Aggressive Cockerel

[Jake1199]

Hi everyone, this is my first year with chickens so I am still learning and I am having quite the dilemma right now. I have 6 standard sized pullets and 1 golden Sebright bantam cockerel. Everything has been fine until just a few weeks ago. They were born the first week of March so they are right around 7 months old so I know based on their age why this is happening as I know my cockerels hormones are going wild. He is a good boy to my hens, is not rough with them, when I bring out treats for them and put them down he chirps and calls them over, no issue there. But he has been aggressive towards any human the last month. I have little siblings and nieces and nephews and they love the chickens and are always wanted to pet them and see them. A few weeks ago my 2 and a half year old nephew was inside my chicken run with me (20ft by 10ft area) and my rooster attacked my nephew and scratched his neck and I felt terrible and grabbed him right away. Long story short he attacked my buddy who was watching my chickens one weekend while I was away. Another time my fiancée went into the coop to get the eggs and he jumped on her back. And just this week every time I go into the coop or run he tries to attack my legs or fly at me. He actually jumped on my back one day and clawed my hat off of my head. I have tried pinning him down gently until he submits so he knows I’m the alpha. I have tried making myself look big so he doesn’t mess me with me. I have never hurt him but I have definitely shown him I am the boss and he does not learn. I would also like to note that I don’t necessarily need his protection from predators as I have a very sturdy coop and completely enclosed and covered run. I guess I just like having his beauty and his crow around because I live in the country. I hate that I have to watch my back every time I go into the coop to clean it (my coop is an 8ft by 10ft shed) or every time I am out in the chicken run. I hate it, and I love the little guy but it would be SO much easier if he was gone. It also makes me sad because I want my siblings and nieces and nephews to be able to sit with the chickens without worrying about being attacked. I guess I’m asking if I should cull him or not. And if I do how would it affect my current flock of 6 hens? thank you for everyone with advice.

 

[picklestheduck]

Hi everyone, this is my first year with chickens so I am still learning and I am having quite the dilemma right now. I have 6 standard sized pullets and 1 golden Sebright bantam cockerel. Everything has been fine until just a few weeks ago. They were born the first week of March so they are right around 7 months old so I know based on their age why this is happening as I know my cockerels hormones are going wild. He is a good boy to my hens, is not rough with them, when I bring out treats for them and put them down he chirps and calls them over, no issue there. But he has been aggressive towards any human the last month. I have little siblings and nieces and nephews and they love the chickens and are always wanted to pet them and see them. A few weeks ago my 2 and a half of nephew was inside my chicken run with me (20ft by 10ft) area and my rooster attacked my nephews and scratched his neck and I felt terrible and grabbed him right away. Long story short he attacked my buddy who was watching my chickens one weekend while I was away. Another time my fiancée went into the coop to get the eggs and he jumped on her back. And just this week every time I go into the coop or run he tries to attack my legs or fly at me. He actually jumped on my back one day and clawed my hat off of my head. I have tried pinning him down gently until he submits so he knows I’m the alpha. I have tried making myself look big so he doesn’t mess me with me. I have never hurt him but I have definitely shown him I am the boss and he does not learn. I hate that I have to watch my back every time I go into the coop to clean it (my coop is an 8ft by 10ft shed) or every time I am out in the chicken run. I hate it, and I love the little guy but it would be SO much easier if he was gone. It also makes me sad because I want my siblings and nieces and nephews to be able to sit with the chickens without worrying about being attacked. I guess I’m asking if I should cull him or not. thank you for everyone with advice.

I had a rooster like that. Unfortunately he will only get worse. It was a hard decision but we culled him. I still have scars from him gashing my legs open with his beak and claws. I say cull him, and when and if you want to maybe try again with a different breed or something.

 

[Jake1199]

I had a rooster like that. Unfortunately he will only get worse. It was a hard decision but we culled him. I still have scars from him gashing my legs open with his beak and claws. I say cull him, and when and if you want to maybe try again with a different breed or something.

Thank you for your advice, it definitely is a hard decision just because I don’t want to have to take his life.

 

[picklestheduck]

Thank you for your advice, it definitely is a hard decision just because I don’t want to have to take his life.

I 100% understand. It’s really really hard especially if you raised them and know them so well. I’ll be honest I shed a few tears when we had to cull our guy. When he was younger he loved to sit on my outstretched arm like a hawk or something. He was so very good to his hens, we just couldn’t have him hurting people… or my other livestock.

 

[Folly's place]

So sorry, but he needs to be dead, soonest. he's a real danger to everyone, most especially small people, who could be scarred for life, and loose eyeballs.
This is not a fixable situation, he's who he is.
Mary

 

[Geena]

and he does not learn.

In my experience cockerels don't learn much from those sorts of tactics. If you "fight" with them, they're most often going to come back at you even more determined. It's just the way some cockerels are wired.

If you really want to keep him, you could build a separate but adjacent coop and run to keep him in. If you decide the cull him, the girls will be just fine. Actually I find that hens are often calmer and happier without a rooster around.

 

[SueT]

Do not allow children around this bird!!!!!!
Personally, I would invite him to dinner. Or offer him to someone else if you don’t want to kill him yourself. I’ve done both the above. In each case it was such a RELIEF to not have the aggressive bird around, I wondered why I didn’t do it sooner.

 

[Sussex19]

I agree with all the other posts, he does need to go.
And don't forget there are really nice cockerels out there, so you could try again.

 

[Jake1199]

UPDATE: It has been done in the quickest most caring way it could have been. A very unfortunate situation but I look forward to enjoying my chickens again. Thank you everyone for your advice.

 

[picklestheduck]

UPDATE: It has been done in the quickest most caring way it could have been. A very unfortunate situation but I look forward to enjoying my chickens again. Thank you everyone for your advice.

It was definitely the right choice. Sorry you had to deal with that, it’s tough. There are really sweet cockerels out there, hoping you find one if you decide to get another.