aggressive roo

[chickie_mama]

I have a cochin roo that has suddenly turned very aggressive. He is perfectly fine with all the other chickens and ducks. He is also perfectly fine with my other roo.

He is NOT fine with humans. Anytime any of us are out in the yard, he comes charging at us and "spurs" us. OUCH!

How can I break him of this. He only started doing this since early spring. I really don't want to have George for Sunday dinner.

 

[srt4chick]

I am with you! I have 3 Buff Orpington roosters, Bullwinkle is my dominant, he is about 8 months old, the others are 7 months old. He has always been so sweet! My 3 year old used to be able to go out and pick him up and carry him around and she would pet him and feed him all the treats he wanted! Then, about a month ago, we were outside and my daughter was throwing scratch out (like she does ever day!!) and when she turned her back to throw some the other way, he ran up behind her and attacked her!!

He doesn't have spurs yet but he did "bite" her and tried to spur her! I ran over and jerked her up in my arms and he acted like he was going to come at me so I stomped and yelled at him and he backed off slightly until I turned to take my daughter in and he cam charging at me again! I kicked him to get him back and walked backwards all the way to the house.

My daughter loves him and said I needed to go kick him, "but not kick him dead!" lol Since then I have carried him around "tightly" as I have read to do (all the while he tried to bite my fingers but I wore leather gloves in anticipation of this) ad several times he has still been aggressive toward me and my children. I'm curious if it is because he is the "big boy" in the roost or if that is just his temperament. Should I sell him or will one of my other roos just become the new "Bullwinkle"??? I hate it that I can't let my daughter play in the yard when the chickens are out and I hate not letting my chickens free range when I am home! HELP!

 

[Chickpeep]

I just had a very aggressive RIR Rooster. He was given to me by a family that was being attacked on a daily basis. I have been told by folks on this board that Roosters that are handled a lot during their formative times will become aggressive. Don't know why but the family that gave him to me thought He was a She and treated him like a pet. He turned out extremely aggressive.

Roosters are by their very nature territorial. They will attack anything and everything that they deem to be encroaching on that Territory. Then only time this is an exception (that I have noted anyway) is when there is another more "Boss" Rooster around. Then they behave like model citizens most of the time. Every now and again they have to be taught their place in life by the "Boss."

There, that is the introduction. Now how I cured my rooster. When I brought him home, I placed him in his own pen right next to the back deck of my house. I wanted to show him that he was not the top guy around here. I was. For one week (7 days) I took a super soaker water gun of my boys. Whenever the Roo would crow, he got a dosing of water. At first he was indignant and just kept on crowing until he was finished. As time wore on he could be interrupted mid crow and start looking for a way out of the pen. I also thought I was doing good by picking him up and walking him around the property and talking calmly to him. When I explained this on this site, I was told by a very experienced member that I was just irritating the Roo all the more and making matters worse. That was the day the he had been in the pen for 7 days.

Even though he was no longer trying to bite or peck us, I was worried that my 15 RIR hens would be treated aggressively as had the previous owners hens. So I devised a plan. I am able to call my girls around me with a call (they want scratch). I did so. Then I put the Roo down with them. I also had in my hand a hollow plastic ball we toss for out dogs. Not real hard, but good enough for a short, accurate toss. When I put him down he immediately started to assert his rule over my girls by trying to mount every one that was near him. Last Lesson: I took the ball (I am a fairly good shot with it) and I pelted him right in the breast with it. He flapped into the air landed 3 feet backward and stopped his aggressive behavior to the girls. Since that day he has been a model citizen. He has protected the girls from hawks flying overhead that I did not see until after it had flown by. My family is NEVER attacked. He will stand still until I am 2 feet or so near him then he moves off quickly. He has now been with us for 3 weeks and although my girls treat him as if he was head honcho, he also recognizes that he is not. He fends off attacks from the neighbors cat, and protects them from hawks.

He will never be tame, then I wouldn't want him to be. He is there for their protection and to continue my flock growth. Maybe one day dinner. I am not sure I like RIR's they are flighty. But that is a story for another time. I realize that this sounds cruel. That is why I explained what I did above kind of from his point of view. He had to be made aware of who the "Cock of this Roost" was. And it has worked. I may have to remind him of this lesson a few times in the future as he matures more and thinks he is the next "Boss." But for now, he is doing the job I wanted him for without aggressive behavior.

There are some breeds that will allow you to treat them like pets. This is not one of them. Give it a try, the only thing you have to loose is an aggressive Roo.

 

[blkpoodles]

i have 3 roosters, a polish, a silkie, and a EE, my polish and EE are the same age, going on 5 months, well my EE attacks me, he was friendly when i got him, but he goes at me hard core, i cant go in his pen, cant let him free range, cant go near him. i had to kick him to back him off but he goes even harder, i actually had to let one of my roos out to back him off, neither got hurt but i cant do this all the time(only had to do it twice). one can get seriously hurt. cant starve the guy of food or water, cant have a aggressive roo either. i have a baby and nieces and nephews. thought maybe he was lonely, but he attacks my hens. my husband wants to give him a try which i cant blame him he is pretty, this roo kept trying to go at me till i managed to go in this house through my side door, which means he kept going at me through my whole back yard. any ideas?

 

[Pinky]

Hold the rooster down on the ground and force his neck down. Hold him there until he stops trying to get away. Alternately you can hold him firmly in your arms and hold his neck down. It always works for me and doesn't hurt the bird, but you won't know if it will work for you until you try it yourself...

 

[blkpoodles]

Quote:
last time i grabbed my roo's neck he bit my lip

 

[Dirty Farmer]

Quote:

last time i grabbed my roo's neck he bit my lip

Next time, try grabbing him by the neck with your hands, not your mouth.

 

[Farm_Maven]

Quote:

last time i grabbed my roo's neck he bit my lip

Next time, try grabbing him by the neck with your hands, not your mouth.

 

[Pinky]

Quote:
last time i grabbed my roo's neck he bit my lip

Sorry, I should have explained better.
If you can catch the bird, grab it (nets are handy to have). Grab the bird around the body and get a good grip. While holding it football style(or on the ground with one hand(how I do it), get a hand around his neck( firm but not choking it or causing harm), preferbly near the head so he can't bite. Push his neck down in a submissive position, and hold it there until he stops trying to get away. When he stops struggling, let his neck go. If he holds his head high or tries to escape, do it again until he keeps his down, or at least lower than normal. Gloves or a thick towel are great for protection.
I'm sure there is someone who can explain it better, so forgive me if I confused you in any way

 

[blkpoodles]

Quote:

last time i grabbed my roo's neck he bit my lip

Next time, try grabbing him by the neck with your hands, not your mouth.

i did, and he got me good, he hates me, even when im nice to him he attacks me.