Aggressive Rooster

[mdshec]

I got a flock of 10 birds free because someone was moving. one of the roosters is rather aggressive. He attacks me if I get too close to the hens unless I have food and those spurs don't feel good. He is pure black copper marans, with feathered legs. He is also the father of the other 3 roosters and the hens in the flock that are all mixed with other breeds.

Part of me wants to put him in the freezer, but the other part of me thinks he would be a better protector of the flock against prey animals.

I live on 3.5 acres that they have full access to along with about 500 acres surrounding me that is private own woodland / farmland.

I have only had them for about a week and have just started letting them out of the cage.

Advice?

 

[sourland]

Get rid of him and two of his sons. 4 roosters in a flock of 10 birds will result in many problems. Roosters can be protective without being human aggressive.

 

[chickens really]

What you don't understand is the Roosters/Cockerels will stand off from a dominant Rooster for a time ..Then as Hormones get higher they fight..An attacking human aggressive Rooster needs to be culled from a flock..

 

[RoostersAreAwesome]

If one of my roosters tries to attack me, I stomp my foot right in front of him. This is a better alternative to kicking him, as that might cause him to become more aggressive and could possibly injure him.

Anytime he shuffles towards you or even gives you a weird look, grab him and hold him firmly to the ground, making sure he can't flap his wings. Once he stops struggling, let him up. Don't let him get close to or eat with the hens while you're present. This teaches him that YOU are the dominant rooster, not him.

 

[StrawberryMoon]

I'm not quite a full year into this myself, but I'll comment since I have been successfully maintaining 9 cockerels. Mine are pretty gentle as a rule, but here's what works for me when they start to act up.

1. Don't take any crap from him. Zero. Zilch. Nada. If he so much as looks at you funny, you need to take on that challenge to maintain (or attain) your spot as the alpha rooster. This is not just for your protection, but it will also help to maintain order in the flock.
2. If he shows you aggression, don't fight back. This will antagonize him, and he will feel pressured to fight you. He may not even want to fight you, but he won't feel like he has a choice. Instead, try to communicate on his level. I pick my boys up, cradle them on their backs in one arm, and tip their heads slightly downward. This puts them in a submissive position where they don't have power to fight. I hold them like this for at least 5-10 minutes. I soothe them during this time by gently stroking their chest and chin, and humming softly their favorite songs. It sounds so crunchy but I swear, they get it. They love music and have strong opinions about the tune. Mine really like slow, harmonic tunes. A good song can calm them down when they're feeling agitated. They all have their favorite spots to be rubbed, but all of mine seem to enjoy the chin/chest area. By the time I put them down, they seem calmer and a little embarrassed, and they just walk away quietly.
3. Make sure you're giving them adequate attention and entertainment when they're not being aggressive. Just like with human children, they act up when they're bored. No plants to graze? Peck. No room to spread out? Peck. No interesting food available? Peck. Provide them with plenty of space, interesting treats if there's no grass available, and some nice high perches.
4. Rub them down regularly with Peck-No-More in the problem spots. My boys like to peck each other on feet and combs, so that's where I put it. They quickly figure out that their roommates don't taste good.

 

[EggSighted4Life]

Hi, hope you are enjoying BYC!

The attack will escalate to when you aren't even doing anything and your back is turned.

Freeze his tasty butt and be done with it. He can indeed protect the flock without being human aggressive.

If you aren't going to freeze him, then you should carry a stick and make him leave your area before proceeding. I also have a FBCM and he does not attack. Roosters *may* offer protection but they are often just a sacrifice to the predator. And any number of my hens can give predator warning... without crying wolf all the time like the boys do. The ladies get used to ignoring them.

How old are his so called "rooster" sons? So you have 4 boys and 6 gals? He is the dominant due probably to his maturity compared to the others that I'm guessing re still coming into their own and haven't YET challenged him. If my count is right... It's just a matter of time before them other boys start trying to breed and all the ladies will end up bald from too many boys clumsily learning to mate. Their protective hormones haven't kicked in yet as far as I can tell from your description. And their father is acting nasty.

That being said... you aren't his normal keeper and this is a whole new situation for him. Change is hard on creatures of habit. You MIGHT spend time training him and see if it works. See if he recognizes that you are the flock master and the giant who brings food daily. If you are new to chickens, I would get rid of EVERY single one of those boys and enjoy a hen flock for a while. How old are these daughters that you call hen? However if he attacked his previous owner, maybe they didn't disclose it and is why they ditched him. That information about his former behavior (if truthful) could help you make the right decision.

