Aggressive rooster and small children, really need some answers asap

[Infinitydreamer]

Their always the sweetest...
Until their not.

My boy was the sweetest ever. Untill the little jerk bit me. I'm just glad he is bonded with my family or it could be alot worse.. Its kinda my fault though. I live in town and I bring him in at night so he doesn't disturb my neighbors. He only bites after 5. Everyone now knows; don't touch the roo after 5 pm.. Before 5 my 5 year old can carry him around no problem. After 5 though....
[/QUOTE]
It’s like a gremlin. Don’t feed them after midnight

 

[jgambre1]

I had to take care of roosters when I was young, and our defense was to walk into the coop with a paper bag. If one came after us, we would just shake the bag and it would retreat. After a while, they just quit coming after my little brother and I.

 

[wkshaddon]

We just purchased a rooster a few weeks ago, we only have a flock of 5 hens. When we first brought him home and for the first week or so he was wonderful. He seemed very sweet and gentle. Starting about a week ago he started attacking my smallest girl, he tried to attack my oldest girl who's job it is to feed them in the morning. She tells me he only did it once and I wasnt aware he was going after her. I thought it was only the smallest, who is 3 and I've had a rooster who did this before. We quickly got rid of that one. But I thought it may just be her small size, so I havnt left her alone with this one because of it . Well, now this rooster is also attacking me anytime I go into the coop. He grabbed my sleeve this morning and left a red mark on my wrist. I'm scared to enter the coop and so are my girls.
Obviously, we cant have this. My question is, is there anything that can be done to change this? Or do we simply need to get rid of him? He's a beautiful rooster and seemed great in the beginning, but no matter how beautiful or sweet I will not have a rooster that attacks. My girls, or myself. The first one he did it to was the smallest like I said, and I had to get aggressive with him and shove him away so I'm guessing he's attacking me now because I'm a threat?

I would have to agree with the grab him and flip him upside down suggestion. I have a drake that gives me attitude and will bite me when i try to pet him or enter his pen and i will flip him on his back and pin him to the floor for about 15 to 30 secs. and when i let him up he runs and nuzzles me.

 

[Victoria-nola]

Yep, I totally get that. It's only been a few weeks so I may end up contacting the guy I got him from and giving him back, refund or not. I was just so hopeful because at first he seemed SOOOO sweet I called him sweet pea.

I haven't read all the replies, but my experience is that if a rooster is attacking like he is, nothing is going to change his behavior, and I strongly recommend getting rid of him asap. I've been through it, trying to rehabilitate a rooster, and I didn't want to believe the people who told me there was no way and we should get rid of him. I've had aggressive roosters twice. The first time, I tried all the recommendations trying to save him, and nothing changed the behavior in any lasting way, no matter what. We rehomed him, and he then pecked a bloody hole in the cheek of a neighbor's child (who shouldn't have been in the yard, but was), and the new owners chose to eat him. The second time, a blue Ameracauna, he'd been super sweet for a long time, but then he went aggressive. He hunted down my godson, and I personally felt afraid. I tried everything because these birds were beautiful, they had a role to play, etc., but I didn't wait on the second one once I realized we had a new normal. In both instances, I had handled these roosters extensively, and I don't recommend that now.

Our next rooster never threatened humans ever, and he died of old age. We currently have 2 roosters (by accident, we didn't mean to have a second one), and neither of them would think of threatening a human. That's my point really. There are MANY MANY roosters who aren't aggressive with humans, so I feel strongly that no one, especially not a backyard chicken keeper, should accept rooster aggression as just part of keeping chickens. It's absolutely not. Please take the rooster back. Possibly consider NOT having a rooster for a while, or possibly get one from a different source.

I will say that I now have a policy of NOT handling roosters or becoming familiar with them in any way-- if I need to examine them or something, I take them off the roost at night so there's no issue of their needing to be tamed and catchable. I don't want them to perceive me as someone they have a relationship with, because their need to dominate is so strong that it tends to come out (especially with gentle folk). I respect their space, they respect my space, AND they don't see me as anyone they are competing with. In one case a few months ago, the older of the 2 roosters we have now eyeballed me while I was sitting quietly with my one lap chicken. I said out loud in a stern voice, "Don't even think about it," and he left the area and I haven't had any inklings since. So, that was a case where there was a slight episode but it never escalated. But in your situation, all these people saying they can cure the aggression, at what cost? Demonstrating to your children basically abuse of animals? None of it works anyway.

