Aggressive rooster

[gimmie birdies]

I like some your ideas! Def do what works for you!

 

[chicksandchores]

But you already said you started kicking and throwing things at him when he was 6 months old. Although you may feel justified by your behavior, are actions abusive to the animal. Lucky you don't live in Massachusetts because animal abuse is a felony. If you feel threatened by any of your animals, then re-home them don't hurt them.

Actually, you are incorrect. I did not say that's when I started doing those things, I said that's when he started acting out. If I throw things at him, it's in his general direction, to get him to leave me alone and stay away from me, not to cause physical harm. I do not hold him down and kick him, I do not kick him directly in the rib cage or in the head if I can help it. I kick up under his sternum, so rather than hurting him, the kick sends him back and away and gets my message through. He has only hollered once when I kicked him, and he's vocal about any harm being brought to him, and I caught him in an off stance because my hands were full of delicate day-old chicks and I didn't have the right balance. You can tell me all day long I'm "abusing" this animal but that simply isn't the case. When you come to my house and watch me interact with my flock, THEN you can decide that.

I am not saying you are abusing anything, like the other lady said, if you hear the charge coming, sometimes you can face them, (they like to jump from behind) then they pretend the were eating by you, then you go after them, not to kick but to pick up, or just get in his space, he will get the message, just don't turn your back. But hopefully your kicking days are done, just think of other ways of dealing. Also you think you are not training by kicking but you are. sometimes it can start as a game or you may think the first time was funny, just like you can teach a dog bad habits like with tug-o-war.

I have faced off with him MANY times. Kicking is not my first resort and was never my first resort. He won't come within arm's reach or I'd pick him up. I've followed him around for five minutes and the SECOND I try to walk away (without my back to him, always with my side or front to him) him, there he is again, challenging me. I kick only in response to being spurred, and a majority of the time I try not to kick him. I'll do what I just said; follow him or chase him around, challenge him back, challenge him and walk towards him in the hopes he submits and goes away, etc. etc. etc.
As a result of the post you included, I may start training him tonight or tomorrow with those same methods, and he will have one week from the start to shape up or he's going in a nice, tasty stew. Initially, like I said in an earlier post, his final day was set to be tomorrow. I truly do not want to kill this bird, but if his attitude does not improve, he will be sentenced to death without further question. He's had chance after chance, and as someone has told me, there are far too many nice roosters out there to keep an aggressive one.

 

[SurferchickinSB]

I am looking for help with my newly aggressive rooster.
He is an almost 1 year old sapphire gem i raised Him as a baby.
He had been very sweet and docile to everyone including the hens.
This was until about 6 months ago when he was aggressive to my son then to me. Then it stopped and started again.
Aggressive being fluffing his feathers and pecking at me enough to draw blood through my clothes. I stomped my feet and yelled.
Well yesterday he was pacing the fence when i was on the outside, when i went in he followed me and attacked my leg, i kicked him away and he came back even harder, jumping at me.
Is there anything i can do to
Stop or improve his behavior?

I think he’ll just get worse and I wouldn’t want to always be looking over my shoulder. Chickens are for you to enjoy and that does not sound enjoyable.If you want to deal with that over the next year, there is a lot of information on this site about that, but like a lot of people say there are a lot of really nice roosters out there that need a home.

 

[Dawnclucks22]

I should also add; my rooster is also only a little over a year old. He, too, started a little under six months ago and I let it continue for this long. I’ve kicked him numerous times, thrown things at him, he generally stays away after the first kick but he’s been known to return with more vengeance.

Throwing things at a rooster only angers them further. I would advise treating the roo as a dominant male would treat a subordinate (“pecking” on the head, “mounting”, etc). Chickens don’t understand human behavior, but when humans imitate what they do naturally sometimes they catch on.

 

[chicksandchores]

Throwing things at a rooster only angers them further. I would advise treating the roo as a dominant male would treat a subordinate (“pecking” on the head, “mounting”, etc). Chickens don’t understand human behavior, but when humans imitate what they do naturally sometimes they catch on.

I plan to use the method that getaclue has shared from another thread. I tried the "mounting" thing and it was to no avail.

 

[CindyinSD]

My opinion, fwiw, is that you should (after a trial of Beekissed’s methods if you like) have the rooster to dinner. I think you mentioned children... actually, now I think of it, I’d cull him ASAP.

