Aggressive Rooster

[chooks4life]

I am hoping someone on here can help me figure this out.
I have a pair of bantam cochins (purchased and raised together) and 7 standard size hens (1-2 years old), and 3 young Marans (2 of which I think are roos) when I added the bantams in with the hens everything was fine until the bantam rooster matured and started mating. He's simply too small for the standard size hens and ends up riding their backs and tearing them up as a result.

Tearing them up is unrelated to his size. It's either clumsiness, or outright aggression. Some roosters mix attacking with mating.

Over the years I've had many dozens of bantam roosters free ranging with standard hens, currently I have a pure Japanese bantam rooster in with them, and none have ever made a mess of the hens, even if they picked a hen who wasn't interested and therefore went for an impromptu rodeo ride. Even large roosters trying to mate with unwilling hens don't mess them up at all, unless they are of an abusive nature.

I have recently separated him with his hen and 1 standard size hen that has been a bully and I have purchased two more bantam cochin pullets (they can't go in with him just yet they are only 5 weeks old) My question is will he stay with this new established flock if everyone is free ranging? Or because he used to mate with the standard size hens he will always try if ever given a chance?

Chickens have their preferences in terms of what they look for in mates. If he's got a fetish for large hens he will always be that way. He won't bond to whatever you cage him with just due to familiarities' sake.

The reason I ask is I have the opportunity to get another bantam rooster that is 5 weeks old and these new pullets are so hand raised they are the sweetest chicks I've ever had and wonder if starting out with new rooster that doesn't have this behavior already established is the way to go? Not sure what to do?

It's got very little to do with established behavior or habits in my experience, and everything to do with what temperament he has inherited. I've had many cockerels hit puberty and launch straight into the best possible stereotype of great rooster behavior, taking great care of hens and chicks, and I've had others that launch straight into the worst possible stereotype of terrible rooster behavior, aggressive to all animals and humans as well. It's not about habit. It's about inherent inclinations. Both types of cockerels usually show their predispositions long before they actually hit puberty but the signs can be too subtle for many people to pick up, especially inexperienced people.

My suggestion would be to consider what temperament you want to breed on, what social dynamics you will accept in your flock (I can see you're already against bullies if you've removed a bully hen, kudos for that). What abusive traits you accept, and allow to breed, you perpetuate, and it becomes a quality of life issue for the victims of the aggressive ones, not to mention future generations descended from the genetic lines you are currently steward of.

Typically if you just act like an aggressive rooster back, like one that is not going to take this little guy's crap, they back off. They need to know that you are top cock.

Personally, with all due respect, I disagree with this. The safest rooster is one who understands you're not a chicken and respects you nonetheless. Roosters who think humans are chickens, and hens too, are often all the more dangerous because if you are a chicken, you are in the pecking order, and there are no permanent alphas in chicken society. Everyone gets old, or sick, or hurt, sooner or later, and the subordinates are always watching and ready to seize their chance to depose the erstwhile alpha.

Also, some of them are also sexually attracted to humans, a dangerous mentality precisely because it's also an either/or proposition in their minds. Either you're a potential mate, or you're a potential enemy. There isn't anything else for most roosters who view humans as being chickens.

If you have to use threats or abuse to keep an animal from attacking you, its worth as a breeder must be questioned. There's plenty of great roosters out there dying for want of a good home because people allocate those resources to abominable little Hitlers instead.

Best wishes.

 

[shortgrass]

How old is the rooster, how old is the child, what was happening when the roo attacked, etc.  Too many variables to just say "cull it".  Is the roo going through his adolescence?  Is the child a very small child and thus seems a "threat" or "rival" or "intruder" in the eyes of the roo?  Was something else happening that had the flock upset?  IMHO some people on here are WAY too quick to say "cull" i.e. "kill" when some rehabilitation will work wonders on lots of roos ESPECIALLY if they've "always been friendly" as you say yours has.  GIVE HIM A CHANCE!  Read RoosterRed's page on roo behavior/rehab, separate him from your child or vice versa, and give the roo a chance to grow up if he's not already mature.  If he is, a little behavior modification may make all the difference in the world.

Yep. X2.

I have 2 girls, 6 and 9.... They learned the hard way not to chase the geese when mom wasn't looking, gander gave her away when he would chase her back. (No, I didn't put my child in danger.) They needed to learn howcNOT to treat them before I would let them in with the chooks. My roos are trained, but the kids can pull some really stupid stuff when I'm not looking, and next thing ya know, there's a kid running from a goose with eyes the size of saucers.

