Aggressive rooster

[cruisnmoma]

We have a rooster that is about 7-8 months old. He was not something we planed on, but he is what he is. So far no major issues until this weekend. He is not really friendly, he will eat out of our hands nicley, but will not let us pet him. In the mornings he will go after the girls with real gusto, but seems to clam down fairly quickly. Over all he is good with the girls, lets them eat first, watches out for them, things like that.

Mt 2 yr old grand daughter is visiting us this weekend. He keeps trying to attack her. We have no idea why. She has not run up on them or yelled or anything. She has been just feeding them. The girls are fine with her, but he will not leave her alone. He will even go over the fence to try and get her. He goes after her with his feet. He keeps trying to jump on her. Even with us standing between them he will still try to get her.

Does he think she is a rooster or another chicken? She is not much taller then him. Why would he do something like this. She has not done anything threatening at all. If he is doing this to a child, should we be worried he will start doing it to us?

 

[scratch'n'peck]

Well he does not see a little toddler like he sees an adult person. He regards you as a non threat and dominant to him, but he is not sure what to make of a 2 yr old. Thank heavens he does not have spurs. Can you keep him in a chicken run with a high fence or with netting on top while little ones are around?

It does not sound like he will turn on you. He has had high testosterone levels for a few months and has stayed out of your way. I suppose there are no guarantees, but I think he is unlikely to turn on you. Unfortunately, it is not unusual for roosters to respond differently to toddlers and younger children.

 

[cruisnmoma]

That is what I thought. It seems like he is trying to show her he is in charge and to leave him and his girls alone. She is only here for the weekend and we only see her a few times a year. We can keep him away from her. We do not let her out side alone anyway because of her age, but it was just really odd to see him getting so aggressive. He is so tall, so she really is not much taller then him.

He never goes after the cats, they have been with him since day one. When they were a few months old, a few of them tried to sit on out big cat, and ,well, lets just say they never tried it again. Any time he even just walks in their direction, they move out of his way.

 

[cafarmgirl]

Toddlers often set roosters off, they are small, sometimes they are noisy and they make quick movements. Your rooster is also at an age when they typically turn into green eyed monsters due to the hormones. But roosters and small children are a bad mix no matter what, very dangerous for the child. The fact that he hasn't tried this on you yet does not mean that he won't. He most likely will at some point. Whether he gets over it and learns to be decent or whether he just keeps it up depends on how you respond when he tries it and exactly how small that tiny brain of his really is. Some settle down others just act like jerks not matter what you do. Just be familiar with his body language so that if he decides to give you a go some day you'll see it coming and can put a stop to it. Might want to file his spurs down too!

 

[cruisnmoma]

No spurs yet. Even when they come in I have not idea how we can even grab him. He will not let us touch him at all. He will only let us had feed him. If we walk in his direction and he thinks we might try to touch him, he walks away.

 

[enola]

Does he roost in a coop?

 

[centrarchid]

We have a rooster that is about 7-8 months old. He was not something we planed on, but he is what he is. So far no major issues until this weekend. He is not really friendly, he will eat out of our hands nicley, but will not let us pet him. In the mornings he will go after the girls with real gusto, but seems to clam down fairly quickly. Over all he is good with the girls, lets them eat first, watches out for them, things like that.

Mt 2 yr old grand daughter is visiting us this weekend. He keeps trying to attack her. We have no idea why. She has not run up on them or yelled or anything. She has been just feeding them. The girls are fine with her, but he will not leave her alone. He will even go over the fence to try and get her. He goes after her with his feet. He keeps trying to jump on her. Even with us standing between them he will still try to get her.

Does he think she is a rooster or another chicken? She is not much taller then him. Why would he do something like this. She has not done anything threatening at all. If he is doing this to a child, should we be worried he will start doing it to us?

Pen rooster up when small kids come by to save everyone aggravation. My preference is not to test a rooster's behavior around small children that do not visit regularly. My kid kid could handle such even after being flogged but he had to learn what to do and it is not fair to expect similar of a child not properly schooled and blindsided by rooster, even a young rooster.

 

[centrarchid]

Can he be driven into a garage if now coop present?


You might also be able to catch him with an overturned cloths basket or even a livetrap baited with scratch.

 

[cruisnmoma]

It is not a problem to keep him away from the baby, it is our first time with a rooster, and I was wondering if this is normal.It sounds like it is, and for now on when she does visit, we will keep him cooped up when she wants to feed the girls. We have 3 of them that are supper friendly and will let her pet them, but with the way he is acting he wont let her near them. I was worried we had a problem with him. She is off visiting some other family right now and I went out with treats, and he was his normal self. He let me give him grapes from my hand it all was fine. I had no idea they get so crazy with little kids.

 

[centrarchid]

It is neither normal or abnormal, rather it is within the range of behavior patterns are known for. Someone else's rooster might not be a problem at all while another might be even more aggressive than yours. Some the problem is genetic but a good amount is a result of the rooster's experience. Either way you will not be able to correct in the short term for ongoing visit.