A Management Challenge to Reduce Rooster Aggression Directed at Keeper

[centrarchid]

At work we have small demonstration flock consisting five dual purpose laying pullets coming into lay and a Barred Plymouth Rock cockerel in addition to a pair of American Games I provided. All are about 5 months old. Barred Plymouth Rock cockerel has taken to attacking one of his keepers but ignores everyone else. For last two days he has flogged and chased her. Tomorrow I will try to film the debacle and try to get those parties to break cockerel of attacking without employing violence or restraint against him. I will also be chewing some butt when comes to how birds have been interacted with. Kids have been instructed to chase birds and keeper being attacked has alternated between kicking cockerel and running from him. Another party has been directing the kicking at the bird which works for him because he is also confident in his mannerism while doing so. I also intend for them to re-tame birds I provided as they now avoid human interaction which decidedly different from all of my birds kept back. This is all a husbandry / management problem.

 

[aart]

Oh this should be interesting! Like trying to train a person to train a dog..... some folks get it, some never will.

 

[centrarchid]

Below is behavior of a cock that started of simply feed bucket aggressive. The feed bucket aggression was frequent in his cohort (genetics likely not involved) and corrected by most simply by adjusting how feed was applied. This guy was culled from breeding population because he was the most aggressive and has a bad comb. He was also a little light with respect to weight. Thereafter I treated him in much the same manner as birds originally discussed at beginning of thread. When he gave signals of aggression (vocalizations / posturing) I got into his face and even followed him about. When I turned away he would frequently feign an attack until he actually did. At that point he was penned by himself and periodically released so he could go a round with me. Normally scraps where only a couple seconds. no where the duration show in this video. He needed to see movement attack so I moved feet. This video was made late last summer when rooster was already about one year old. (Balance of birds not in view where riled by antics of duck)


[VIDEO]

This to test linkage for next video to be uploaded involving same bird.

 

[centrarchid]

This video has me getting down and personal with aggressive rooster. Camera is small and a challenge to keep properly oriented. He orients towards or at a 45 degree angle from me whereever I go. Taunting was minimal and his attacks were similar. Towards end of video I quit moving in response him and and his attacks dropped off relatively quickly. He targeted whatever was moving towards or away from him. He also had it in for my shoes briefly. He seemed confused when I dd not provide movement.


[VIDEO]

Next step I will not respond to him at all. Goal is for him not to attack whether I am moving or not. This effort is useless if he attacks every time I move.

 

[centrarchid]

I have a 10 month old Dominique rooster who has taken to attacking just in the last month every time I go into the chicken pen to feed and water and collect eggs.  He got me just above my boot twice a few days ago on one leg, and once on the other leg; all 3 below the knee and right through my Wranglers! I have quite a bump and bruise! He's flown high, above my waist (I'm 5'4) - he is just a butthead!  I don't know what to do! I have 9 hens - should I sell him? Re-home him with someone with only 1-2 or so hens? Should I put him in my other pen (after we get the roof on it!) with just 1 or 2 hens? I dread going out there now and I've had chickens for years and never had a rooster this aggressive! I'm not afraid of him, but I sure won't put up with him attacking me every time I go into the pen!  Is he a lost cause or can I help change his behavior?

If you have not messed with a lot of roosters and do not feel very confident around them, then cull him. Certainly cull him from the breeding flock. I am not against trying to re-work but it takes consistent effort and a lot of time, certainly more than it takes my games which does not make sense to me. Doms are supposed to be docile.


If he is not coming at you full on, then try sitting out with him a lot but do not respond to him. Be smarter than I and use a chair. Bait him to your feet with feed with little bits at a time to keep him close so he can calm down. When riled he is stressed so he needs to calm down.

 

[welasharon]

My God. There is no end to the list of idiots. Centrarchid have you run across the method that I've used. Tucking them under the arm at the hip and holding the head gently down and then letting it go and repeating it until they no longer pick it up. At that point you can let the rooster back down. I had a horrid rooster experience and was determined to not have that happen with any more and I found this method. I have only had to repeat it twice with one rooster. The rest it only took once.

ETA: Oh, you grab them immediately upon aggressive approach.

 

[centrarchid]

There will be no grabbing if my approach followed although if grabbing done properly I see how it can work. Emphasis here will be on changing students behavior in not responding to aggression and wearing bird out. She will get flogged more in the process but she will also gain confidence and not have such relationships go bad in the future. The chasing bit is going to be a bigger problem with kids. Heat and psychological stress alone should have been enough reason not to do such.

 

[welasharon]

I will be interested in your approach. Ignorant people raise equally ignorant children. It is a challenge to break the cycle.

 

[centrarchid]

These guys can do it. They simply lack prior experience. They did see how easy mine are to work with but did not see details in how it is realized. The being scared of birds part was not something I expected but will be dealt with. Discovered similar problem and likely similar mentality when it comes to fear of bees. That manifested other day when teaching student how to evaluate re-queening process. Same student had identical approach to aggressive birds. Counter behavior made situation worse, even for me.

 

[Peeps61]

I'll be interested to follow this thread. My rooster and I had settled into a great relationship before he was taken by a predator in late May. In my flock of 7 chicks, I believe one of my Brahmas is a rooster - the other that was taken was an Ameraucana. The difference in the two breeds will be interesting to observe, but I'd like a good working relationship with this rooster if I choose to keep him. I'll be following along!