Aggressive Rooster -- hate the thought of butchering this pretty boy!

[Orp]

I'm hoping that someone can give me guidance as to how to handles this fellow's behavior. He is an 18 month old Marans -- yeah, I read that some are aggressive. Problems began when I combined two flocks for the winter. I purchased the Marans straight run and, much to my dismay, ended up with 5 roosters. One of the five was dominant and he was the first to end up in the freezer. Four were given away or butchered. I kept "Silver Splash" who appeared to be submissive.

For winter it was necessary for me to combine the youngsters with my older flock of hens and a black Araucana rooster I call Blackie. I did this over a week or so placing two at a time inside a dog crate, inside the coop so everyone could adjust. After a couple days I would let them out, then add 2 more. No problem . . . until it was time to introduce the Marans. Even though he had a hen to accompany him he immediately became upset attempting to "fight" with Blackie though the crate. By the second day he managed to draw blood. I was not there to witness the event but Blackie ended up with a broken leg. He is back to roosting now and I believe he has healed completely. Needless to say, I never did release the Silver Splash for fear of additional damage. He continues to live in the dog crate with the rest of the flock surrounding him.

His behavior is troubling. He attacks me daily when I feed and water. I am unable to open the crate door without taking measures to protect my hands. He is not interested in escaping, he really wants to attack me.

I have to wait for the weather to warm up here before I attempt any "corrective behavior". Any advice out there? I have read previous threads that suggest holding him until he calms down. He is a fabulous looking fellow and I know he will do a great job in protecting the hens. I hate the thought of seeing him go.

 

[GD91]

He's just doing his job.

One thing you could try.... bring him indoors with no food. Then he has to wait until you feed him. Maybe then he'll start to see you as a good thing....

Or Rooster Dance at him! You'll look ridiculous, but it sometimes works....

Or bath him.... heard of that one to

......

Or chase him around the yard....

Or clip his spurs......

Or walk off & ignore his behavior......

Or wrap yourself up so your just protected when you go out. Don't forget the beehive helmet, sunglasses & waders

......

Or put him in the freezer. This method works best.

 

[bobbi-j]

He's that aggressive, and you want to keep him, why? The fight with the other rooster was a normal thing. Throw two roosters together and they will fight (even through the bars of a cage or a fence) to establish dominance. Personally, I would not keep this rooster any longer. I have chickens because I enjoy them, and when a rooster takes away that enjoyment, it will go to the freezer. I do not like having to watch my back or have to cover my hands, or wear protective clothing to go do chores. There are those who believe that aggressive traits are passed on to future generations. Do you want to breed a bunch more mean roosters? A non-human aggressive rooster is just as capable of "protecting his flock" as a mean one. You can try to "dominate" him, and he may learn to be submissive to you. But what about anyone else? Do you have small children that come visit? They would always be at risk of being attacked by this bird. How about other adults? He may attack them, too. Do you want to take the chance of him harming a guest at your home? Maybe he doesn't free range and is always in a coop and run. Do you want to have to watch your back at all times? Sometimes they will act submissive when you get after them, but really all you are teaching them is to be more sneaky. You're the only one who can make a decision on what to do with this rooster, but I know what mine would be...

 

[GD91]

Maybe its because he's frustrated locked in a dog crate. Can't you put him in a run with 3-4 girls?

Too be honest I can & would do whats above if he didn't change. You will get fed up of him being like that, no matter how pretty he looks.

We have a nice cockerel & an aggressive one. The aggressive one won't be living much longer. We have only four pullets & thought "she" was a pullet to.

My other boy is very sweet & pretty. The nasty one is a big ugly grey barred thing

There are lots of nice roo's that are very pretty. Why go out of your way for one which probably won't (& doesn't) appreciate it, even if he is pretty?

I hope for your happiness that he does change, but if not.....

Just saying....

 

[Orp]

Lots of good advice -- thank you! I've been scrolling around other threads and found this:


Generally, two or more roosters will only get along with each other if they have been raised together (same age), and are not near hens. If there are hens in the picture, the roos will fight each other to be the dominant roo.

What I might try is to let the hens free range inside my barn, keeping the two roosters in the coop. My coop is just a 12 by 12 horse stall inside a barn where I store hay, horse trailer, truck, gear, etc. The girls will be thrilled if they were allowed to roam inside that space. Meanwhile I can introduce the 2 roosters and monitor the behavior. I wonder too if having him inside that dog crate is frustrating him and a a cause of his aggression.

I suspect that he will end up in the freezer, but I would really like to keep him if possible.

 

[aart]

If you really want to keep him, give him his own coop away from the other rooster and hens.
But if he is that aggressive in his own coop, then you really don't want to breed him anyway.....he'll just make more mean roosters.

 

[donrae]

He's that aggressive, and you want to keep him, why? The fight with the other rooster was a normal thing. Throw two roosters together and they will fight (even through the bars of a cage or a fence) to establish dominance. Personally, I would not keep this rooster any longer. I have chickens because I enjoy them, and when a rooster takes away that enjoyment, it will go to the freezer. I do not like having to watch my back or have to cover my hands, or wear protective clothing to go do chores. There are those who believe that aggressive traits are passed on to future generations. Do you want to breed a bunch more mean roosters? A non-human aggressive rooster is just as capable of "protecting his flock" as a mean one. You can try to "dominate" him, and he may learn to be submissive to you. But what about anyone else? Do you have small children that come visit? They would always be at risk of being attacked by this bird. How about other adults? He may attack them, too. Do you want to take the chance of him harming a guest at your home? Maybe he doesn't free range and is always in a coop and run. Do you want to have to watch your back at all times? Sometimes they will act submissive when you get after them, but really all you are teaching them is to be more sneaky. You're the only one who can make a decision on what to do with this rooster, but I know what mine would be...

Again, bobbi-j typed out exactly what I would have said. Pretty alone is no reason to keep a rooster. Mean is a great reason to eat a rooster.