9 month old aggressive cockeral.

[Nathaniel Walton]

I'm sorry to hear this is happening. We had a rooster a couple years ago that attacked our family but no strangers.

We eventually decided to cull him but he gave his life defending a broody chick from a fox before we could. He was so wonderful with the girls that was the only reason we kept him that long. When we didn't have him any longer it was so much calmer and it was so nice not having to worry.

Even if he does stop attacking you guys I wouldn't suggest breeding him. It's likely his aggressive behavior will be passed on.

If you want to give him some time to try and mature I won't tell you not to but it's likely you'll never trust him fully. Also there are many more wonderful roosters out there needing homes.

Yes i have been having thoughts like this, he is wonderful with his girls and never fights with the other cockerels, he has even fought off a hawk or 2 when they have been out and about. He has been like this for nearly 2 months now and i have spent hours after school trying to teach him that we have the power not him. he doesn't attack me, there is some respect there but my younger sister and parents have a lot of bother. Planning on hatching some more chicks next month and one of the reasons he has lasted so long is because i wanted some chicks of of him as he is a beautiful breed and I have a female Exchequer leghorn as well, however the passing down of his behavior has stopped me from wanting to do this.

 

[bobbi-j]

Yes i have been having thoughts like this, he is wonderful with his girls and never fights with the other cockerels, he has even fought off a hawk or 2 when they have been out and about. He has been like this for nearly 2 months now and i have spent hours after school trying to teach him that we have the power not him. he doesn't attack me, there is some respect there but my younger sister and parents have a lot of bother. Planning on hatching some more chicks next month and one of the reasons he has lasted so long is because i wanted some chicks of of him as he is a beautiful breed and I have a female Exchequer leghorn as well, however the passing down of his behavior has stopped me from wanting to do this.

I don't know what you are looking for in a rooster, or how yours was raised, but this is how I have raised mine over the past several years, and have not had a problem rooster since. As soon as I can tell a cockerel, I stop handling it. No hand feeding. No picking up and making a pet out of it. When they're old enough to be outside or in the run, I teach them to respect me and my space. If a cockerel is between me and where I want to go, I walk through it. I don't go around him, or alter my course for him. I go where I want and he needs to get out of my way. If I am challenged, I meet it with confidence. Sometimes I will run at them a bit to make them move, just because I can. I will move them away from the feed and not let them back until I decide they get to eat. If I want to handle a hen, I do. Again if that causes a cockerel/rooster to challenge me, that is met with confidence on my part. I have not had an aggressive rooster since I started raising them this way. If I ever do get one that doesn't understand that I am the boss, it will end up in my freezer. I have a 2-year old granddaughter that likes to go visit the chickens when she's here. I don't want to have a rooster around that I can't trust. (I always accompany her - I wouldn't trust any rooster alone with a small child.)

 

[Nathaniel Walton]

I don't know what you are looking for in a rooster, or how yours was raised, but this is how I have raised mine over the past several years, and have not had a problem rooster since. As soon as I can tell a cockerel, I stop handling it. No hand feeding. No picking up and making a pet out of it. When they're old enough to be outside or in the run, I teach them to respect me and my space. If a cockerel is between me and where I want to go, I walk through it. I don't go around him, or alter my course for him. I go where I want and he needs to get out of my way. If I am challenged, I meet it with confidence. Sometimes I will run at them a bit to make them move, just because I can. I will move them away from the feed and not let them back until I decide they get to eat. If I want to handle a hen, I do. Again if that causes a cockerel/rooster to challenge me, that is met with confidence on my part. I have not had an aggressive rooster since I started raising them this way. If I ever do get one that doesn't understand that I am the boss, it will end up in my freezer. I have a 2-year old granddaughter that likes to go visit the chickens when she's here. I don't want to have a rooster around that I can't trust. (I always accompany her - I wouldn't trust any rooster alone with a small child.)

Thanks for that, I will certainly be following that advice this year when i hatch my next batch. I did the opposite, I would handle it a lot, but in hindsight this has perhaps made it think that it was the boss of me as i was kind of being its servant in its eyes. Now i do meet it with confidence, walking through it and physically shoving it out of the way if he is being stubborn, however my sister tends to run away which is counteracting what i am trying to achieve. I think Jasper will be in my freezer by the end of the week.