I got spurred by my FBCM once when he was fence fighting another boy. I was stupid and stuck my leg down there thinking it would be a distraction. It just drew the full force of a reaction from him which gave me a couple of bruises and 2 or 3 leg piercings from his punji spurs through my pants. I'm surprised at how much force his punch packed. It hurt and DID give me a new respect for what a predator MIGHT come up against. However, when my dogs start howling and when I approach roost after dark (unknown predator)... he hunkers down into a corner if possible. Which I'm glad he chooses not to go after the dogs so far because that will be the day he meets his end here. Keep in mind I'm NOT afraid of being attacked and anyone who does so willfully (and not of my own stupidity) will not be tolerated.

So cool that you got a flock!

You and your flock will IN MY EXPERIENCE be happier without the constant harassment of hormone raging males. (Trust me, the hormones WILL kick in). Good luck with your decision, every situation will be a little different and need to be taken on it's own merit. The learning never stops!

 

[EggSighted4Life]

Nope no children - they are grown and gone. I have kicked him but it just gets him more agressive. maybe I didn't kick him hard enough. Luckily he is to big to really jump that high.

You are correct... for some boys it will absolutely just make them more determined to take you down. Aggression begets aggression. Some boys will back off and take note to avoid your space. I had one. a Swedish Flower boy who was sooo friendly as youngster. Sat on my lap and just hung out. Until one day he tried to pull a hen out of my lap. He then "brushed" the back of leg once.. which I wasn't sure what it was. It became obvious before long when he charged me at the fence, stared me down with the stink eye, and pretended to do busy work when I looked at him. Every attempt to correct his behavior was met with steadfast determination. It would have been a fight to the death, or very close. I decided to tolerate for a while because I was so in love with this "selected breeder". When I had enough of being attacked and crowed at relentlessly, he finally went to camp! But it took a few months for my brain to get past his antics and not feel annoyed when another rooster would crow, despite loving to hear it. I did finally get over it and start enjoying my boys again. I keep a stag pen for grow outs and breeding boys in order to control my genetics and make sure my hens aren't being over mated. My lesson was learned... ZERO room for aggression beyond standard pecking order and minor squabbles. NEVER again will I wait that long when one shows their true colors regardless of their intended purpose at my place or how "rare" they are claimed to be.

One little dance or stomp towards me and I become offensive. The best defense is a good offense. I give a SHORT chase and correction with a long stick. Pvc pipe has great reach but gotta be careful about how much force you use.

That first instance was a major learning experience on my part. Now I set the tone, and we all lived happily ever after.

And we still name our boys... they say "the meaner the roo the sweeter the stew"... And he was the best "Ditto and dumplings" ever! Took me a long time to reach that point though... as it was also early on learning to process and we had to be mentally prepared. But now I know how to help out one of my birds if they get sick or injured beyond acceptable levels. A very valued skill.

 

[Abriana]

Find a way to become dominant. I had a super aggressive rooster but now he’s nice to me and boy is he a good protector. Three hawk attacks have been unsuccessful because of him, big dogs? Not a problem. He’s very confidant. I’ve had my flock for two years, and had two predator deaths. One was when a hen got out of the fence and was killed, and the other was when a young pullet was either taken by a hawk or the others began picking on her and killed her. I’m not sure which though.
If you can find a way to become boss then I would definitely keep him. He sounds like an amazing protector.

 

[tuesdaylove]

It's up to you to decide how much aggression you want to take from him. I don't have it in me to kill a rooster. I had an insanely aggressive Cochin rooster for five years, because I knew anyone else would kill him. He was mean up until the day he was killed by some wild canine. Mine would charge at my legs non-stop, and used to draw blood until he eventually broke his spurs off by charging into the fence. If he got really fired up, he'd fly up and try to get me in the face. He bit, badly. He did this both when he was kept alone and in two different flocks of hens. I have heard that you can tame a mean roo and get him under control, but I did not have any success with this. It'd be worth a try, though. I've heard you pick them up and hold them for as long as it takes, until they stop struggling and biting. You have to show them that you're not afraid of them.

I think your biggest problem is going to be your roo/hen ratio. Even if you have just one dominant rooster right now, the others may start to challenge him for leadership one day, and that can get really violent. And if the other roos ever start trying to mate the hens, that can get dangerous for the hens. Overmating can rip up their backs and pull out their feathers. If I were you, I would definitely re-home all but one rooster.

You could also re-home the aggressive one, if anyone is willing to have him, and keep one of the calmer ones.

 

[Abriana]

If one of my roosters tries to attack me, I stomp my foot right in front of him. This is a better alternative to kicking him, as that might cause him to become more aggressive and could possibly injure him.

Anytime he shuffles towards you or even gives you a weird look, grab him and hold him firmly to the ground, making sure he can't flap his wings. Once he stops struggling, let him up. Don't let him get close to or eat with the hens while you're present. This teaches him that YOU are the dominant rooster, not him.

Perfect! Not cruel or mean, not causing more aggression. You said it all!