2 yr old rooster has gone psycho

[Ganjaroo]

Oh and don't get me wrong, folks, no one here has made me mad, ..not in the least! I am just a huge lover of animals, and I am not going to beat up a chicken. lol. That's all there is to that!

 

[Pinkaboo]

Oh and don't get me wrong, folks, no one here has made me mad, ..not in the least! I am just a huge lover of animals, and I am not going to beat up a chicken. lol. That's all there is to that!

You should never hit animals
EVER
Training can be done in other ways( as with children)

Just make sure you protect yourself , I hope he's seen the error of his ways and gets back to his old self soon x

 

[lularat]

I have enjoyed reading the varied responses to this thread and it is clear that you all have different opinions and varied ways to control aggressive roosters. What works for one person isn't always going to work for another. Now that we have all read some really good responses and suggestions, we can use that knowledge in the future or now in some cases. We all just have to do what we think is best, based on our own situation. Thanks Gangaroo for starting this thread and for all the responses. I do understand the culling process if nothing else will work, but I would love to hear some actual behavioral techniques that have worked. I have read the responses, but there are very few hands on experience for aggressive behavior. Except for culling, which pretty much is on top of the list.

 

[jajeanpierre]

I have enjoyed reading the varied responses to this thread and it is clear that you all have different opinions and varied ways to control aggressive roosters. What works for one person isn't always going to work for another. Now that we have all read some really good responses and suggestions, we can use that knowledge in the future or now in some cases. We all just have to do what we think is best, based on our own situation. Thanks Gangaroo for starting this thread and for all the responses. I do understand the culling process if nothing else will work, but I would love to hear some actual behavioral techniques that have worked. I have read the responses, but there are very few hands on experience for aggressive behavior. Except for culling, which pretty much is on top of the list.

My gut feeling is that culling truly people aggressive roosters is the only thing that works. Isolating them and letting them live a normal, happy life without any contact with people is the other option.

I am coming to believe that the natural behaviors and drives of many if not most adult roosters are not compatible with co-existing peacefully and safely with people in most backyard situations.

Very few intact males are safe with people.

I would really love it if the experienced rooster people could give us not-so-successful rooster keepers with some tips and rules to live by. I do think that many of the problems have been man made, so I would like to recognize and avoid the pitfalls.

 

[subhanalah]

Also, keep in mind, each person carries his or herself in a certain way, that's why some things work for other people and not for otgers. Why some people never have a problem and some do.

Not to mention the lines. I got some truly terrible birds as hatching eggs the only non-deformed one was SUPER aggressive. He was culled and he wasn't even 2 months old yet.

 

[Gingersnap722]

My 18 week old roo had the gods smiling on him. We held off culling him since he had been on somewhat good behavior for the last few days and then someone wanted to buy him and his "mate" today. Well, while they were looking at other hens and roos we had for sale, this little sucker came after me again. I told the people I changed my mind and couldn't sell him since he was so aggressive and I would feel bad if something happened after they got him home. Didn't phase them in the least and they wanted him anyway. So Mr. rooster has a new home. I sure hope he behaves!

 

[Lilyput]

Just spent hours on this thread. Really good discussions. It's now late June, what has happened, Ganjaroo?

 

[Pinkaboo]

My gut feeling is that culling truly people aggressive roosters is the only thing that works.  Isolating them and letting them live a normal, happy life without any contact with people is the other option.


I am coming to believe that the natural behaviors and drives of many if not most adult roosters are not compatible with co-existing peacefully and safely with people in most backyard situations.

Very few intact males are safe with people.

I would really love it if the experienced rooster people could give us not-so-successful rooster keepers with some tips and rules to live by.  I do think that many of the problems have been man made, so I would like to recognize and avoid the pitfalls.

Well culling would definitely do the trick
I might have to take my roo from the flock, I don't want to sell him, can't breed from him because he's a solid black cuckoo maran !not sure what happened to his white bars
I take him out of the run all the time anyway so he can be in the garden with me, I'd like in a Snow White type world for him to be a pet,

 

[Folly's place]

This has been a wonderful discussion! What has happened with that rooster in the original post/ I've had people aggressive roosters, and find that inviting them to dinner works best. They have all escalated their behavior over time. I also agree that hitting back makes them worse; delusional enough to attack someone MUCH bigger, not able to figure out that it's a stupid idea. Much like some Chihuahuas I've met... Making sensible breeding choices is the best long term solution, IMO. Mary

 

[centrarchid]

To give credibility to what I write. Much of my background involves gamefowl (fighting chickens) but I also keep at least fifty American Dominiques and as a kid my family commercially produced hatching eggs for a chicken hatchery that sold to just about everyone interested in backyard / farmyard chickens. I likely have more roosters than most backyard people have chickens in total and that is when my flock size is at its lowest in early spring. My games need to be easy to handle because it is done a lot. My Dominiques need to be easy to because they are supposed to be. I also use my birds for educating the public and most of my contacts are kids and some of those are very young. Finally I always have at least one flock that free-ranges around house and others that free-range in adjoining pasture. Almost all male gamefowl are confined with the exception of one around house and those on walks. My very small kids intermingle with the flock that free-ranges around house and 4-year-old harem master is intact with respect to spurs. I also have been around chickens for well over 40 years.

