Dealing With Roosters Roo Behavior

Thank you so much for this advise. My hens just started laying and my bantam rooster has been very aggressive lately, but we have younger chickens who need to move into the coop but the rooster has been attacking them. Should I do the same thing?

Awesome as new chicken owner and just being bit by my too, really appreciate it

IMO, a very much needed article to show another way to handle a "problem" rooster besides eating or rehoming him. A nice, short, to the point article with good info.

My mother is scared to death of my roos and when she helps take care of them they take advantage of that fear. This is going to help our problem so much

I have a nice rooster and a mean rooster. I will try and work on getting my mean rooster to behave better. If this doesn't work he might end up as a puppy squeaky toy.

Thank you for the information, I’m sure that’s going to be necessary.

i wish I had read this when we had an aggressive rooster but he died ( natural causes). You should most definitely get a rooster they will save your flock!!!!

I have a buff Brahma and they are suppose to be docile. However, my big boy have been trying to come after me or already has. I understood he was just trying to protect his hens, but they love to hang around me. He is very calm when holding, but he is only aggressive when I'm near the girls. I have been struggling on how to make him know I'm the boss, and reading this post has help me know what i can do to make him not try to attack me. Thank you for this wonderful advice!

Much of the information that you wrote there we've tried the culprit was a speckled Sussex was a total ass from day one we would pick him up and carry him around because we read that that would last for about a day and then would have to do it again I stopped doing that because it stopped working and he do it through phases where he'd let you pick them up and pet him and carry them and he was just cool within a month all that changed and the only thing he wanted to do was demand food and spur you if you weren't quick enough about it. I tried a different tactic I kicked him over a fence after he spurred me in the back of my leg while I was going in to get them food then when I faced him he puffed up. Then for good measure as he went squalling around the house the dog chased him for a while insult to injury. That lasted for about 4 days then he would try a different tactic sneaking up from behind instead of being overly aggressive in front of you. I would chase them all over the yard eventually I do catch up with him and I grabbed him by his feet what he didn't like it all and carry him around yard that way for a little bit then I put them down hit walk away and as I turned to walk away he flared up and tried to Spur me again so I drop kick me again that at least lasted for a day 2 days maybe before he started his crap again. The rule with any rooster is if he misbehaves you don't dare run from him that is the beginning of your end cuz he owns you then. Aggression has to be met with aggression so that they understand that there's only one alpha male and he's not it

Great Advice, going to have a dance with my rooster. Going to show him who's the boss...lol

Love this!!! I have a game bantam that started as my lap baby who has since matured and like someone flipped a switch now he attacks every and all humans, even me!! I will do what's listed here. I have already been grabbing him when he attacks me, and holding him while I do stuff just to assure he wont sneak attack me! He even sometimes bites at me to put him down! Will def try your methods. He seems to especially hate any kind of boots, that automatically fires him up.Thank you for sharing!

Understanding a roosters behavior and “programming” adds respect of the rooster but only after he learns who is the Alfa.

I got a 25 week old RIR rooster from my father (he had 3 and wanted to get rid of 2) every time I walk up to the coup door he puffs up at me but he only tried flogging me once and then I flogged him he has not flogged me since but as soon as he sees me he will puff up until I open the coop door then he goes on about his business. I hope it stays this way lol

Don’t have any roosters but it’s nice to read about possible ways to keep a rooster from being mean should I ever get one. Though I’m actually terrified of anything feathery and are finally starting to get over it I probably won’t get one for a long time

Before a cockerel or rooster even thinks of being aggressive, it’s our job to constantly communicate to him that he is subordinate, by controlling the space and making him get out of our way. If you observe your chickens, you’ll see that those lower in the pecking order naturally move out of the way when the more dominant chickens approach. Walking toward your rooster and making him get out of your way whenever you’re in the chicken yard helps keep him subordinate from the get-go.

Some good advice in the first part and a decent overview of what motivates a rooster.
I don't agree with the how to handle problem roosters though.

I've had about 20 Roosters so far and this doesn't work. Eventually, they figure out your system, sneak up on you and attack. My teens both have scars on their legs from our Roosters. Even our super sweet Brahma roo turned bad when he got older. Eventually, they've all gone to the processor except for our Standard Cochin Roosters. They are all mild, yet are decent flock protectors.
And I tried all the methods: hugging them when they are young, ignoring them when they are young, holding them upside down, beating them up, spraying water on them. Pretty much every thing. An aggressive rooster just can't be changed. A mild rooster is temperamentally that way.
It's just the way it is.

Picking up a rooster and holding him confined works while they are young and not very large. If a rooster exhibits aggressive behavior when full grown, catching and holding legs may not be that easy. I have established myself as the alpha by simply not tolerating aggressive/bully behaviors. As juniors I separate my roosters for a period so that I can evaluate replacement breed stock and cull. When they bully/brutalize each other I use a "time out" in a large dog wire crate placed in their pen. The bad boy can see the others and may unsuccessfully protest the confinement but soon realizes he's stuck in there AND humiliated. A couple times placed in the "box" often cures major agressions in younger roosters and the roosters settle down just seeing me enter their pen like I'm going to impose a time out. And spending a night in the "box" mildly rearranges pecking order when the humiliated bad boy is released in the morning. I don't tolerate uber aggressive behaviors of any kind - in any animal. If an aggressive rooster to savages a hen's back - he's separated from the flock and later reintroduced. If he does it again - the rooster is culled. A primary cull sign for me is when an aggressive rooster bullies a smaller/younger rooster in the pen. There are no hens to compete for in the pen so it's pure bullying beyond establishing pecking order. I had a Blk Copper Marans rooster from a large hatchery that was so mean he actually tried to rape other roosters, relentlessly chase/bite/bit off a portion of another's comb and once jumped at my back trying to flog me. That rooster was first cull - in fact he almost was culled on the spot. I believe in the haste of producing large numbers of chicks for sale, large hatcheries/"some" breeders pay no attention to temperament and the domesticity that took decades is wiped out in a couple random breed seasons - remember most breeds today can trace back to fighting cocks. Even some hens have become overtly aggressive. I believe we need to cull for aggressive behaviors in both rooster/hens. You have to ask, "Why are hen saddles so popular?"

The article is clear in some basic methods you can try when you have a rooster who is acting aggressive. The tips won’t work for all roosters as they each have their own personality but it gives a rooster owner a good place to start. I also like the disclaimer about hanging them upside down. I see that being the go to answer whenever someone has an aggressive roo, but many fail to mention they have a hard time breathing when upside down.