Aggressive Rooster

[texasturtle]

I have a very aggressive rooster to the point i go into pen with a bamboo stick. I push him with the stick and make him stay in his house while the hens come out. Been doing this for so long he now automatically waits to come out. Don't want to get rid of him because he cares about his hens. Plus we have had a critter problem. Also bringing in the water hose makes him stay away from me.

 

[jacilee]

He flogs my husband and son. Full out. I watch them when they go in with the birds and tell them when he is showing aggression and they need to deal with it, but they get nervous and you can see and hear it in them. So, Mr.man reacts.

He starts off with the side eye, pretend to eat move, rapidly progresses to the side step/stomp towards them and then it is all out war. When I see the side eye I tell them to get after him but they won't. If they turn their back he charges them. So I always watch when family goes in pen, my son, even at 16 never goes in alone. Hubby does occasionally, it always ends in a battle with Mr. man.

When I go in I tell the chickens to move, no questions - move. I keep an eye on roo, if he tries to be bossy at me, I tell him to stop it and if it continues I step toward him, full body facing him. He usually moves away. I he doesn't (rarely) I walk toward him and tell him to go on, if necessary I swing my foot or get a stick and swat him lightly to get him to give way to me. I can't seem to get hubby and son to feel comfortable doing that.

We have caught the roo and while I hold his legs I have hubby pet him and talk to him, it keeps him at bay for a couple of days and then it is right back to war. The hose works but not in winter. Blocking him with a boot and tossing him backwards is just going to end up with a injured bird, and it doesn't work. Last night hubby had a bucket with lid, when he got attacked I told him use that bucket, use the lid, smack the roo with it, use what you have to, your coat, your hat, whatever.

I am not sure what to try next so if anyone has an idea I am more than willing to try it to save my roo.

 

[chooks4life]

If your husband and son just will not take charge no matter what, I'd consider that it's possible this is equivalent to ongoing psychological trauma for them, which sounds a bit over the top but I can't offhand think of a better way to phrase it. Some people cannot take any harsh line with animals, even if the harshness is only perceived, and trying to force them to interact with the animal the way you think is best can actually be received as abuse of a kind. It doesn't matter how much knowledge you have compared to them, and how well you can explain the behavioral aspects and so forth. How they feel about it really is the last word on it and you can't necessarily change it.

I did wonder though, if they won't dominate him, why are they repeatedly going in the coop into stressful/threatening circumstances or other negative interactions?

It sounds like there's a good chance that if the rooster dropped dead tomorrow they'd probably be secretly relieved. Not saying this to have a go at you but just suggesting the impact on your husband and son may be deeper and worse than is obvious. Have they told you their reasons for not taking control of the chook the way you're asking them to?

I had some family members be fairly traumatized by living in an area with frequent cullings of animals, despite not having to see or participate in the cullings or processings, and despite being happy enough to eat them once culled. Just living on the same property as chooks that were later made into food was just emotionally too distressing for them.

While I do empathize, (as well as wish they'd toughen up lol), at the end of the day I must be considerate of the stress it puts them under and now I alone handle the animals for all intents and purposes, so nobody has to interact with an animal that will later be presented as food. Even when the roosters I culled were making life a misery for some hens which were family pets, some people couldn't stomach the live animal to food conversion.

I agree with PDPercherons, an aggressive rooster eats just as much as a nice one. Handily enough he doesn't also inflict ongoing stress nor represent an ongoing threat to wellbeing by virtue of his nastiness.

It's one thing to protect against predators and another to attack humans that aren't deserving it, just routinely. The two are not mutually inclusive or inextricably linked traits. A human-aggressive rooster is a blot on any breed and any family line and it's a shame he takes up space, resources, and genetic opportunities that could have gone to a better male, in my opinion. But I do understand the reluctance to cull until everything's been tried, and even then, it can be hard.

Good luck anyway, and best wishes.

 

[jacilee]

Thank you for the advice, they can't explain why they are nervous and they can't explain why they cannot dominate him, I don't consider it a flaw in them particularly, people are what they are, strengths and weaknesses can't always be explained. Oddly enough, or not if I really think about it, I am very insecure around people but animals are not really an issue, hubby and son are secure around people but animals, well not so much. They only go in the pen if I am unable to, and I watch them when they do to help them out, I watch their backs so they can work without worrying so much. I had both hands operated on last year and am sometimes unable to do what needs to be done. I will absolutely choose my family's safety over a chicken, but I feel bad because it isn't anyone's fault but the roo will be the loser even though he isn't necessarily doing anything wrong, just doing what he feels he needs to do - protect his girls. I just wish there was a magic button to push so everyone, human and bird, were safe and unharmed.

