Aggressive roo question

[SandraMort]

The more I read, the more breeding buckeyes appeals to me. But there's a little mention here or there that the roosters can be "aggressive". Should I can the whole idea based on that, or should I hope that raising him from birth with lots of contact with people will prevent it? Am I better off getting a straight run of chicks, handing them all, and choosing the nicest boy, putting the rest in the freezer and hoping that his personality remains stable? I don't really know what they mean by aggressive, but I've got small kids' safety to consider.

 

[Davaroo]

Wow, lets sift through your barrage and see if we can get something that makes sense. Some of my repsonse here will seem a little sharp, so please read my sig line dislaimer and dont take offense.

But there's a little mention here or there that the roosters can be "aggressive". Should I can the whole idea based on that, or should I hope that raising him from birth with lots of contact with people will prevent it?
Fiddlesticks on the whole handling from birth and hoping thing. Aggressive is relative to each individual bird AND human.
How many people come on here shocked to find that their precious little roo-boy has suddenly become a feathered demon in their midst?
Some people, like me, are willing to accept them for what they are and leave them to be that. Others want them to be mild mannered and "friendly," molded in some ideal image or mirror versions of themselves. I would suggest you decide what it IS you want a cock to be, first.
Then, understand that you can little more mold him to your whims than the wind. You may have some influence, but he will be what he is, for the most part.

Am I better off getting a straight run of chicks, handing them all, and choosing the nicest boy, putting the rest in the freezer and hoping that his personality remains stable?
Well, maybe. There is a lot of variablility in that and no predictability. You seem to have noticed that yourself. I would recommend that you plan to keep the best two cocks should you go that route and whatever happens, committ to their stewardship beforehand. These creatures dont fit into utterly predictable patterns.

I don't really know what they mean by aggressive, but I've got small kids' safety to consider.
Children have an uncanny ability to send chickens into fits. Maybe its their movements, their voices or maybe they just smell bad. But there is cause for concern because really small children are at eye level with a full drawn cock. Not good.
When I came up around a farm, one of the rules was that children hadda be big enough to handle themselves before being turned loose. Until then, they were kept away from the livestock as much as possible, even when escorted.
Today, most chicken pet people want everyone to "get along and be happy... just one jolly family, mucking about the yard." But I'm not convinced chickens share that notion. At least they don't act like it.
I would like to break the mold here and suggest you plan to keep the little children away from the cocks, until you see they're fit to be around them. They should be closely escorted, taught good manners and how to act around them until then. Even then there are no guarantees with an explosive cock and his harem.
It might be wisest to NOT have any cocks until the time is right.

These are largish birds, with rapacious dispositions at times, doing what they do. I'm glad you are taking your stewardship seriously.

 

[bantymum]

Hi, I must agree to the above,
I have bred beautiful silkie roos who are really easygoing, laid back boys until they started mating, then they turned into feathered Rambos!
Be careful with children about, they are shorter and it is possible that they can be spurred in the face.
At least you may be able to have a adults only area where the roos are kept.
Good luck.

 

[BayCityBabe]

Love Dave's response.
I have the most handsome (!) Andalusian roo; he's just a stunner and there's a part of me that would LOVE for him to be a big baby lap chicken, like some of my girls. HOWEVER, when I see him stand at the fence, coming between my giant goofy puppy and "his girls," I know he will do his job of protecting them in the future. I will post a photo of him on my blog. He is something else!

 

[sclanimals]

I won't say I disagree with Davaroo but I can go off my own experiences and say that we have had plenty of roos, both standard and bantam that came to our farm as mean little buggers. We sent our kids out after these roos (with supervision of course) and told them to catch those roosters and pack them around all day. Two - three days later every roo that we've done this to has become a childs pet. The worst was a banty roo the the owners gave to us because he was attacking their kids. This is that same roo after my kids had a turn at him.

It is possible to tame down even an adult roo. It will take time and patience. If we can tame these boys from adults, I don't doubt a person could do it starting from a chick. Good Luck!
Edited to add......yes, he was a breeding roo and was extremely aggressive in the beginning. We've dealt with mean roos this way for years. Some of the breeds have been Silkies, Leghorns, Standard and Bantam Cochins, RIR's and Black Australorps. They never had a chance with my kids on the farm

 

[bantymum]

What a lovely response, i love those pics.

 

[seriousbill]

Davaroo wrote:

Others want them to be mild mannered and "friendly," molded in some ideal image or mirror versions of themselves.

