Aggressive rooster attacked my sister! What should I do?

[oneoftheflock4]

Either butcher or rehome him to a farm that doesn’t mind taking in an aggressive rooster, but kicking him will only make it worse for everyone. On another note, never have bare legs and feet around known aggressive animals. They will take advantage of the lack of protection and attack where you are most vulnerable.

Agree that kicking or other punishment will likely worsen the issue. He’s already seeing humans as a threat and hurting or scaring him reinforces that.

I think my rooster may have become more aggressive because in the past with his keeper he was kicked and put in his place when he displayed dominant or aggro behaviors around the farm (they are natural flock protectors) just reinforcing his need to be protective around people.

 

[calychicken]

What breed is your roo @calychicken ?

He's a cochin, super cute but super-fast when he runs at you

 

[oneoftheflock4]

No. He will respect me (and other humans) regardless of how I look or smell. Or he will die

It’s not so much an issue of respecting you (in the way that we think of it) but understanding you aren’t a threat and your roles with each other. It’s their job to be protective of the flock to a point and sometimes they don’t feel safe and secure with people. They are smaller and more vulnerable than us and we can help teach them better ways sometimes. Some might just be jerks but there might be a solvable reason that can be explored. Just another perspective to chew on that isn’t rooster meat

 

[oneoftheflock4]

I've been raising chickens my whole life, and I can back this. I totally agree that the "kick them and hurt them" cure is not right (or humane). My rooster is aggressive. But I think it always comes from somewhere. For him, he was a great roo until my grandpa kicked him. After that, he hated boots. He also hates red pants. And the last point you made, that is absolutely correct! Many folks just see that they are mean or attack and kill them. If you take the time to be with them, and know them, maybe it won't be as much as a problem.

I like what you’ve shared. Also think it’s interesting how people will respond with the ultimate aggression of killing them in response to a more minor aggression they disagree with. I do understand they can be dangerous and it doesn’t feel good to get spurred or pecked. I’ve had my share of this but personally think its worth the effort to try and resolve the underlying issue and try to keep them.

Some people are just waiting for a good day to put the rooster in their fridge though for food, and thats their choice as a farmer.

 

[oneoftheflock4]

X 4!

The old trope that a bully of a rooster is only doing it because of what the victim is wearing is ludicrous.

My mom wears colorful patterns, I wear grey, black, and pink. None of ours have treated us differently based on that.
I wear boots, she wears colorful pull-ons. No difference.
She smokes cigarettes, I won't go anywhere near the smoke for my nose's sake. No difference.
I use tropical smelling soaps, she likes Lavender. No difference.

We act the same, treat the chickens the same, and get rid

 

[oneoftheflock4]

Clothing, movement, posture, noise are all irrelevant. Wearing the wrong color or making the wrong motion does not justify violent behavior

Kindness deserves kindness. Only violence deserves violence. If your rooster treats your kindness with violence then that's an abusive relationship, as the above poster wisely mentioned

My own roosters are perfect gentlemen, regardless of how we what we do or wear

With all due respect to yours and other similar perspectives, please consider that while they are intelligent creatures (some say as intelligent as young children) they are a different species than us with a different social order and intelligence than us. They are also much smaller and more vulnerable than us, and instinctually protective. Maybe you wouldn’t want to end up in a soup pot either! For me I’ve found extending respect and kindness to them has helped with teaching them a different way to relate. Also learning more about how they communicate. It’s a work in progress.

 

[FrostRanger]

I like what you’ve shared. Also think it’s interesting how people will respond with the ultimate aggression of killing them in response to a more minor aggression they disagree with. I do understand they can be dangerous and it doesn’t feel good to get spurred or pecked. I’ve had my share of this but personally think its worth the effort to try and resolve the underlying issue and try to keep them.

Some people are just waiting for a good day to put the rooster in their fridge though for food, and thats their choice as a farmer.

It's not just about the rooster being unpleasant, the issue is temperment is absolutely genetic so an aggressive rooster is significantly more likely to father aggressive offspring. Even if you yourself can manage, if you hatch chicks and give them away, their new owner is much more likely to have issues and if they have kids it could end in disaster if not addressed quickly. The nicest roosters come from places that aggressively cull for human aggression. It's not a pleasant part of farming, but if you want nice animals, treat them with respect and don't put up with the mean ones as they'll pass it on to their offspring. Birds that overreact to something as simple as pants or shoes do not have sound temperment and should not be bred

 

[Yard Farmer]

I will for ever side with culling an aggressive rooster, or any animal for that matter.
An animals life is far less valuable then an animals.

 

[oneoftheflock4]

It's not just about the rooster being unpleasant, the issue is temperment is absolutely genetic so an aggressive rooster is significantly more likely to father aggressive offspring. Even if you yourself can manage, if you hatch chicks and give them away, their new owner is much more likely to have issues and if they have kids it could end in disaster if not addressed quickly. The nicest roosters come from places that aggressively cull for human aggression. It's not a pleasant part of farming, but if you want nice animals, treat them with respect and don't put up with the mean ones as they'll pass it on to their offspring. Birds that overreact to something as simple as pants or shoes do not have sound temperment and should not be bred

You might be projecting what your perspective of overreacting is onto an animal of a different species, who is also more scared of you than you are of them though. To them it may not be overreacting. I read they have amazing vision so maybe way more sensitive to visual stimuli than we are, and instinctually more hyper vigilant to potential predators.

There may be a genetic component but environment and how they are treated or previous experience can also be factors. I have two roosters that are related and they have unique personalities, at least in some ways at this point. The younger one who wasn’t getting kicked hasn’t shown any aggression toward me at all.

My point more simply is just that human aggression and culling a rooster for their aggressive behavior isn’t always the only solution. There are ways to explore resolving these issues and living and working better with them, for those inclined and with more patience. If you’re farming them for meat that may be a different story. If your keeping them to be flock protectors and mates, or as family pets though, it might be more worthwhile to consider what kindness and respect looks like to them.

*editing to add*
At least this is what I’m choosing and exploring myself and have learned some things in the process. I appreciate hearing others experiences and still have a lot to learn about chicken keeping.

There may be a point where an aggressive rooster is too unmanageable to live with but I’m not there yet.

 

[talkinboutchickens]

Hi,
in the meantime before you re-home or cull him, if you must go in the coop/run, what I did is I used a metal trash can lid as a shield, and when I would go in the coop or run I would use that lid to block him.
I'm adding now that I have never and will never cull any animal, I just gave that to you as an option that many people choose.
Good luck!