16 wk old rooster attacked daughter, new ? post #38

[Qi Chicken]

Our 16 week old welsummer roo attacked our 6 year old tonight, chasing after her jumping up and trying to scratch her. He probably jumped on her 5 or 6 times as she was trying to get away. She was playing with the hens at the time. my husband whacked him with a paper grocery bag (full of lettuce for the chickens!) to get him off her then the roo started going after my DH. He has been doing this kind of thing a lot lately, jumping up on people and we want to get it to stop. I have read to carry them around under your arm etc. but we can't catch him and chasing him around and hitting him is not going to help.

I don't think he is a bad guy really, I didn't handle him as a chick because I was told it would make them more aggressive but I think I should have. I don't have a problem picking up the other chickens.

WHAT SHOULD WE DO NOW AND HOW DO WE CATCH HIM???

Please help, I think underneath he is a nice guy and we don't want to get rid of him but he can't hurt the kids. We also have a 4 year old and this is "his" rooster. He would be very upset if Doodle had to go but Mom would be very upset if rooster hurt anyone.

Should I try to befriend him now, catch him unawares? How to get him to lay off the kids?

 

[TriciaHowe]

Sorry to say but you should get rid of him. He will only get bigger and he WILL hurt your daughter. I have never been able to reform an aggresive rooster.

 

[Amyable]

I think you should have handled him from the moment you got him.

To catch him now, get yourself a net (fishing, not a butterfly net), they work great. I've heard others have had success carrying a mean roo around like a football until they calm down. If he doesn't, off to the pot.

 

[crtrlovr]

PLEASE check out RoosterRed's behavior modification page for roosters before you decide to rehome or cull him. I had a buff Orpington roo that was about that same age, going through a real hormonal time, and was generally a real stinker. I even named him Moose (for Mean Orpington Rooster). I used some of the tips he gave, and also took into consideration how humans get when they go through THEIR adolescence... I am so, SO glad I didn't give up on him. He is the sweetest roo now, and takes excellent care of the rest of the flock. When I lost my alpha roo Sarge to a coyote attack, Moose stepped into the "head rooster" position and has been a real gem. Give your guy every chance, please. At the very least, you could make sure he is put up into a pen before letting the little ones into the area with the rest of the chickens. (at least until he calms down or you get the chance to try some re-training)

 

[Chickiemama1010]

unfortuntely hes probably not going to change. I sent my roo to reform school so to speak. he was better for a while, but he is in my freezer now. He attacked me, and I carried a big straw broom. I have hit him dozens of times for coming after me. when he started chasing my little boy, he was outta here.

Sounds like your roo is trying to protect his girls. If hes just 16wks old, puberty is in full swing now. You gotta think like a chicken. Hes not your friend. He doesnt care about you or want to be a pet. He wants to be the top alpha roo, which means anyone that takes the hens attention from him, as far as food or love or whatever goes, is a threat to his alpha roo status and he WILL do everything it takes to defend his heirarchy. Thats not to say he cant be fixed, but its not easy. If you need to catch him, grab him at night when hes roosting and lock him up, or before you let them out in the morning. If youre not locking them up at night, then I wouldnt worry about it. A raccoon or a coyote or a fox will eat him before the summer is over and then you wont have to deal with him as he'll be dead.

Someones got a rooster behavior reform plan on here. I'll follow this post with a link to that one. maybe it will help you now....or maybe with the next oned you'll be able to establish YOU as the alpha roo with the next chick roo you get.

Sorry to sound so cynical. I dealt with a mean roo for a year. I tried to "fix" him, but it got to the point that I was stressed out to even go to the coop to get eggs, and I NEVER let him out to free range with the girls cuz I couldnt trust him, and did not want to walk out the door if he was out.
I tried. It didnt work. I now go by the school of thought that the cure for a ornery rooster is cold steel or small balls of lead. The best place for a mean rooster is the freezer. There are so many roosters that are destined to be dinner, and never given a chance to be a good guy. Once theyre bad, theyre bad. hire a new man for the job. Lifes too short to put up with mean roosters.

 

[33yardbirds]

Not good!! I read an article were a rooster jumped at a 2 yr old girl and took her eye, can you imagine the heartbreak and quilt, sorry to say, but #7 1/2 birdshot from the 12 Gauge. My Grandfather told me as a youngster one bite one shot and I saw him do it, didn't matter what kind of animal either. Don't take the chance. There's to many good animals to save a bad one.

 

[Chickiemama1010]

I cant find the link, but i know gritsar has a rooster behavior modification method. Look on her personal page and youll find it. I did do that, and it worked. But it was short lived. And as I said, hes now in the freezer awaiting the crock pot.

here is a link on rooster behavior and rooster mentality. This was soooo valuable to me, and my current roo is just fine. He is good to the girls, friendly enough to the people, and seems to have a certain respect for us. I can pick him up whenever I want,but he isnt my "buddy." And he would not DREAM of mounting a hen in my presence. Sometimes he wont even eat if im looking. I know that sounds bad. But for a rooster, it actually is good. It shows that he knows I AM THE BOSS and he is only second in command in my absence.
Read this. Then make chicken dinner and start over. Or give him away to someone else that will love a chicken dinner.

http://shilala.homestead.com/roosters.html

 

[Montana-Hens]

I don't think he is a rooster, but a roaster. It sounds callus, but do it now before some one gets hurt.

 

[Tala]

If you have children, I agree with the others. I would send him to the pot. Kids aren't big and brave like I am, and the roo can pick up on that and peg them as easy targets - plus with them being shorter there's more chance of getting an eye injury.


FWIW my best roosters are the ones that I throw out in the yard and avoid handling. I catch them at dark off the roost if need be (to dust for mites, clip wings, change legbands, etc) but in the daytime they shy away from me. Not in terror, they don't seem afraid, they just keep their distance.
I have a bachelor pad with 18 roos and I can walk in there to feed/water and ONLY the oldest roo that I hand raised (my first chicks) will dare challenge me. We get along, but I have to keep on top of his attitude. He stays here because he faught off a raccoon once and EARNED his keep.

 

[ChickensAreSweet]

I had a rooster once that drew blood on my youngest child, and tried to kill me when he caught me without a stick to defend myself with.

My oldest child had to bring me a toy he was carrying so that I could hold it up in front of me and get away from him.

We put him down. Defend your house and home from dangerous animals! Children aren't on guard for attacks from roosters.