Advice on how get our rooster to accept our family

[ChicNmom]

But he may not be either.

I think that was implied by my use of the word "may".

It's a crap shoot until he gets through his stupid boy phase.

 

[Mrs. K]

Yes you did

 

[kcan2]

I realize you may not have time for a long article, but this is a really good one:

I second this being a great article that really helped me when I was new to the rooster game!

 

[FrostRanger]

I would cull him, aggression is genetic so if you hatch chicks from him you are more likely to have issues from them too. I would also consider your goals for having chickens. If you just want eggs or pets you don't need a rooster, if you want to hatch out chicks, you need a rooster with sound temperment. Of course, there's nothing wrong with just plain wanting a rooster, a good rooster is a joy to have around, but it's important to keep your goals in mind when making decisions regarding the birds in your flock. In any case I third reading through that article so you know how to proceed if you do decide to try again with having a rooster and know that as Mrs. K said roosters are a gamble so make sure to keep a sharp knife when raising roosters. The best way to have a nice rooster is to not put up with a mean one

 

[Love Donkeys]

I am on the get rid of him list.

Any rooster (technically still a cockerel in this case) that goes after the children is to much of a risk to keep.

A childs face is closer to the ground than an adults is. A claw or spur to the face can cause horrific injury or even loss of an eye. It's not worth the risk.

Our third daughter, who is now 54 years old, was attacked from behind by a rooster when she was 7. She still carries the scars on the back of her neck, lower back and the back of her legs. No rooster is worth seeing your child covered in blood! I wouldn't even re-home him, I would dispatch him to the trash!

 

[Fluster Cluck Acres]

Thank you all so much for your advice! We will definitely be careful as we decide how to proceed. My daughter is 13 and taller than me. So, she can hold her own! We haven't allowed little kids around him, and will continue that policy. I'm not ready to give up on him yet. Until this point, he's been pretty chill and very sweet to the hens. I hold him often and he never puts up a fuss or fight. We'll see how things go over the next few weeks! If something noteworthy happens, I'll post it!

In my experience, rooster behavior is crap shoot between nature/nurture and hormones. I raise all my birds in the same manner (as pets- lots of handling, treats, love, and pets). Some roosters have turned out great, some roosters have been noticably aggressive early-on, and some are "on the fence" so to say. On the fence sounds exactly like where you are with you boy. (I also have an "on-the-fence" 7 month cockerel who I want badly to be a good boy, but time will tell).

I'm glad you're not giving up on him yet (but at the same time keep the possibility in mind that he may not be a good fit).

I will tolerate and work with dominace behavior (to an extent). Your boy is young, and some of his behavior, in my opinion, could be excused by this. He is learning who/what he can and can't mate and who/what he can be the boss of. Based on his age and the age of your flock, he may still be in the "nobody likes me and I'm getting desperate to have a flock of my own" stage. I imagine he's trying to mate your older girls and they probably put him in his place. He probably tries to mate the younger girls and they run away. So he's keeping his options open and that may include you or your family. In other words, he may just be trying with you what hasn't yet worked with the hens. This doesn't make him a bad boy, but does make him a boy who needs to learn manners. If he isn't able to learn manners, you should not keep him.

I would watch his behavior carefully and try to determine if he's being protective/aggressive or dominate. I don't tolerate protective/aggressive behavior. I don't want a rooster who views me as a threat or as competition. Dominance is another issue- I used to believe dominace would lead to aggression, but I've learned that is not always the case. I will work with a young rooster who is being dominate. He's just figuring things out and he has to do this by seeing what happens when he pushes his limits.

My preferred "punishment" is pick up and carry. I believe this sends the message to the rooster that you are not scared of him while also showing him that you're not another chicken, and he shouldn't treat you as one.

Another good indicator of behavior is how he reacts when you step toward him/into his space. Some roos will square off with my feet- peck, do some fancy footwork, flap, stand up tall, raise hackles, etc... That is not usually a good sign. Some roos will run away. This can be a good or bad sign. Some roos will not react any differently than your hens/pullets do. This is my preferred reaction.

Something to consider... if your chickens are like pets to you, you DO NOT want to keep around a rooster that makes you look over your shoulder. You'll lose the ability hang out with your flock. You and the roo will be tense whenever you're togther and the hens will pick up on this tension and will associate it with your presence and evenutally they'll begin avoiding you.

Best of luck with your guy!

 

[jurassicfish]

Roosters seldom get better.

 

[Silkie fluff butts]

UPDATE...

Now that the holidays are behind us, I finally have time for an update!

After my daughter and I discussed things, we decided to try keeping him in the house with us for several days to see if we could get him to bond with us. It was a fun little experiment that I know is not feasible for most people!

We kept him in a little covered pen, but let him out several times each day so we could spend time with him. Each of our family members held him and spent time watching TV with him. We enjoyed it and he definitely got more used to us. Though he likes to be near us, he still prefers not to be handled.

As for him challenging us... well, as most of you mentioned, it didn't really help that. In the house, he was a perfect gentleman. But as soon as he returned to his girls, he went back to challenging my daughter (it's always when she picks up the hens).

*I did notice that when she raise up her foot to fend him off, he would always go after her foot, instead of backing down. So, I instructed her to step/stomp into him aggressively until he turned and ran away. She didn't stop until he turned and retreated. She did not chase him. This did the trick and he hasn't done it again! I also instructed her to pick him up and hold him more often. She always picks him up in calmly when she can get hold of him without needing to chase him.

Now, he loves being around us and hasn't challenged us at all. Each morning, he brings all of the hens to our patio door to say good morning. The other day, we opened the slider and he brought them inside! Before staying inside, he would not approach the door or come in.

In conclusion, I think bringing him inside helped him trust and bond with us. But he still needed to be reminded that we are the boss over him, not the other way around. That makes sense, since he is a rooster and his purpose is to protect his girls.

I know each rooster is different! This guy is pretty chill and not aggressive, other than his few challenges. We wouldn't have done this if I thought he would hurt us.

 

[Fluster Cluck Acres]

Thanks for sharing. The pics are adorable! You are one great chicken-tendering-fam! I'm glad it's working out

 

[MROO]

We have a flock of 9: 5 mature hens, 3 7 month old hens and 1 7 month old rooster. The youngers are Salmon Faverolles. All were raised in the house until they were big enough to live in the coop. The flock gest along well. They have a coop and pen, but free range our large backyard as well.

My daughter and I have handled them all lovingly, and until recently, we haven't had a single problem with our boy. I wouldn't say he likes to be held or is affectionate, but likes to follow us around and be near me especially. But lately, he has given some "hard pecks" and has even jumped at my husband (while squating down and talking to him), son who seldom interacts with the chickens), and now my daughter who raised him. He left a red mark on her thigh. He has never done anything like that with me.

I know there are lots of great articles here, but I don't have time right now to read them all right now. We would love to win his trust. I'm considering bringing him in the house for a few days to love on him. We've done this for 3 of our hens at various times when they were injured. It was a bonding experience for sure! Now they REALLY LOVE US! So, that's what I'd like to try with him.

He is only our 2nd rooster. The first one was super aggressive pretty early on and had to be rehomed. Is there anything I'm missing? Would he instead be very frustrated, knowing the hens are out there without him? I don't want to unknowingly make things worse.

Thanks for your input!

This article is a Must-Read for anyone who keeps - or wants to keep - a rooster. Good Luck!

https://www.backyardchickens.com/th...er-becomes-dinner.844018/page-4#post-12626931