Taming a rooster

[TalkALittle]

I think that ideally you would keep him completely away from and out of sight of the girls so that he forgets about them. That way you wouldn't be competing with his natural instinct to want to be with them. Any chance you could borrow a good-sized dog crate from someone?

I imagine that a flock animal feels a fair amount of stress being kept away from its flock. I would imagine that there is a peak in that stress and then over time as the animal adapts to being alone, the stress dissipates. A stressed animal cannot learn. In a stressed animal, the hindbrain (instinctive) is hugely active and its forebrain (cognitive) is not really activated. You want a stress-free, thinking animal for optimal learning. In order to bring him in for a while every day, you will have to catch him, or at least herd him where you want him. That in and of itself will probably be such a stressful experience that it will negate anything you try and do to build a positive response to you.

In retrospect, I should have done the same thing with my roo that I'm doing with the pullets. I should have kept him in the garage completely separate from my girls until I had conditioned the response to me that I wanted before putting him out with the flock. Actually, the little bugger has started to grow on me, so I suppose there's no real reason I couldn't try it now.

 

[HighStreetCoop]

Get some live mealworms, book and a lawn chair. In quitly in chair reading and toss an occasional mealworm out to him. Each time make him come closer. Otherwise concentrate on the book. Will take a few efforts to get him i close but do not over manage him.

This is pretty much how I'm dealing with my new hen. She's shy and a bit flighty. But eventually she'll take a hint from the other birds and realize I'm the source of all good things.

 

[One Chick Two]

I think that ideally you would keep him completely away from and out of sight of the girls so that he forgets about them. That way you wouldn't be competing with his natural instinct to want to be with them. Any chance you could borrow a good-sized dog crate from someone?

I imagine that a flock animal feels a fair amount of stress being kept away from its flock. I would imagine that there is a peak in that stress and then over time as the animal adapts to being alone, the stress dissipates. A stressed animal cannot learn. In a stressed animal, the hindbrain (instinctive) is hugely active and its forebrain (cognitive) is not really activated. You want a stress-free, thinking animal for optimal learning. In order to bring him in for a while every day, you will have to catch him, or at least herd him where you want him. That in and of itself will probably be such a stressful experience that it will negate anything you try and do to build a positive response to you.

In retrospect, I should have done the same thing with my roo that I'm doing with the pullets. I should have kept him in the garage completely separate from my girls until I had conditioned the response to me that I wanted before putting him out with the flock. Actually, the little bugger has started to grow on me, so I suppose there's no real reason I couldn't try it now.

By taking the others out of the equation, I agree you can fairly quickly change the dynamics between you, because his sole focus and concentration is dealing with you.

However, I disagree about the stress experience from being caught. That stress lasts only minutes, especially if you distract them with a treat, etc. It is more stressful situation for you if you don't go into reconditioning feeling zen, and fully prepared for his initial spooked responses.

Can't be afraid of roosters...just watchful and cautious. You are flock master, the one in control. You have to let a scratch roll right off, and stay calm.

And I also disagree about the idea of making roosters 'too friendly' and then they lose their fear and turn on you later on...

NEVER had that happen once (after years) and well over 100 roosters- just saying. If that happens, sometimes it may be breed, hormones, behavioral, environmental, unhappiness, changes, etc. Balanced roosters don't usually go bad without a reason.

We socialize with all our chickens at least a bit everyday- we believe that calm daily socializing is the key to balance in most roosters. Others may disagree, but this method has worked best for us. We also keep them freeranging in large groups with many males and plenty of females, have rarely had issues. They get along. Older hens and a balanced alpha male raise them. All of the cockerels are put in with a balanced older male in bachelor pens too.

 

[scottcaddy]

OP, I would like to see some updates if you can.
Thanks Much!
Scott

 

[EllieS]

Thanks for all the replies everyone.

TalkALot our posts crossed before when I replied. Interesting reading about your bantam and how it is. Today rooster accidentally got out when I let the girls out, he stuck with them but when I put the scrambled egg in their pen for them, he didnt rush in when they all did, I had to very slowly walk behind him until he figured out where the door was, but perhaps this is because its the first time he has been let out. I do plan to do something a bit more active in taming him, so like your new ones rather than the bantam you talk about.

I do have a big bird cage from when we hand reared some baby dunnocks, I will set it up and see if its big enough/suitable for him. Its hard to weigh up catching him every day vs keeping him inside all the time. But he is such a stressed out guy I think it would be kinder for him not to have to get caught twice a day every day.