 

[chooks4life]

Well, I don't really consider this the best advice, but here it is anyway... You could shackle the rooster.

This will directly impede his ability to attack your husband and son, but also predators... However if a real predator decided to have a real go at the flock chances are all the rooster would achieve is be the first to die anyway. They're prey animals no matter how aggro they can be, they're not really equipped to take on a serious and hungry predator. And if it's an ongoing source of stress to have him aggressive, as it clearly is, shackling can help a lot. I've used it on a psychotic female turkey to stop her from killing another female turkey. It didn't change her mind about wanting that hen dead, but did enable her victim to live in peace. Sometimes, even once the shackle breaks, just feeling the 'cuffs' around the ankles is enough to keep them in a calmer state of mind.

To shackle them, you get a soft, thick, rounded shoelace and tie it around both ankles under the spurs, not so loose it can slip off but not so tight it cuts off circulation, leaving enough room for a normal length stride but not a running stride, making sure they are no-slip knots that will not tighten under duress.

It won't stop them mating normally (male or female), scratching themselves, digging, dustbathing, jumping up onto and down from perches and nestboxes.

What this does is interrupt, physically, his charge. The first few times he tries to leap at someone wearing shackles, he will fall flat on his chest a few times before he understands he cannot charge anyone anymore. At first he'll probably do some annoyed high-stepping and back-kicking as he tries to free himself and figures out how to work it, but they learn rapidly. It's simple even for them.

Possibly not your ideal treatment but it works in getting aggressive animals to cease attacking.

Best wishes.

 

[Snoozeys]

I have a bantam rooster that attacks you every time you retrieve his ladies eggs ... he is permanently locked up ... I have found leg horn roosters to be the more fiesty and very temperamental !!

 

[jacilee]

That is a great idea! I will absolutely be trying that.

 

[Free Feather]

Well, I don't really consider this the best advice, but here it is anyway... You could shackle the rooster.

This will directly impede his ability to attack your husband and son, but also predators... However if a real predator decided to have a real go at the flock chances are all the rooster would achieve is be the first to die anyway. They're prey animals no matter how aggro they can be, they're not really equipped to take on a serious and hungry predator. And if it's an ongoing source of stress to have him aggressive, as it clearly is, shackling can help a lot. I've used it on a psychotic female turkey to stop her from killing another female turkey. It didn't change her mind about wanting that hen dead, but did enable her victim to live in peace. Sometimes, even once the shackle breaks, just feeling the 'cuffs' around the ankles is enough to keep them in a calmer state of mind.

To shackle them, you get a soft, thick, rounded shoelace and tie it around both ankles under the spurs, not so loose it can slip off but not so tight it cuts off circulation, leaving enough room for a normal length stride but not a running stride, making sure they are no-slip knots that will not tighten under duress.

It won't stop them mating normally (male or female), scratching themselves, digging, dustbathing, jumping up onto and down from perches and nestboxes.

What this does is interrupt, physically, his charge. The first few times he tries to leap at someone wearing shackles, he will fall flat on his chest a few times before he understands he cannot charge anyone anymore. At first he'll probably do some annoyed high-stepping and back-kicking as he tries to free himself and figures out how to work it, but they learn rapidly. It's simple even for them.

Possibly not your ideal treatment but it works in getting aggressive animals to cease attacking.

Best wishes.

That is not so bad an idea, certainly less unpleasant to the rooster than being killed.

 

[CrazyTalk]

Sure, it's less unpleasant, but is this really the sort of bird you want providing 50% of your flock's genetics?

 

[roseyred]

I had two Roos. Had a black and white roo...idk what breed but I called him douche lol because he was seriously like a vinegar and water truck collision. Got rid of him at like 9 months cause he was overly humping then hens and eating feathers and tried to come at me a few times. Wen I got rid of him I actualy thought Debby was a hen...she turned out to be a he and is my giant cuckoo maran rooster. And Debby is a gentle giant. He's like 3 times the size of my hens and so sweet. I can carry him around like a baby. He's also a great protector even being so sweet. I saw him hop up on the top rail of our fence where a vulture was and challenge it and made it fly away! Lol

Debby