 

[Mouthpear]

I personally felt afraid.
Our next rooster never threatened humans ever

Well I haven't read all the replies either. LOL

They say animals sense fear. It may be true. I just find it odd and a bit humorous that people fear chickens. But it is not uncommon the people fear things that are way smaller than they are. Like snakes, spiders, bees, cats , dogs and a bunch of other animals. I just can't wrap my head around fearing chickens. Poisonous snakes and spiders yeah. Bees, well some people are allergic and hell the sting hurts like a mother. Cats and dogs do lots of harm to people and that's their own pets. Chickens?

I have had many chickens and roosters in my life and those rooster were very aggressive. Only one was not. Even when they went after children and adults not once did I feel any fear or that any of them were under any sort of threat. Most of the time I was laughing to hard that people would run from them.

Now I'm not against getting rid or putting down a rooster for so many reasons. Being a threat to humans is not one that has ever crossed my mind.

You know my last rooster I had was aggressive very but that didn't stop the small man (vagrant who lived in the lots behind us) from killing him and taking the other chickens. He did his best. I wish that your fears would have been true that day and that Michael would have been even the least bit of a threat to that man.

 

[LaFleche]

@ Mouthpear: Maybe despite your many years of chicken experience you are not familiar with the sight of wounds inflicted by aggressive rooster spurs.

Not only do they cut the sides of hens open when mating roughly but with humans they can easily take an eye out (happened to my old and chicken experienced neighbor) and inflict dangerous and infectious wounds - even more so on young children.

Have a look at the picture in this link, would you want to see this done to your toddlers face?:
www.backyardchickens.com/threads/help-hen-has-gaping-wound-from-roosters-spur-graphic-pic.664564/post-8970813

 

[The Happster]

I certainly am very soft when it comes to chickens, roosters ESPECIALLY. But I do think it should be taken seriously the damage they are capable of doing. I would find it slightly funny if someone was scared of a chicken, especially one I knew was harmless.
But I would not stand watching a rooster chasing a child, or even a fully grown adult.
This is how people GET the fears of this kind of animal. Not to mention that they can hurt people.

It's always sad to me to hear of a rooster who was killed. But it's way less horrific for a rooster to be killed than a child to be hurt by one.

 

[Mouthpear]

@ Mouthpear: Maybe despite your many years of chicken experience you are not familiar with the sight of wounds inflicted by aggressive rooster spurs.

Not only do they cut the sides of hens open when mating roughly but with humans they can easily take an eye out (happened to my old and chicken experienced neighbor) and inflict dangerous and infectious wounds - even more so on young children.

Have a look at the picture in this link, would you want to see this done to your toddlers face?:
www.backyardchickens.com/threads/help-hen-has-gaping-wound-from-roosters-spur-graphic-pic.664564/post-8970813

Do you know why I don't have any experience with those wounds? Well that's because I take care and remove spurs from any rooster that may have issues. It's that simple.

Your example, link you posted. Well I read it and all there was was speculation as to what could have happened. That's not any help to your argument. I have had a few times seen wounds like that on my chickens. Guess what? I didn't even have a rooster at that time. I found out that an opossum tried to reach in and take her. I had the video of what happened So how can you throw at up when it was not proven to be the rooster, when It could be other animals.

You know I even tried looking up statistics of rooster harming people. "how many people get injuries from roosters attacking" and did a search of "how many people get injuries from cats attacking"

Found a story. "A 76-year-old woman was pecked to death by her rooster while gathering eggs". Turns out to be fake news. She died from exsanguination when the rooster pecked her ankle and he varicose vein burst. Other than that it didn't even register as a statistic.

Cats "There are an estimated 400,000 cat bites each year. An estimated 66,000 hospital emergency visits each year are due to cat bites."

Oh and it seems you want to question or mock my experience with chickens, as if you don't know these things. I assure you have have lots of experience with animals. My huge rooster and giant dog friends would say I have more than most. LOL

 

[The Happster]

There are plenty of stories out there and correct ones of roosters hurting people.
This is no joke. Please stop treating it like one.
Are we talking about cats or chickens?

It's like saying, more people die to a car crash each day than to being mauled by a lion.
So lions aren't dangerous.
Please.

 

[The Happster]

I think you will find a lot of people will agree with LaFleche. I'm not here to have an argument. But frankly it disgusts me that you would talk so lightly of something like this.