beak right above my knee.
So, I called him my evil rooster and named him Lucifer. Sometimes Lucy for short.LOL.
We have a strange relationship. He always comes running to me when he sees me. If I give him treats he will make happy noises.
However I never trust him. I don't want to be wearing shorts anywhere near him.
He does give signs of wanting to attack me but is too big of a chicken to do it head on.
I will talk to him and always keep an eye on him. In a strange way I like this guy and want to keep him.

 

[Mrs. K]

I bet you both like to play with fire, right?

I admire your determination to make this work. Just a couple of things to consider, and then I will just follow this post with interest.

• These type of birds are opportunistic, they will take the battle on if at their advantage, from behind, or from a position of height. Beware
• They will be much more willing to attack smaller people as in children or small women. If you can be positive, you are the only one risking the attack continue as you are.
• They get better and better at attacking, more violent and more aggressive. Most become much more confident about their ability to win the fight.

Personally, I think limited training started after the attacking has begun is too little too late, I will be interested if this really works. I think you need to train them to respect your space the moment you realize they are a rooster.

Mrs K

 

[Brooks_]

I really like the broomstick method for training.

 

[Mrs. K]

^^ me too Brooks, but trying to be open to new ideas. I have never taken to abuse.

 

[SourRoses]

This thread needs to come with a liability disclaimer for Backyard Chickens in the inevitable case someone gets injured.

WARNING: You or someone you know may lose eyesight, or life.


At the very least, do not get down on the rooster's level.
Remember: random posters on the internet don't care about your wellbeing as much as you do / should.

 

[Brooks_]

If a rooster was raised since a chick by humans, he will have imprinted on the human(s) since that is the first thing he saw. This confuses identity, and in my opinion, is more likely to lead to aggression twd humans, and see them as competition.
A male chick raised by a hen, will imprint on the hen, and have a completely different attitude twd humans. He will have been raised understanding where he fits in the natural order.
I have had 2 hen raised roosters, and they have been docile to humans, whereas their father/grandfather was raised by me, and aggressive to people. I was unable to change that tho I tried for months.
This may not be the case will all human imprinted cockerels, but I am going to let hens raise all my future chicks to hopefully prevent aggressiveness.
If your bad boys were hen raised, please let me know that my imprint theory is in error…

I don't think entirely. 2 of 3 people raised were jerks for me. 1 of 2 integrated into an adult flock was great. 2 of 2 could have been great, but math dictated a thinning.

 

[centrarchid]

I have kept lots of roosters, lots. Generally, it has not been a training approach as much as me not providing rewards for bad behavior. In most situations I have seen on this site, the training was taking the rooster in the wrong direction. And the rooster-keeper did not realize that and would more likely that not get combative with the rooster making everything worse. Then comes the "freezer camp" tropes.

I'd be focusing first on the rooster-keeper looking at how he/she behaves around the rooster before giving any advice. My favorite approach is to have the rooster keeper post a video demonstrating how the keeper and rooster get on before and during altercations. Most of the time you can see the relationship is not ideal even before it comes to blows.

 

[centrarchid]

And then there is hypothesis that how the rooster was parented that is backed up with lots of flowery writing although very little scientific support. There are genetics that effects odds of rooster being an issue with respect to aggression. And then there is where I can take any rooster, regardless of it being hen-raised or not, and make it aggressive with little effort that otherwise follows approach many used to combat aggressiveness. And then the roosters I use for educational purposes that are flat out imprinted on me that do not attack people.

This the crap that has been burning me out on this site for some time.