15 Week Old Cockerel Cutting a Wing

[Chwicks]

My cockerel made one aggressive move when he was about the same age. The move was against my daughter. I made the decision right then that kids aren’t allowed near cockerels/roosters. They are just too unpredictable. Since that time I’ve showed dominance toward him by:
Not letting him near me. Not giving him treats. Not letting him crow around me. The goal is to train him that I’m the boss.
I don’t what him to think I’m a treat dispenser so I keep him away when feeding the hens.
To do this I don’t have to kick or handle him. What I do is walk quickly toward him, as if I’m going to grab him if he crows or gets to close to me. As soon as he turns away, or stops mid crow, I stop the approach. He is about 6 months old now and luckily for him he does not show any aggressive behavior toward me. He seldom even crows when I walk in his coop.
Every rooster is different, I think some can be trained and some can’t. Mainly, I think I got lucky to get a good one.

Edit: Don’t mess with the hens either. It’s the roosters job to protect them and if he thinks your after them he’ll probably come after you. I also don’t let my cockerel walk behind me. I’m getting to the point where I trust him, but not that much.

Thanks so much for sharing your experience. I don't mess with the hens unless I need to check them for some kind of health reason. My chickens are definitely not meant to be pets. I just want them happy and healthy... and non-aggressive. I have noticed that today he is giving me a little more space and a little less lip. I'm going to remain optimistic in his ability to still turn into a good roo. Only time will tell the tale. Thanks again, and I'm so glad things turned out well with your roo.

 

[BigBlueHen53]

Definitely learning, which is why I'm here! Thanks to all the experienced folks for sharing their knowledge. Sigh. Wish I'd known some of this stuff before Mike turned so aggressive. I'll admit to being in the "don't know what I'm doing" camp... but definitely listening, and hope to have better results going forward!

 

[sealer39]

You're very blessed with an unusual bird, @sealer39 , that's all I can say. Wow. My first 30+ cockerels flogged me up one side and down the other when I did things in a similar manner.

~Alex

If that happened to me, I’d probably be raising quail now!