1. You may learn to be head rooster, but will small children be able to pull that off?
2. Roosters are primarily for breeding. This is not a roo you ought to breed. If he was a show-boy, best of breed, etc., I guess it might be different, but I didn’t get the impression that was the case.
3. You have at least one other roo (that you mentioned). Let them take care of the hens’ needs.
4. As you said, there are nice boys out there. Wouldn’t it be better to have a nice boy instead of a bad boy?

 

[busymomof4]

I think he’ll just get worse and I wouldn’t want to always be looking over my shoulder. Chickens are for you to enjoy and that does not sound enjoyable.If you want to deal with that over the next year, there is a lot of information on this site about that, but like a lot of people say there are a lot of really nice roosters out there that need a home.

Thank you!
We all enjoyed him until he went after my son then me and is now much worse.
I always pet him and things like. Now I don’t know what is happening and i feel very bad

 

[busymomof4]

My opinion, fwiw, is that you should (after a trial of Beekissed’s methods if you like) have the rooster to dinner. I think you mentioned children... actually, now I think of it, I’d cull him ASAP.

1. You may learn to be head rooster, but will small children be able to pull that off?
2. Roosters are primarily for breeding. This is not a roo you ought to breed. If he was a show-boy, best of breed, etc., I guess it might be different, but I didn’t get the impression that was the case.
3. You have at least one other roo (that you mentioned). Let them take care of the hens’ needs.
4. As you said, there are nice boys out there. Wouldn’t it be better to have a nice boy instead of a bad boy?

Thank you.
I didn’t want a rooster, we got him in the mix of all females. He had been such a good boy before so i just kept him. We actually rehabilitated him from a hawk attack. We put him in chicken hospital. We fixed him up.
Now he is so aggressive. He paces the fence when im outside of it.
I feel very bad about this

 

[CindyinSD]

It’s sad when your kindness is repaid by agression. You want to give the roo a good life but he isn’t cooperating. Maybe the whole thing could have been averted had you known to treat him as a subordinate from the start, but you didn’t know. Not your fault. I did the same thing with my kids. Super dumb, but I did the best I knew to do at the time. Sometimes you just have to trust God to sort out your tangles. He will. No one else can.

There are so very many things to know. Though we try, we can’t know them all, not all at once. We usually don’t even know where our ignorances lie, so how can we correct them until we discover them? You do the best you can, try not to make the same mistake twice, and you forgive yourself and move on.

Right now you need to protect your son and yourself and be the guardian of your flock—not their buddy—their shepherd. You could make a separate pen for the aggressive roo, maybe even give him another roo to keep him company, if you’re committed to keeping him alive. Nothing wrong with that except it’s a bit draining on your energy and resources. Personally I’d cull him. He’s a chicken not a human. Very primitive, instinctual creature. That said, what’s right for me may not be what’s right for you. Just don’t go flogging yourself over this. You’re no different than anyone else. We all do our best and keep trying to do better. None of us have arrived. Be kind to yourself.

 

[busymomof4]

It’s sad when your kindness is repaid by agression. You want to give the roo a good life but he isn’t cooperating. Maybe the whole thing could have been averted had you known to treat him as a subordinate from the start, but you didn’t know. Not your fault. I did the same thing with my kids. Super dumb, but I did the best I knew to do at the time. Sometimes you just have to trust God to sort out your tangles. He will. No one else can.

There are so very many things to know. Though we try, we can’t know them all, not all at once. We usually don’t even know where our ignorances lie, so how can we correct them until we discover them? You do the best you can, try not to make the same mistake twice, and you forgive yourself and move on.

Right now you need to protect your son and yourself and be the guardian of your flock—not their buddy—their shepherd. You could make a separate pen for the aggressive roo, maybe even give him another roo to keep him company, if you’re committed to keeping him alive. Nothing wrong with that except it’s a bit draining on your energy and resources. Personally I’d cull him. He’s a chicken not a human. Very primitive, instinctual creature. That said, what’s right for me may not be what’s right for you. Just don’t go flogging yourself over this. You’re no different than anyone else. We all do our best and keep trying to do better. None of us have arrived. Be kind to yourself.

Thank you so much for your kind words.
Sadly, I think he will be culled.
I worry so much about what he will do.