One benefit is that my landlady has alot of dogs, so he is used to having dogs walk past his old enclosure. So he seems okay with my one dog, doesnt freak out too much if she goes near him which is nice. (sometimes I think my dog thinks she is a chicken, she loves hanging out with our girls!)

One chick two- I have never heard about people being scared about making them too friendly and then turning on them. how odd. and yes, we socialise our chickens every day- on the days we dont and are pottering about in the garden whilst they are still in their run they huddle by the fence and make a racket, asking to be let out. love their characters!

 

[EllieS]

scottcaddy- of course I will keep it updated day by day, might make an interesting reference for people and if not its a good diary for myself

 

[TalkALittle]

However, I disagree about the stress experience from being caught. That stress lasts only minutes, especially if you distract them with a treat, etc. It is more stressful situation for you if you don't go into reconditioning feeling zen, and fully prepared for his initial spooked responses.

Can't be afraid of roosters...just watchful and cautious. You are flock master, the one in control. You have to let a scratch roll right off, and stay calm.

I'm not sure what you are saying here. Perhaps I just don't understand it as you have written it. I believe you are saying that, while the bird will express stress from being caught, that it will be short-lived and that the handler will have the opportunity to create a positive experience rather quickly and that those positive experiences will condition the bird to willingly accept handling.

In my (admittedly limited) experience that hasn't been the case. I have on occasion captured and held my roo. He will not eat from my hand. I could easily wait 20 or 30 minutes and I still don't think he would eat from my hand. That tells me that he is not comfortable being held. He might be tolerating it because he has learned he has no other choice but he doesn't enjoy it at all. I keep a good snug hold of him so I think he has realized that struggling is ineffective. When I hold him he doesn't respond to me at all. Some people might be okay with that--at least I can check him for mites and stuff. I'm not okay with that because I know it can be better. I jokingly say that when I hold him he "goes to his happy place in his head" until it is over. He very clearly exhibits shut-down avoidance behavior. This is VERY different than how my girls react to being held, even if I hold them the very same way. Catching him and holding him hasn't made him any easier to catch--in fact, for the first two weeks that I tried that strategy, it made him more likely to avoid me and more likely to jump away at my sudden movements. Over time he has gotten even better at avoiding my attempts to grab him. Even today, after having him for 4 months, spending time out there with him, offering scratch and mealworms, and occasionally catching and holding him, Ieven if I did manage to catch him, were I to loosen my hold on him such that he could get free, he would be out of my arms in an instant. By contrast, one of my new pullets whom I've had for just 10 days just willingly climbed on my forearm and stayed there while I gave her a tour of the garage. My roo will not climb on my arm and take a ride, no matter how many mealworms I dangle in front of him.

I don't quite understand the second statement. I do agree with you that calm purposefulness will help--but only to a certain extent. When I handle my roo, I am very relaxed and purposeful in my actions. Yes, I am fully prepared for the possibility of a spooked response, but I don't anticipate it until I see indications that it may come and if it does, I am not afraid of it. As a reminder, my roo is not aggressive with me. Quite the opposite--he wants absolutely nothing to do with me and flees if I approach him. I frequently let my birds range in the yard so you can imagine how this behavior is inconvenient at the least and a safety concern at the most. I could be as calm, controlled and purposeful as humanly possible but that will not change the fact that he is much faster than me and if he doesn't want to be caught and put in the pen then there is no way I could catch him without risking hurting him or me breaking an ankle. I believe that if I were to keep catching and holding my roo as you would suggest, I would have no where near the success in getting him to accept handling as I have been getting with the alternative approach that I am taking with my pullets.

My birds are my pets. I want birds that ideally enjoy and initiate being handled not just by me but by my kids or anyone else who wants to hold them, not birds who merely tolerate handling from the one person who can manage to catch them. It will make them much easier for me to care for and result in a far better, healthier, safer life for them in the long run. I might not get all the way there with my roo, but the progress I'm making with my pullets is very encouraging.

 

[TalkALittle]

on the days we dont and are pottering about in the garden whilst they are still in their run they huddle by the fence and make a racket, asking to be let out.

Yours ask to be let out? How polite of them. Mine demand.

 

[EllieS]

Yours ask to be let out? How polite of them. Mine demand.

haha! yes, demand is a better word to use. they definitely demand it.

 

[centrarchid]

Example of tame.