Advise to keep my rooster

[Mrs. K]

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.

I do hope that you are very careful, and other people should probably never be around this bird, if he is not contained.

Personally, what I have found, is that they will bide their time, they are opportunist. In my experience, he will wait until your arms are full, you have bent down, or you simply paying attention to something else. Always beware, I think most aggression comes from hormonal levels not thinking. Their brain is pretty small.

Good luck, but beware!
Mrs K

 

[Snowbelt]

I do hope that you are very careful, and other people should probably never be around this bird, if he is not contained.

Personally, what I have found, is that they will bide their time, they are opportunist. In my experience, he will wait until your arms are full, you have bent down, or you simply paying attention to something else. Always beware, I think most aggression comes from hormonal levels not thinking. Their brain is pretty small.

Good luck, but beware!
Mrs K

That's great advice! Right now he and his ladies are fully contained, They will move to a coop with more space and a contained run in March, and I will give him at least that long to see how he does. He will be getting more hens then as well, so that may also change the dynamic in one way or another. I will find out.

 

[lilofthestars]

Do not keep a rooster that attacks people. Humanely kill him, preferably do it at night when you can get him off the roost. It will be less stressful to him, you, and the rest of the flock if you don't have to chase him or cause a big commotion.

When you want a new rooster, wait for one of your hens to go broody and order her some male chicks. Hen-raised roosters are better behaved towards people than human-raised roosters.

I cannot kill the rooster. I did find a good farm for him and the other four astrolopes hens. These people are experts and I did explain to them what the rooster has done and what has done to the rooster.

 

[Needmorechickens]

Do not keep a rooster that attacks people. Humanely kill him, preferably do it at night when you can get him off the roost. It will be less stressful to him, you, and the rest of the flock if you don't have to chase him or cause a big commotion.

When you want a new rooster, wait for one of your hens to go broody and order her some male chicks. Hen-raised roosters are better behaved towards people than human-raised roosters.

I agree, Winner Winner chicken dinner for that rooster. Once they attack, its all over. I finally figured it out! I raised my 3 new roosters from babies and all 3 are gentle souls but FEARLESS with the hawks and dogs!

 

[Traci V]

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 had a rooster that started trying to sneak attack me when I would turn my back on him. He was great until he hit 18 months old. Then I guess hormones kicked into overdrive. I always tried to be sure he wasn’t getting behind me or I wasn’t turning my back on him. I also did “hug therapy”. When he would sneak attack me, I would catch him and just hold him and talk to him a few minutes then let him down. My goal was to teach him that I was not a rooster competing against him for control of the flock but a human. After a few hug therapy sessions that stopped the attacks. I would randomly pick him up and hold and pet him after I broke him of the attacks as “maintenance”.

I actually got the idea from a show on Animal Planet called “Saved by the Barn”. It’s about a farm animal rescue called Barn Sanctuary in Michigan. Might be worth trying to hunt down a rerun of it and finding the episode.