aggressive at 6 weeks

[azygous]

I agree with @Folly's place. It will just be more difficult the longer you wait to do it. I faced this when I knew it wouldn't work out to have three roosters. I made myself cull when my cockerel was six weeks. This is the method I used. https://the-chicken-chick.com/how-to-humanely-euthanize-chicken-by-dr/ It's very easy and quick and no violence or blood or suffering. The chick didn't suffer, either.

 

[Folly's place]

What isn't mentioned in that article is that it's much more difficult to do the cervical dislocation on adult standard sized roosters. Hens, yes, roosters, no.
Chicks will be fine.
Mary

 

[BigBlueHen53]

My 3 or 4-year old rooster attacked me several weeks ago, jammed his beak into my leg just under the knee, and I am STILL nursing that wound! A rooster can HURT you! Please protect your child and get rid of that nasty bird ASAP, before something bad happens.

 

[Folly's place]

I've had chicks like yours, and they do not get better, or safer, and the sooner gone, the better. Genetics!
Mary

 

[Taj_MaChicken]

My experience with roosters has been that the more they get handled, the more likely they are to get aggressive, some breeds more than others.

Mine are sweeties.

The one is the top of the pecking order, looks out for his ladies and will protect them when a strange animal (cat, new chick/duck, etc) is near. But he eats snacks out of my hand.

 

[so lucky]

Any Mennonites or Amish in your area? I have a lovely Mennonite lady near me who only charges $1 a head (sorry, pun not intended) to dress out a chicken. I take my cockerels to her in the morning in a crate and pick up the empty crate and dressed bird(s) in the afternoon. She's a dandy!

Hey, you are in SE Missouri? That's where I am, Near Jackson. Any chance I could get her contact info from you in case I need a humane chicken processer?

 

[BigBlueHen53]

@so lucky I will pm you later, and yes, SE MO not far from PB

 

[EggSighted4Life]

I've never heard this. I am determined to handle my hens regularly

No, it's not the more they are handled the meaner they get. It's when they are made into lap pets who have been coddled and haven't yet had their mating hormones kick in. They don't have any "fear" of you. Nor do they think of fear in the same way... it translates to respect in cockerel talk. A cockerel who has some fear of you also usually has a healthy respect of your space.

I used to allow a lap cockerel, so sweet and beautiful. Plus "rare" breed. He was my first and only lap boy, and also the only one who ever commenced to sneak attacks followed by stalking and eventual direct crowing at me. The meaner the roo the sweeter the stew. Only thing I regret is I tolerated the attacks so long it almost completely ruined roosters for me forever.

I saw someone mention having cockerels processed at 12 weeks... that's way to young IMHO to make it worth the effort to do so in most breeds. Their all feathers and bones at that age.

As mentioned, I keep a stag pen. One day two boys were in a fence battle and I ignorantly thought I could stop it by sticking my leg in front of the one on my side who was one of the best roosters ever, a handsome FBCM. Guess what, they don't see you all they see is red. It wasn't directed at me personally... but I will not forget the hit I took that day from a full size rooster to my thigh and some contact lower. Oh boy did I ever fell like I got punched. Beak and claws made contact. I had slight break in the skin and bruise with a giant knot in it. I'm a good size girl with a fairly high pain tolerance... my leg hurt for weeks! It gave me hint as to how effective a rooster really could be toward smaller predators were he so inclined. Maybe helped me respect what they do have instead of thinking they are just hawk bait for folks who keep them as flock protectors... which I don't as I consider them more or less also bait against the many predators we have here. But quite impressive hit coming from an animal under 10#'s! When I lost him to an accident and processed for the freezer... later that week I found myself crying, it was a true loss for my flock. I'm so glad that even though we do eat our extra cockerels that doesn't make us callous carnivores. I have yet to find another as good as he was. Rest in pieces Nugget!

 

[Double Yolked]

I've had to cull at least one rooster per year for about 6 years now, sometimes more. The lovely big blue Wyandotte in my avatar photo was one of the few I've had that didn't get mean. Out of probably 12 roos only 2 turned out nice. I don't know if I'm unlucky or that's just normal roo nature. Handling didn't seem to make them worse or better for me. Fluffybutt, the Wyandotte, was mistaken for a hen until he was about 5 months old and handled daily but Chuckles, my other good roo was never handled at all. Sometimes you just got grit your teeth and find a good chicken processing place. Nothing ruins your flock enjoyment faster than a nasty rooster.

 

[IronFeather]

Yep..."Let's put'em inna pot!". Lol!