2 yr old rooster has gone psycho

[jajeanpierre]

Wow! chooks4life....that was an awesome post! thank you I will be watching my young roo more carefully now and wont feel bad about culling him if he "turns to the dark side"

I agree with ChooksinChoppers that aggressive behavior is very heritable. I think most is genetics and the rest is nurture and just plain luck. Did that aggressive rooster have life events that set him up to be people aggressive?

In my limited experience, there is a huge difference between a truly nasty rooster and one that will on occasion will go after you. I've had both.

I currently have a hatchery Silkie rooster that once in awhile will feel the need to go after me. He can't fly, he's little, I wear pants. It's rare. I tolerate it.

I had another that was positively dangerous because he wasn't little, had wings and would always go after me any chance he could. He was smart enough to only ambush me. I finally culled him. I hate slaughtering my excess roosters--it is very sad to kill something just because is male--and just kept putting it off. The final straw wasn't because he was dangerous, but because I heard a bit of wheezing and culled for health of the flock. That bird made my life miserable. Every time I went out in my front yard where he free ranged I always had to be on my guard. I worried he would sneak up on me and hit me in the face and blind me as leaned over to feed or water. If anyone came over to the house, I had to escort them to and from their car just in case. He was horrible to me, but he was an excellent rooster for the hens.

I have four of his daughters and three sons that I haven't found the backbone to cull yet. The three sons are now over a year old and one dropped a wing at me a couple of times a very long time ago. They've been fine. They will be culled simply because I have no need for another rooster and I want to cut down the noise and the general stress/wear and tear on the hens. I've been surprised that one of the hens from that nasty rooster has gone after me a few times. It is quick and I always wonder: Did it really happen?--it is just a rush and sort of a flutter around my ankles. There is always a reason but it is always still surprising. She is also the one who goes after an older, broody hen when she comes out for a drink. She will never have chicks.

 

[ChooksinChoppers]

You're welcome ChooksinChoppers. As this thread shows, there are a lot of schools of thought about roosters, everyone's better off experimenting with what works for their chickens and situation. Obviously I'm keen on, and endorse, permanent methods that help better the whole breed or family line, but some would rather maintain corrections for a lifetime. Each to their own, I guess!

Best wishes.

I recently have been working on refining my flock in that I had a silkied Ameracauna hen that I hatched from shipped eggs...such a sweet hen and all my hens are nice, but I got distracted and now have a buff orp, a lavender Am (pure) and 2 Faverolles/Am cross. The young roo I have is from the silkied Am hen but his daddy was polish. The polish roo ended up getting rehomed because of aggression and last I heard he was free ranging somewhere on a large farm. My young roo, only yesterday, started tid bitting near me...Oh and lots of crowing when we are outside and nearby too......just those two things, but if hadn't read your post, I wouldn't have known what to look out for. If he does turn..I will know it is from his polish dad. Well, no more polish for me. I have a pure Ameracauna baby roo who is looking pretty submissive and sweet so Mr polish cross is easily replaceable. He can go to the nice mexican family across the road from and be a buritto

Cheers from a fellow Ausie

 

[jajeanpierre]

Wow! chooks4life....that was an awesome post! thank you I will be watching my young roo more carefully now and wont feel bad about culling him if he "turns to the dark side"

There is a lot you can do to make aggression from your rooster less likely to happen. Keepers have a role in the development of an aggressive rooster. If you bother his hens, you are putting him in a position where he has to respond aggressively. He is programmed to protect his flock from danger, and if you become a threat to them, he has no choice but to aggress against you. That is not his fault, it is what he is programmed to do. You never want to put him in a position where you are forcing him to choose between protecting his flock or backing down.

 

[ChickenGuy9999]

This sounds nuts but you need to let him peck you get on some big boots and walk up to him stand still and let him peck your boot, when he attacks you it is because he feels challenged if you let him assert his dominance he will be more passive.

