Aggressive Rooster

[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.

 

[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!

 

[mdshec]

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!

Not new to chickens. Have had roosters before but I raised them and they were very friendly only occasionally showing aggression. But since I lived in town, once they got big enough they got cooked.

The 3 younger roosters are about 2 years old. All very big and all with what seems to be their position in the flock. Luckily I am always wearing jeans and cowboy boots the spurs haven't done any damage.

The previous own said the roosters never attacked her or her family. So it could be that I am just new to the "Flock" and he don't know how to take me yet. I can hand feed him, but once I try to reach out for a hen watch out, he is after me like white on rice.

The previous owner is moving and was getting rid of all her animals because the place they are moving to is not set up for them. I got them free and already have a dozen of their eggs in the incubator.

Leaning towards giving that rooster a couple more weeks since I have just recently let them start free ranging. Wondering since I had them locked up in a 10x10 fenced area that he was getting a little restless. But had no choice. Had to get them used to their new coop area.

 

[mdshec]

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.

I am hand feeding him meal worms, and he does come to me when I call him and the others. The times he has attacked me is the first time day I got him and walked into the coop to check water and feed. The second time was when I was trying to herd them all back into the fenced in area and used my foot to nudge a the last hen in, and he came at me very quickly. The third time was when I got between him and a hen and bent over to clear some branches out away from the feed door. So each time he attacked was more of a protective purpose, not just because.

I agree I think he will be a good protector, but I don't want to be attacked when my back is turned either. I am really leaning towards giving him a few weeks to get used to me and the new location.

 

[EggSighted4Life]

The 3 younger roosters are about 2 years old.

Wow, that's actually pretty old. Surprising that 6 girls aren't bare to the bones and that the boys are all OK! Did you get the whole flock or were others already gone?

Being cooped up can definitely cause some ants in your pants! I see my dogs act out (and myself ) and other animals will do the same.

All things (new information) considered... I would probably give him a chance too. And I would carry a stick. My boys seem to respect something they recognize. If I grab it they make a certain alarm sound and they pay attention. I haven't hit a single one. And they KNOW when I'm not carrying it... which is almost always. I mostly use it to stop any bullying. I'm not surprised the boys get along, just that they do so with the ladies. My boys get along, without the ladies.. until they get on opposite sides of the fence. Maybe he is a really good boy... ruling gently but allowing the boys to still stay.

He might be teachable. Sounds like you have a good understanding of what may have provoked his "early" attacks, could be very situational. You've got this!

What day are you expecting hatch?!!

 

[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.

 

[mdshec]

Wow, that's actually pretty old. Surprising that 6 girls aren't bare to the bones and that the boys are all OK! Did you get the whole flock or were others already gone?

Being cooped up can definitely cause some ants in your pants! I see my dogs act out (and myself ) and other animals will do the same.

All things (new information) considered... I would probably give him a chance too. And I would carry a stick. My boys seem to respect something they recognize. If I grab it they make a certain alarm sound and they pay attention. I haven't hit a single one. And they KNOW when I'm not carrying it... which is almost always. I mostly use it to stop any bullying. I'm not surprised the boys get along, just that they do so with the ladies. My boys get along, without the ladies.. until they get on opposite sides of the fence. Maybe he is a really good boy... ruling gently but allowing the boys to still stay.

He might be teachable. Sounds like you have a good understanding of what may have provoked his "early" attacks, could be very situational. You've got this!

What day are you expecting hatch?!!

I am expecting my second attempt of using an incubator Feb 24. My first attempt did not turn out well. 1 chick out of 12 and then it drowned. 4 others died in the shell. 7 did not appear to be fertilized. But those were from a lady that had 1 rooster for 12 hens.

Update, I yesterday I seen the other boys mounting certain hens with no arguments. And they were not the same ones I saw the big guy mounting. I might have to watch closer - cause even hens have a pecking order so they might be pairing up with the other roosters in the same order.

 

[mdshec]

Wow, that's actually pretty old. Surprising that 6 girls aren't bare to the bones and that the boys are all OK! Did you get the whole flock or were others already gone?

Being cooped up can definitely cause some ants in your pants! I see my dogs act out (and myself ) and other animals will do the same.

All things (new information) considered... I would probably give him a chance too. And I would carry a stick. My boys seem to respect something they recognize. If I grab it they make a certain alarm sound and they pay attention. I haven't hit a single one. And they KNOW when I'm not carrying it... which is almost always. I mostly use it to stop any bullying. I'm not surprised the boys get along, just that they do so with the ladies. My boys get along, without the ladies.. until they get on opposite sides of the fence. Maybe he is a really good boy... ruling gently but allowing the boys to still stay.

He might be teachable. Sounds like you have a good understanding of what may have provoked his "early" attacks, could be very situational. You've got this!

What day are you expecting hatch?!!

Oh and yeah got the whole flock as a group. the only ones that were missing is that someone already took her easter Eggers / Americanas. But out of this group I have at least 1 olive egger. Cause I am getting an olive colored egg each day.

 

[mdshec]

Here are some pictures of the flock and the cage area I have for dusk and dawn which is highest chance of the 4 legged predetors

 

[EggSighted4Life]

1 chick out of 12 and then it drowned

What is your incubation humidity? I did my first round of Maran's eggs at 10% and raised to 65% for lock down, had 9/12 hatch. Could just be luck (on my part), but drowning might mean your humidity was too high. I was shocked to look back and read my notes and see it sooo low. I've been doing 45% on these ones so far.. Expecting hatches on the 8th, 10th, and 24th of February!

the only ones that were missing is that someone already took her easter Eggers / Americanas

I was wondering if the female ratio used to be higher and that's why the gals aren't bare? But I do see one female missing her tail feathers and another light colored one with some balding on her head. So it's at least starting.

Your eggs are pretty. Your Marans rooster will heavily influence the color of his daughter's eggs. Looking at your boy, I think he might be Wheaton Marans..
http://www.maransofamericaclub.com/wheaten-marans.html

Love all the pics!