Angry rooster??

[Jessica Thompson]

my rooster Winslow has started to attack me he knocked the wind out of me twice I don't know what I'm doing wrong I have cuts on my legs this needs to stop anything helps thanks

 

[Cayuga momma]

I've read where this happened to others. I know of two options. Get rid of him or fight back. He has to learn that you are the boss not him.

 

[techbsmith]

Prior to the attacks, was he super friendly - the kind who always came up for treats, to get loved on, etc? Roosters by nature test the waters and try to climb the ladder to be on top of the pecking order. If you don't enforce dominance over him, he will look at you as one of his girls.

If he comes at you, give it right back. Stand your ground, interrupt him while he's eating or drinking, walk right through him and make him move out of your way. I tend to not try to make young cockerels my "pets" so much as I try to make them a good protector of my flock. They are there as a first line of defense to watch over my other chickens - much like a livestock guardian dog.

Bill

 

[Jessica Thompson]

Thanks

 

[Jessica Thompson]

Prior to the attacks, was he super friendly - the kind who always came up for treats, to get loved on, etc? Roosters by nature test the waters and try to climb the ladder to be on top of the pecking order. If you don't enforce dominance over him, he will look at you as one of his girls.

If he comes at you, give it right back. Stand your ground, interrupt him while he's eating or drinking, walk right through him and make him move out of your way. I tend to not try to make young cockerels my "pets" so much as I try to make them a good protector of my flock. They are there as a first line of defense to watch over my other chickens - much like a livestock guardian dog.

Bill

he was always my pet but we got him some girls and now he’s mean

 

[Kessel23]

If it was just you and the rooster then he probably included you as another rooster. When 2 roosters are together and there is no hens then they rarely fight. If you introduce hens then he will want to establish a pecking order with him and the other "roosters" so you. If you do not want to get rid of him then beat him up, when he attacks you fight him back and kick him or get down and punch him. Roosters are really good at dodging so this will be hard. Once you beat him in a fight then chace him whenever he gets near you, scare him off hens when he mates, and just be mean to him for awhile and then you will be above him on the pecking order and you can tone it down and be friendly again and he should respect you. Just make sure that he does not get to friendly with you again.

Although this will stop him from attacking you it will raise his aggression and willingness to attack other humans or pets. No rooster wants to be on the bottom of the pecking order so he will try hard to beat any other "rooster" around, so other humans and possibly other pets. Once a rooster sees humans as other "roosters" then there is no stopping him from attacking people but you can stop him from attacking you, or others who beat him in a fight. If your rooster has large, sharp spurs then I would recommend cutting them so it is easier for you to beat him up. Also, clipping the spurs of an aggressive bird will make him less dangerous to other humans and pets. When you get a rooster you want him to see you as a different species, a harmless animal that is just around often, then he will not waste energy attacking you. If you are to social with your roosters then they see you as one of their own and you don't want that because if they think you are a chicken then they will treat you like a chicken. If you are aggressive towards your birds or forcefully handle them then the rooster sees you as a predator and will not let you near his hens.