Aggressive Rooster

[Gypsi]

I am glad this thread is still up. My first roo, my beautiful Americauna Roo. Granted my 7 year old grandson challenged him this past weekend and tried to kick him. He's never been aggressive to me before. Fortunately I was in high boots, and that's what he was pecking at. I grabbed the lid to the feed can when he charged me, and forced him back into the pen using it as a shield. I will occasionally have children out here, so he either has to retrain, get rehomed, or provide chicken dinner. I really don't have time to process him right now, and it will be a couple of weeks before the kids come back. He is just about 5 months old, so we have adolescent testosterone activity?

Gypsi

 

[the1much]

he's becoming a roo. he is the protector of his girls towards anything he sees as a threat. kids run, they jump, they grab his girls, and are noisy.you grab his girls eggs you move around the pen like you own it.you dont.he does. it IS his job to own that pen. no you shouldnt let him, yes you need and the kids need to be dominant. soccerball him, chase him, make his life hell for a bit.it sounds mean and wrong, but he will never act or be human, so, you need to act like a bird. let him know you are the boss. now just little kicks with foot or a push with a broom wont help, you need be strong and have more fight then him. but, dont injure him, yes hurt him, but not injure.i have had hundreds of roos, my girls have been able to do whatever with all but one.and why that one? well cause he was our first and they and the wifers let him win, and once they win a few stand-offs, its too late. NEVER back down! my roos all had a job, and they did it VERY well. and if i was messing with a hen and making her cackle and run and a roo didnt challenge me, he was supper,, why?,, cause he wasnt doing his job. when they did challange me like they are SUPPOSE to, they got thrown or kicked, and then told good job and got a smile from me.
the man of the house has the job of protecting wife and kids.if your man sat there and watched you being hurt because you wanted a loving gentle husband,,would you want him after?

i believe it is our duty to know about the animals we keep,since they dont have the capacity to understand us, we need to understand them.
i had a blind roo who babysat thousands of chicks, at the slightest peep of a chick in trouble he would come running toward sound, figure out where the threat was and attack. if we didnt have an attack in few days i would go out in their pen, grab a chick by the leg and make him scream. why? so my blind roo could come over and attack me, he would flog, he would bite and i would let him. he would hurt me, and chase me out of the pen. and you should see how he puffed his chest out and crowed after. and seeing that would bring the biggest smile to my face and heart. i let my blind roo feel like the man and protector that he NEEDED to feel. it was one of my biggest joys in the yard. and that blind roo would fight to the death of him to protect them babies.

Jim

 

[Gypsi]

Thank you Jim! Since I have a small granddaughter, I am not sure whether he will be staying. If she comes up missing an eye, it will be too late to process him.

It is my job to keep chickens and children separate, but they are used to being able to collect eggs safely and help me clean out the coop. The alternative is to move him to the coop I will be having built on the lot.

(kids aren't allowed on the lot, I keep bees and other hazardous stuff there.) Will he be safe around the 15 chicks I have on order? If he'll guard chicks I have a use for him. He was supposed to be a pullet, of course.

Gypsi

 

[the1much]

go in with a broom,and your grandaughter, wack him, chase him, and have by your side.he will get the message.but if your worried bout an eye, be assured every chicken you own has the potential of getting her eye. the hens see an eyelash and decide to grab that small worm as they see it, or they can just be in bad mood. every bird you own has the potential of harming you,kids,even your pets. i totally see where you are comming from, my girls were 4 and 7 when we started. but along with teaching your birds, the lessons also have to be taught to the children. its a learning experience for ALL involved. put some heavy duty clothes on her, some boots, safety glasses, and that broom and let her go lol.
as to him being with chicks, well thats an individual roo thing. some are great, some are not. only way to tell is to put together and see. i had some that was awful to chicks, some that didnt notice, and some that were great dads,, but remember, roo's aint per say dads,they are husbands first, usually the hen will keep roos and chicks from trouble. its a roo thing. yes i love roo's. i know their job. they dont do it and i eat them, they dont act right after i have tried to teach, i eat them. but i give em every chance i can first. for some it just dont work out, thats ok, its life.
but when everything works out it is so great,, check out this
https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/103654/a-blind-roo-doing-his-job-pics

 

[Gypsi]

I didn't have issues today. Took a rake and a bowl of mealyworms (live) to the coop when I cut them loose. He let the ladies eat first, but didn't mess with me. He may not have liked the buckle on my boots. That is what he attacked at first.

 

[JiJis hens]

I know I have one mean chick so no kid is allowed near her just like there not allowed to wack my dogs. I'm a very protective mama with skin, fur and feather kids. If no one wants to get hurt they need to wait until someone is behind lock doors. The good thing is my boys are ten and older and should be able to follow rules well by this age.

 

[Gypsi]

My youngest granddaughter is almost 2 years old. I will make a decision on the roo before her next visit. If I can't move him out of the backyard to another run and coop, I'll either give him a way or cook him. But he's not getting a shot at those eyes, and she should not have to wear armor in my backyard. He's a bird.

 

[JiJis hens]

My youngest granddaughter is almost 2 years old. I will make a decision on the roo before her next visit. If I can't move him out of the backyard to another run and coop, I'll either give him a way or cook him. But he's not getting a shot at those eyes, and she should not have to wear armor in my backyard. He's a bird.

I guess I'm soft hearted to those who don't have a voice. You have a little one and that's understandable. I just can't seem to eat my chickens since there more than chickens to me.

 

[Gypsi]

When I was feeding 5 hens, 3 of whom who were not laying edible eggs or at all, and they would not let my young pullets move into the hen house, I killed 3.

Humanely. Cleanly, skinned and froze them. They were my pets, but they also were hens.

My dogs, I walk. My cats, sleep in my bed, I could not consider cooking them.

My chickens, are chickens. If I had a heart attack in the pen and fell unnoticed I'm pretty sure they would eat me.

My children were horrified that I killed the 3 least healthy appearing Production Reds in my flock. I left the healthiest to keep my barred rock company. I raised these birds from chicks. Granted 2 year old hens aren't tender if they have led good healthy lives with lots of exercise, but I lost one hen to a heart attack last summer, at least one of the ones I killed would have died soon based on the fatty tissue around her heart. At least my roo would be worth cooking. If I give him away he may die a brutal death as a fighting cock, or someone else may slaughter him less humanely.

I do like him, but I am not going to have a grandchild harmed.

My first choice, if he is good with chicks, is to let him guard my incoming black australorp chicks, on a lot the kids aren't allowed on. If he is not good with chicks, I suspect he will make a nice dinner. For now the kids are not here and he can "rule the roost" unless he manages to injure me. I now carry a plastic rake in his vicinity. And keep an eye on my rooster.

Gypsi

 

[Gypsi]

Why raising our own meat birds MIGHT be a good idea:
http://act.aflcio.org/c/18/p/dia/action3/common/public/index.sjs?action_KEY=4104

E coli in your grocer's freezer, on CHICKEN.