What is this, some kind of chicken-based psychoanalysis? LOL. A person doesn't have to anthropomorphize his bird to want a manageable one. Frankly, that's just a silly insult. I learned practical chicken-keeping from my parents, grand-parents, etc. My grandmother relied on her flock of chickens to help support her large family during the Depression, and it was no hobby for her. Life on the farm demands manageable stock, because we have work to do, and we have families, and we don't have time for mean animals. Sure roosters are proud fellas, and a healthy one is going to have some pizzazz and think pretty well of himself, but he's not going to bite the hand that feeds him. These are domestic farm animals, bred for centuries to be kept by mankind; so we're not talking about the Mountain Gorilla here, but the barnyard fer-godsakes chicken. So, I don't blame anyone for wanting a manageable rooster; it's just practical, and it has been for many, many years, at least where I come from. However, Dave does have a point about unsupervised small children being around mature cock birds. That is generally not good idea, just as it is not a good idea with nearly any other farm animal.

Buckeyes don't have the rep for meanness that RIRs have, and generally, I think they're fine farm birds, originated by a woman right here in my current home state. The few people I know who have them don't have any trouble with aggression, but Dave's right about another thing: individual birds are always going to vary, and the amount of contact with people makes little difference (if they're off-kilter and mean, it's in the blood). The Buckeye is a fine old heritage breed, though, bred for the family barnyard, so if it were me, I'd give them a go.​

 

[SandraMort]

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Heh. It takes a lot to offend me, especially when the well being of animals is concerned.

Fiddlesticks on the whole handling from birth and hoping thing. Aggressive is relative to each individual bird AND human.
How many people come on here shocked to find that their precious little roo-boy has suddenly become a feathered demon in their midst?
Some people, like me, are willing to accept them for what they are and leave them to be that. Others want them to be mild mannered and "friendly," molded in some ideal image or mirror versions of themselves. I would suggest you decide what it IS you want a cock to be, first.

See, thats why I'm asking. I've only spent time w/ hens. I would never consider bringing an animal (ANY kind, not just roosters) into my home without having some idea of what to expect and how to deal with it.

Then, understand that you can little more mold him to your whims than the wind. You may have some influence, but he will be what he is, for the most part.

Which is... what? I know Foghorn Leghorn is not a good example to look at, but that's about all I've been exposed to. I've learned MASSIVE amounts just sitting in the chat room and listening and wandering through old posts and reading, but clearly (and I mean that in the best way, I'm not upset to admit it) that isn't enough to base a decision on.

Well, maybe. There is a lot of variablility in that and no predictability. You seem to have noticed that yourself. I would recommend that you plan to keep the best two cocks should you go that route and whatever happens, committ to their stewardship beforehand. These creatures dont fit into utterly predictable patterns.

That makes sense. If I have two cocks, then I'd need, oh... say twenty hens? Or will I need more than that?

Children have an uncanny ability to send chickens into fits.

Children have an uncanny ability to send MOST animals into fits. I'm well aware that even the nine year old (my oldest) should not be around them unsupervised.

When I came up around a farm, one of the rules was that children hadda be big enough to handle themselves before being turned loose. Until then, they were kept away from the livestock as much as possible, even when escorted.

Well, not being around them while escorted isn't an option. I'll be alone with the kids for most of the week.

Today, most chicken pet people want everyone to "get along and be happy... just one jolly family, mucking about the yard." But I'm not convinced chickens share that notion. At least they don't act like it.

*nod*

I would like to break the mold here and suggest you plan to keep the little children away from the cocks, until you see they're fit to be around them. They should be closely escorted, taught good manners and how to act around them until then. Even then there are no guarantees with an explosive cock and his harem.

Even if they don't free range and the kids don't go in? As of yet, I don't have a place to live and it's very likely that the landlord will say no to it. She has already said that I will need a fence for the chickens, so I'm guessing she may veto free ranging.

It might be wisest to NOT have any cocks until the time is right.

Heh. I'm not having *ANY* birds until the time is right. Wish I could bring them home NOW NOW NOW but really, I'm still in the research phase.

These are largish birds, with rapacious dispositions at times, doing what they do. I'm glad you are taking your stewardship seriously.

Whether destined for the freezer or producing eggs & chicks, they're living things with the right to decent lives (for however long) and the basic respect they deserve.

No offense taken at all

 

[rooster-red]

Check out my page on roo behavior, the link is in my sig line.

 

[SandraMort]

At this point in time, my plan is to have ALL of the chickens in a place that is adults only. I may end up putting the older two kids' chickens in their own tractors, only to be moved or opened with adult supervision. And all the rest will go in the barn and fenced run.

Good to know about the silkies, they look so sweet! I guess it's like shiba inus. They're gorgeous and little but they are NOT children's dogs.

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