Advise to keep my rooster

[McChooky]

You will be his next victim if you don't remove him from the flock soon. Wear a pair of gloves and appropriate clothing when you do so. Its safer to remove him at night while he's on the roost. Personally I'd fatten this guy up and make soup out of him .His usefulness is null and void if you're afraid of him because he'll sense this.

 

[Altairsky]

The world is full of wonderful roosters that need a home.
There is absolutely no reason to keep a rotten one.
I myself had to turn into dinner so many lovely cockerels it hurts.
Just make a soup out of your bad rooster and give a chance to a good one that deserves some love. Bad ones only deserve a broom and a pot.

 

[McChooky]

Hello all
We have a astrolope rooster
My neighbor gave to me because he had too many roosters and I just found out the rooster hurt his little boy. Because I guess the little boy tried to pick him up, they should’ve been paying more attention Well. I wanted the rooster to protect the hens. we had a problem with the hawk and we had a problem with cats.. The rooster makes me nervous. He’s already attacked at my husband when he tried to give him some mealworms. He was just bending down seeing if he would take the mealworms out of his hand. I think that was a big mistake. Then sometimes he charges at me I turn around, put my finger up and say, don’t you even think about it. He backs down. I got a water blaster gun with water. I had to go into the coop and he stood up and I blasted him in the face with the water blaster didn’t hurt him. It just shocked him. He stopped doing the charging towards me, but I’m still nervous around him so I know what I don’t know really what to do. Keep the rooster and be nervous or protect the hens. I heard this breed is pretty calm. Maybe it’s because what he went through at the neighbors he seen all his ladies killed by some dogs. That was a terrible thing now they keep their Chickens penned up. People’s told me Just cut his spurs. Number one I think that’s Mean and difficult and how will he protect the hens. Then somebody else said just pick them up walk them around the yard. How in the world am I gonna do that without getting hurt maybe in the face. I’m not afraid to check on my girls. I pick them up cause I’m afraid he’ll go after me. There is one in particular that I have Nurse back to Health after a raccoon got her lasted about a year and a half ago and I always like to keep a check on her. Her cone looks a little light she’s staying away from the other chickens she’s eating she’s scratching on the ground and we did get four chickens that they won’t even let me hardly near them. They come closer now because I’m feeding them but they’re still scared. They’re three years old. It’s it’s the way they was raised the last three years I guess This lady put these chickens upside down to give them to me. I bought had a heart attack. I couldn’t stand it. I grabbed one and I put the right side up and petted her to put her in the box. The other ones I couldn’t then I have a neighbor that I’ve been trying to help. She said she has two roosters and one hand in that poor hen doesn’t have any feathers. I told her that’s not right you should never have two roosters of one hen. I tried so hard to help them to either get some more hens or find homes for the roosters. I told her at least separate him so she doesn’t die all the work I did now she figured out well there’s a neighbor that’s hatching some chickens and then she’s gonna get some hens there and she’s gonna give one of the roosters away. I’m sorry I’m ranting on. I just need some advice. I would really appreciate it.

I didn't want to replace my rooster because he's been a good boy for 3 years. I started using vinegar and water in a spray bottle .Now he won't come close to me which is a good thing. By spring I will replace him with one of his offspring.I wish you the best!

 

[lilofthestars]

Thank you all for your help. I really do appreciate it. It’s something I really gotta think about. I’m not a farm girl so I can’t eat the chickens. It’s just I just can’t, but I will try to find a home for him.

 

[lilofthestars]

Yes. I'm one of those soft-hearted people who never wants to cull for behavior. But that means that I have to be VERY thoughtful and cautious. My chickens are only out when I can directly supervise them, and they stay locked up if my nieces are going to be at my house. I think that many people do not understand just how much damage a rooster can do, and especially to a child who is closer to eye-level.

So, yes, this soft heart says that this rooster may have been mismanaged by its previous owners and there's a chance that he could reform with correct handling. The husband reaching his hand toward the rooster when offering treats could have been seen as threatening if the rooster has been hit in the past. If you give him a chance to adjust/reform, be incredibly vigilant about safety while doing so. He may be naturally aggressive, or he may be past the point of being reformed.

Thank you so much for your advice. I’m really gotta think about this. Yes, I am a soft hearted person. I will definitely figure something out.

 

[FrostRanger]

Thank you all for your help. I really do appreciate it. It’s something I really gotta think about. I’m not a farm girl so I can’t eat the chickens. It’s just I just can’t, but I will try to find a home for him.

Don't rehome an aggressive roo, all it does is pass the problem on to someone else (like what happened to you, what was originally your neighbor's problem is now your problem) and the people at his new home could get hurt. Even if you can't bring yourself to eat him, you can bury him, feed him to some of your other animals or just toss his body out. In any case, he needs to be put down. He's already shown he'll attack a child, and if he does it again and the child is less lucky he could seriously mess them up

 

[Folly's place]

We too kept a horrible first rooster too long, and while nobody was injured, we learned! I agree that raising some chicks in spring might get you a nice one, only if you remove any that turn into jerks.
Rehoming this guy should only be to someone who will eat him!
Human aggression is genetic, and not easily managed when his little brain is fixed on this set of behaviors. There are so many excuses for this, but this is not really fixable, and is dangerous for any person who comes in contact with him.
I do hope you have very good liability insurance! And at least in the USA, chickens are livestock, so it needs to be a farm or farm estate policy not homeowners.
Someone scarred for life, or loosing an eye, won't be a good thing!
Here we always have roosters, and cockerels, and enjoy what they bring to the flock. Anyone who injures a pullet or hen, or who thinks bad thoughts towards people, gets to live, here or any where else.
This is a learning experience for your family, seeing behaviors before the actual attacks, so you can identify bad behaviors in your next cockerels before injuries occur.
Sorry you are going through this, it's part of the whole 'chicken experience', that maybe nobody mentions.
Mary

 

[Snowbelt]

While I can't disagree with the advice to cull the rooster, consider that he is in a new and very stressful situation and may need a little time to adjust. I'm dealing with an aggressive d'Uccle booted bantam rooster who is currently in quarantine with his two hens after being acquired two weeks ago. He has routinely attacked me when I give him food and water, and has drawn blood a few times, but I am giving him time to learn that I am not a threat to him or his girls, and that I provide him with the food and water he needs, as well as BSF larvae and other treats. When he attacks, I have been able to get him up on my extended arm and sit there for a good minute or so, and twice I have gotten him into the crook of my arm that allows me to stroke his back. He is definitely less aggressive than when I first got him, and the level of aggression is decreasing, so I will continue working with him in the hopes I can reduce his aggression to a point where he is tolerable. Time will tell.

 

[Anon112]

Thank you so much for your advice. I’m really gotta think about this. Yes, I am a soft hearted person. I will definitely figure something out.

Like others have said, do NOT just give him away to someone else unless you are really clear to let them know about his behavior.

When I was first managing my rooster who was aggressive, it meant taking a lot of careful steps. I made sure not to turn my back to him and to always know where he was if I was going to bend or squat down. He used to get especially upset if I went near the hens or had to pick them up. I almost always had some implement (a bucket, a mucking fork) in my hand to put between me and him if he came toward me suddenly.

Honestly, it's not that cool that someone gave you a rooster with an aggression problem because now you are in the painful position of having to decide whether to kill him or put in the work to see if he can adapt.