Below are aggression categories as I recognize them and eluded to previously in thread. Each is defined when answering description of aggressive behavior. Pictures and videos I feel would help greatly and such are in the works. I also think maturation process needs to introduced to discussion where the term ”rooster” is avoided. Also, many of the forms of aggression below are not exclusively the realm of males.

1) Is he just running over, pecking / flogging then running to a safe distance to deny your counter attack and simply watching you?

Bird has associated such behavior with a reward. In most instances I have seen the bird has obtained food faster or in larger amounts by engaging in some behavior directed at you. This is frequently realized with brooder reared birds interacting with you as feeders are armed or eats otherwise become more evident with you present. Another situation is where birds work their basic tendency to try and get at the most attractive food which to them often involves it appearing fresh within their field of view. For me that can involve putting feed out from a bucket as feeding a flock of hungry birds. They rush after you pushing each and sometimes in the excitement the bucket or even you. Many people see such behavior and promptly put feed out for the apparently famished bird. It takes very little for bird to associate intense response with getting more or faster.

Prevention: Avoid rewarding exploratory behavior such as pecking and jumping up for food. Make so food reward is delayed relative to your activity around birds. My favorite technique is apply feed either when birds are asleep or foraging elsewhere. With latter you just call birds in after feed is applied.

Correction: Move about flock / bird even with feed but do not give feed out until bird looses interest.
Benefits of Behavior to You or Bird: I manipulate this behavior train birds for experiments and interacting positively with the public. Behavior promoted simply does not involve what a person would see as aggression. Smart birds are really prone to this.


2) Is he standing his ground and flaring his hackles and interspersing this with outright attacks with spurs, wings and bill?

He is outright fighting you for rank and treats you as a conspecific. Based on most discussions this the assumed by keepers of man-fighters. Something is or has gone on that got him into mindset that you need to be and can be defeated so as to be a subordinate. Somewhere along the line you got too familiar with him and / or he learned through exploratory pecking he can make you retreat. This is particularly prevalent with folks that are uncomfortable around their birds. Even many experienced keepers are afraid of their birds for one reason or another and sometimes these people are prone to act aggressively against the birds and even bully them. This situation is more frequent than you might suspect and denial is often a part of the problem. Folks like this may need to visit with the equivalent of Alcohol Anonymous to work problem out. I have even seen people into gamefowl that are scared of their birds and they would be ready to fight you if you said they were such. Males in particular will take advantage of activities that make them feel tough. This is where genetics can also impact predisposition for man-fighting.

Prevention: Do not retreat from him when exploratory pecking or even flogging occurs. Do not attack him in response to an attack as it is very difficult to do so with appearing to alternate between bouts of attack and retreat like which occurs when birds fight.

Correction: Make so aggressive bird can engage you by fighting you but do nothing that would be interpreted as fighting back or retreating. Let him wail away (flog) which may last several minutes. If he breaks off attack, then move towards him but do not even give him the respect of eye contact. Do not strike or push him. Repeat until he stops. Process may need to be repeated in subsequent days with hardheaded birds. You want him to start thinking of you as something that is very much not another chicken. This may mean a flannel shirt or sweat shirt and jeans. Ideally you will appear the same as you do on other days so he does not test you for days when you are weak. If spurs are an issue which they can be with birds more than 18 months old, then they can be neutralized by removal, trimming or covering with the equivalent of boxing gloves (most laymen will not have last option owing to legal restrictions). An alternative to this approach can involve the restraint / time-out sessions where bird does not get the release associated with combat but does get a penalty he will learn to avoid. This technique does appear to work although it takes more time and is hard on birds that are flighty and prone to panic when restrained which is a form of stress.

Benefits of Behavior to You or Bird: Can be used to help sell a gamerooster to a fool. In a competitive breeding setting such as in a commercial flock more aggressive birds garner more fertilizations of eggs therefore tend to be more prolific. This not directly related to what is referred to as gameness in gamefowl.


3) Is he attacking while fluffed up like a hen making lots of noises and moving about in a very fussy manner? This if often associated with roosters where members of his harem (hen(s) or offspring) are scared. Many roosters, especially games will attack whatever they see as the threat and sometimes, real or not, that can be you. His response will be in trying to repel you. Rooster may also get touchy when new feathers are coming in during molt.

Prevention: Be careful around birds, especially when hens or chicks are involved. Avoid grabbing birds during daylight. Get birds to move voluntarily. Any rooster is easier to work with when his charges are calmer so always having all birds tame helps immensely. One crazy hen can stir up a male. I always manage for calm birds and that means starting from before hatch of an individual. Be careful when handling birds, especially during molt.

Correction: Frequent low intensity interactions without stirring anyone up reduces sensitivity to your activities.

Benefits of Behavior to You or Bird: Such behavior can increase survival of males offspring which can benefit you. This especially with small predators a male can repel or distract.

Culling can also be employed, but some parties will, as a function of their husbandry technique, be culling a lot of birds that would not be problematic for most poultry keepers.