aggressive rooster

[downsm75]

...

nawwww i couldnt kill him i would give him away before that happened 

i will try being nice to him when im around him but i would never kill him

i have no kids so that is fine i have lear Here are the Redwicket Rules for Roosters 1. You shall look pretty. If you don't look pretty, you go to the stew pot. 2. You shall be nice to hens. Rough up the hens, you go to the stew pot. 3. You shall not breed hens in front of me. If you try to breed a hen while I'm around, I will kick you. Hard. Those are MY hens, buster. 4. You belong to me. Therefore, I will pick you up off the roost any time I feel like it. I will carry you upside down, I will tickle your toes, I will look at your feathers, I will call you "Itsy Bitsy Cutie Wooty Widdly Rooster Baby." 5. You shall not take one single offensive action towards any human. The first offensive action, no matter how small (like looking at me mean with feathers puffed up) will result in you immediately being chased around the pasture as fast as I can go while I scream and squawk and try to hit you with whatever I'm carrying. After this, you will be punished by being picked up and carried around all the time. See #4. 6. The second offensive action taken toward any human, no matter how small, and you go into the stew pot. There are no third chances.


I LOVE these rules

 

[godsartfarms]

This is so funny. I now realize that all my "being sweet and carrying my roos around like babies" is actually the domination thing! When I originally thought it was the opposite: being calm and sweet made them "let" me pick them up and carry them like a babies. This is all so confusing. Having chickens has turned me into a bird brain!

I'd NEVER run from a roo and never kick him though. Just makes them worse and I have kids and inexperienced people over here often. When I do run into an aggro roo that is too much for me, we will eat him. As much as I love all of my pets, I'd rather he not hurt the other birds or my kids and other pets.

 

[Nikki99]

My rooster was headed for the stew pot, until I discovered the SECRET!!!

two words: Squirt gun

bought some small cheapy squirt guns at walmart and it's been like magic. At the first sign of aggression I squirt him in the face and he backs right off. It's only been a week, but now, all all I have to do is show him the gun and he finds something else to do.

The neatest thing is that anyone who comes around, even kids can use it. And the smaller the better. The ones I got fit in a pocket.

I feel confident I will be able to train him soon, that all humans are armed and best left alone. He is great protecting his girls and breaking up girl fights and so he serves a purpose but I was at my wits end getting attacked all the time.

Try it, you'll be amazed.

Heidi

Hahahahahaha, I love this!! Great idea and you made my husband and I laugh!

Quote:
These are awesome!! Thanks for posting!

 

[PeepsAreForMe]

I started with chickens again after quite a while not having them. I have had them now for about 5 years. I bought my chicks through the mail and close to home at a hatchery. First time I got the colored egg mixture. I also asked for two EE roos. I handled them often wanting them to be friendly. But when they got the hormones in them they were terrible. They fought over the hens and I mean literally over and on top of hens. The hens would try to run from them. Then they started jumping on us. My son tried to help by taking the one roo in and watching tv with the roo. LOL He said he was fine then. But they ended up over the rainbow. So then I got some more from the local hatchery. I wanted an ee roo so I ordered three thinking I might get one good one. They were bad but one was very timid around us. By the way. Everyone tried a different way of treatment which probably didn't help but you know how people are sometimes they think they know best. I don't believe in kicking or hitting because in my experience before it only makes things worse but my son and friend who lives here will not believe me and would kick or hit them so I had no choice but to cull. I left the timid one thinking he would be good. He turned in to a monster!!.... So I tried again at my local hatchery as it was time for replacement hens. Got three more ee roos. I was beginning to think that ee's were just all that way. We had two that were mean this time and one that was not mean. The two that were mean where even mean to the hens. I really didn't mind getting rid of them at all.

So now I have a nice roo who is so good to the hens and doesn't bother us. I still respect him and try not to get into his way. I have been hit too many times by his predecessors.

He has the longest spurs I have ever seen on a roo. He isn't the prettiest but he is the best.
If you look close in the pictures you can see his spurs and he has started another smaller on underneath.

You don't think your roo is pretty? He is GORGEOUS!!!!! Not sure about those spurs though . . . . I've never seen them at all so they were a bit shocking. But he is beautiful.

 

[canesisters]

Mbleily - what is the dark hen in the second picture? She's lovely.

 

[RedDrgn]

How old is he and what breed? If he's in his teenage-angst months (usually anywhere from 2-3 months to 6 months....sometimes longer; they're all different), then he's a ball of raging hormones and his behavior is no surprise. He may even snap out of it, but it's going to take some work on your part and there are no guarantee. If he's 1+ years old, then you've got a real tough situation on your hands because older birds that are human aggressive seem to tend to stay that way.

Anyway, since there are no children involved and you don't seem to want to get rid of him/kill him at this time, here are a few things you can try (and they've worked well for us). The one thing that you must keep in mind is that he is wired to defend his flock any way that he can and to be the supreme overlord of said flock. Anything that he perceives as a threat or a competitor is going to be on his hit list, so you need to remove yourself from those lists. You need to convince him that you're just a harmless, featherless, treat dispensing nobody.

A good method to begin with is to always approach with his favorite treats and always offer them to him and call to him as soon as you're within eyesight. No spooking him, shoving your fist in his face, or approaching him. Make him come to you and make it worth his while to do so. This makes sure that you don't spook him and that he knows where you are, and demonstrates that you're a food-dispensing friend and not a foe. Pay attention to how you posture around him, too. Squat down and offer the treats on his level, not bending over him or reaching down at his face (think about how that would look to you if you were in his position; intimidating). Keep that in mind whenever you're around him, too. No quick movements and no reaching, grabbing, lording over him, chasing, or yelling because it all registers as "predator/threat" to him. Be consistent and be patient, because this could take a few weeks to a few months and there may be minor relapses.