 

[jajeanpierre]

I recently have been working on refining my flock in that I had a silkied Ameracauna hen that I hatched from shipped eggs...such a sweet hen and all my hens are nice, but I got distracted and now have a buff orp, a lavender Am (pure) and 2 Faverolles/Am cross. The young roo I have is from the silkied Am hen but his daddy was polish. The polish roo ended up getting rehomed because of aggression and last I heard he was free ranging somewhere on a large farm. My young roo, only yesterday, started tid bitting near me...Oh and lots of crowing when we are outside and nearby too......just those two things, but if hadn't read your post, I wouldn't have known what to look out for. If he does turn..I will know it is from his polish dad. Well, no more polish for me. I have a pure Ameracauna baby roo who is looking pretty submissive and sweet so Mr polish cross is easily replaceable. He can go to the nice mexican family across the road from and be a buritto

Cheers from a fellow Ausie

That's not titbitting. Did the hens come running? If they didn't, it is not titbitting. I've even seen my (female) macaws do the same aggressive behavior--picking up and throwing things on the ground. I'm surprised such a similar behavior is seen in such different species.

 

[City farm]

Good morning,
We use the no crow collar on our dude. Here is a video of someone that uses it..

We tell our neighbors to let us know if any thing bothers them, although I wis we had this sign in our community.. We live in a metropolitan area, but also at least each block threw our 240+ neighbors has chicken's or duck's. We love the farm fresh egg's.

Now on the other hand, I do wish roosters would lay beautiful egg's and be nice.. But that's not reality.. So if we have a mean dude, and trying to work with him is unsuccessful he is now called dinner!!

 

[chooks4life]

I recently have been working on refining my flock in that I had a silkied Ameracauna hen that I hatched from shipped eggs...such a sweet hen and all my hens are nice, but I got distracted and now have a buff orp, a lavender Am (pure) and 2 Faverolles/Am cross. The young roo I have is from the silkied Am hen but his daddy was polish. The polish roo ended up getting rehomed because of aggression and last I heard he was free ranging somewhere on a large farm. My young roo, only yesterday, started tid bitting near me...Oh and lots of crowing when we are outside and nearby too......just those two things, but if hadn't read your post, I wouldn't have known what to look out for. If he does turn..I will know it is from his polish dad. Well, no more polish for me. I have a pure Ameracauna baby roo who is looking pretty submissive and sweet so Mr polish cross is easily replaceable. He can go to the nice mexican family across the road from and be a buritto

Cheers from a fellow Ausie

Unusual to find a nasty Polish rooster, compared to many other breeds. They're a pet breed more or less, well, that and a show breed, an ornamental often sought out for children, so it's a shame he'll live to pass on his genes if he's a nasty one. Discredit to his breed. But at least you won't have to put up with his nonsense anymore.

The fake tidbitting is a warning sign for sure, good thing you're aware of it. There is a slight chance he is actually genuinely tidbitting for you, not fake tidbitting as a prelude to attack, but it's so rare that it's hardly worth mentioning. In my experience a rooster who considers humans are his own kind is a big risk. Naturally enough, since they either fight with or mate with their own kind, neither of which behaviors should be tolerated from domestic animals.

Best wishes.

 

[chooks4life]

This sounds nuts but you need to let him peck you get on some big boots and walk up to him stand still and let him peck your boot, when he attacks you it is because he feels challenged if you let him assert his dominance he will be more passive.

Done things like that, ignoring aggression never worked with mine.

 

[jajeanpierre]

Unusual to find a nasty Polish rooster, compared to many other breeds. They're a pet breed more or less, well, that and a show breed, an ornamental often sought out for children, so it's a shame he'll live to pass on his genes if he's a nasty one. Discredit to his breed. But at least you won't have to put up with his nonsense anymore.

Cooks4life, I think Polish roosters in the US are known for being on the nasty side. They might be completely different from you Australian Polish.

 

[ChooksinChoppers]

This sounds nuts but you need to let him peck you get on some big boots and walk up to him stand still and let him peck your boot, when he attacks you it is because he feels challenged if you let him assert his dominance he will be more passive.

Problem is how do you go out to feed,water,collect eggs,clean the coop without making him feel challenged? From what I have read from others and my own experience, a person is casually doing all those chores (like they have been for months) around the chickens and next thing WAM! unknowingly you are provoking an attack?