Well, she never chased him again, and I stepped in and put a stop to it, and the kids weren't allowed in the goose pen until they could calmly walk by the fence and the gander learned to trust them again.

An aggressive roo is having an issue somewhere; he feels threatened, or that his hens are threatened. Children really shouldn't be allowed to run amuck in a run until they can manage to do it without upsetting the livestock.

If the child is old enough, its time to start letting them help "train" the rooster, pick him up and hold him until he relaxes and lets your child hold him calmly. If he struggles or tries to peck, have the child hold his head down in a submissive hold. The roo needs to know that your child is indeed, a bigger roo (humanoid lol) but not a threat.

 

[roseyred]

just had my favorite rooster attack my leg for the first time. now i will give him the benefit of the doubt as i was chasing down one of his chicks so i could bring it inside. he's always been watchful of me and knew i was not gonna hurt them but i guess he got a little ****** lol. i gave him a hard boot and he went running away screaming and kept screaming so i finally got him back in the run and cornered him and let him calm down a little till i could grab his tail and get a hold of him....in kicking him i skimmed off some feathers leaving raw and red skin, no blood but i do feel bad. i held him and petted him for awhile and talked nice to him and finally let him go with his ladies again this time with no squaking. he's always been super nice which is why i keep him around, he even help raise hatchlings which is awesome. if he does it again its gonna be one big chicken soup dinner

 

[Peeps61]

Well, he was protecting the chick. However, you don't want a repeat of this behavior. Perhaps putting him away before chasing a hen or chick might be helpful. It's when they come after you for nothing more than you are in their territory and they are gonna show you who is boss that I have a big problem with them.

 

[roseyred]

true which is why i ddi feel bad afterwards and why i cuddled him and calmed him down....i just don't like that ish....itd do him well to remember that I'm the one who cares for them and the babies....hell learn. he's smart

 

[Peeps61]

true which is why i ddi feel bad afterwards and why i cuddled him and calmed him down....i just don't like that ish....itd do him well to remember that I'm the one who cares for them and the babies....hell learn. he's smart

Yes, you'll learn to co-exist. Keep in mind that certain behaviors are hardwired, though, and protecting his flock is a big one.

 

[MosureMom]

Is there no one that has worked their roo through a "mild aggression" I hate to just throw in the towel on my roo. He hasn't drawn blood or anything, it started a week ago when he would just run into my leg, no feet or beak invovled, I began going in with his favorite treat and waiting till he was calm and not worried about me then would drop his favorite treat down, that seemed to be working quite well until today I went out without treats to catch a hen that got loose...that seemed to piss him off, this time beak and claws at my leg...again no blood....he wound up across the pen that time with a solid foot to the body, he left me alone after that, I guess we'll see if it helped or not. I am going to keep testing out theory's to train them out of it, there must be a way.

 

[waddles99]

Whenever i go into the pen with the rooster, i bring a stick. Everytime he tries to assert his dominance i push him back with it to remind him who is in charge.

 

[azygous]

Oh, there's a way, but you're going about it all wrong, I'm afraid.

You're trying to bribe him into behaving and that's interpreted as weakness and incompetence by your roo. He wants to be reassured you are a strong leader of the flock and that he doesn't have to, sigh, do everything.

First, when he shows aggression, you need to stop him immediately by pinning him to the ground, and don't release him until he relaxes and submits. A variation on this is to sweep him up into a football hold and carry him around for a while. Also, forcing him to sit in your lap for extended periods also will let him know you're the one who has control, and not the other way around. And do NOT talk baby talk to him especially when he's behaving badly. It just reinforces his bad opinion of you.

You need to be very careful and deliberate around the hens. No abrupt movements or harsh handling. It will take time for your behavior to change in a way to reassure him that you can be trusted. Yes, your behavior is as much the problem as his is.

Read up on the psychology of roosters to find out what makes them tick and you'll have a good idea how to proceed. There are some very good tutorials on this site. Use the search up top to find them.

 

[CrazyTalk]

Whenever i go into the pen with the rooster, i bring a stick. Everytime he tries to assert his dominance i push him back with it to remind him who is in charge.

Why are you keeping and breeding a rooster that displays this sort of behavior?