Always wear sturdy shoes and long pants during this "training" period, too, because if he attacks you, you need to do absolutely nothing. If you fight him or if you run, you're behaving just like another roo or a predator would and giving him the feedback that he expects. It just reinforces his behavior. Instead, quietly stand your ground and don't move. The very act of freezing will usually freeze him, too, because he won't quite know what the heck to do when faced with an inanimate object...and then he'll walk away (at which point, you can, too). Sometimes, certain colors and even certain clothing (no joke) will set them off, so pay attention and see if you can pick out what attire and/or behavior of yours tends to set him off and then avoid it. In general, just spend as much time as you're able/willing out and around the flock, too. The more used to your presence in the area everyone is, the better.

Also, being nice to a roo is not a recipe for disaster; doing what he wants is. Don't expect to be able to pick him up and cuddle with him (they usually don't work like that), but you should be able to mingle with the flock and come/go as you please without being pecked/flogged. Unless there is a serious danger (e.g. to your face, a child, etc.) there is no reason to fight him. You're not a chicken; flogging him back for any reason is just animal abuse (you'd do better to just kill him and eat him than chase and kick him around). So just keep your own species in mind and don't be baited by a bird. Mutual peace/respect is what you should be aiming for and remember that it may well take quite a bit of work - it took us 3.5 months down this road before my DH and I achieved peace with our roo, but it's been unbroken for nearly as long as it took to achieve now (and it is definitely person-specific).

 

[arcy liger]

do not run . just when he comes just try to catch him or chase him
i had a rooster (a fighter) he always taught anyone a big lessen

and when on me or family i would catch him and take him in a corner and with my sleeper (smack smack

).
he was agressive because of misserable kids frightening his girl.

 

[canesisters]

Eggy - how's that roo doing now?

My FBCM roo just started crowing last week and I'm so worried that he's going to get mean. He's been a 'pocket bird' since I got him (1 week old) and he still lets me pick him up and carry him around - so far.

 

[April3900]

Great feedback guys, thank you!

My roo is still pretty young (~7 months old), but he is turning in to a monster. Crowing all the time and roughing up the girls. I'm pretty new at chickens, but have done a lot of research and understand that alot of that behavior is normal. HOWEVER....he has started to come after us now. I have always hand fed them and he has no problem coming over for the food, but he recently started coming after me as I was leaving. I think he has the most respect for me because I do 95% of the care for them, he's ridiculous with my husband. He won't even move out of the road when my husband is coming by in the tractor (they freerange, as well).

So...a I wasn't too concerned about a little rearing and bumping me from behind. But this morning I went out and he was in a particularly bad mood. The hens were even hiding out in the coop, which was completely out of character for them. I went in to see if they were ok and he completely went crazy and started flapping his wings and would not back down. I started to leave (slowly) and he chased me and got me with his talon on the back of my leg. I turned around and gave him a kick which only seemed to make him more mad. Ultimately, I scared him off with a stick, but couldn't believe how badly he was acting.

I'd love to hear your thoughts on what to do next. I have children (2, 9 and 12) so I can't ignore it. I'm willing to try the water and don't worry about me or my hubby, but can't guarantee that he will behaving with the kids. What do you guys think...should I just send get rid of him or do you think he can be reformed. What about removing his talons? Can he still do damage if he doesn't have those?

I appreciate any feedback! Thanks!

 

[RedDrgn]

Great feedback guys, thank you!

My roo is still pretty young (~7 months old), but he is turning in to a monster. Crowing all the time and roughing up the girls. I'm pretty new at chickens, but have done a lot of research and understand that alot of that behavior is normal. HOWEVER....he has started to come after us now. I have always hand fed them and he has no problem coming over for the food, but he recently started coming after me as I was leaving. I think he has the most respect for me because I do 95% of the care for them, he's ridiculous with my husband. He won't even move out of the road when my husband is coming by in the tractor (they freerange, as well).

So...a I wasn't too concerned about a little rearing and bumping me from behind. But this morning I went out and he was in a particularly bad mood. The hens were even hiding out in the coop, which was completely out of character for them. I went in to see if they were ok and he completely went crazy and started flapping his wings and would not back down. I started to leave (slowly) and he chased me and got me with his talon on the back of my leg. I turned around and gave him a kick which only seemed to make him more mad. Ultimately, I scared him off with a stick, but couldn't believe how badly he was acting.

I'd love to hear your thoughts on what to do next. I have children (2, 9 and 12) so I can't ignore it. I'm willing to try the water and don't worry about me or my hubby, but can't guarantee that he will behaving with the kids. What do you guys think...should I just send get rid of him or do you think he can be reformed. What about removing his talons? Can he still do damage if he doesn't have those?

I appreciate any feedback! Thanks!

Since there are kids in the mix, the auto-default answer (quite rightly so) is to cull (either eat or re-home him). Too mush risk and your children are too young to tangle with an aggro roo who could put an eye out in less than the blink of the same organ. Yes, you COULD work with him otherwise, but it takes a good deal of time and a great deal of patience and unless you can completely isolate him from your children 100% of the time until they are at least a good 4ft tall, it's a big risk to take.