Are nice roos as scarce as hens teeth?

[dolly85]

I've only had problems with two bantam EE roos and a Lakenvelder roo who liked to get a little too close for comfort. I've had great luck with my Langshan, Buff Orpingtons, a Brahma cross and Silkies. My advice is to NEVER handle roos or try to tame them as chicks. I only handle my hens because roosters need to KNOW they are chickens, not people! If they bond with a human they may see them as one of their own and competition for the hens. Even my "aggressive" roos, if you can call them that, never jumped on or tried to claw a human. They just puffed up their neck feathers and ran away back to their girls.

 

[StormyMoon]

I have Buff Orpington, Barred Rock, Black Australorp, D Anver , and 4 Cross bred roos

All have been the sweetest I have ever had, my kids handle them turn them upside down, lay them in their arms like babies all my roos are between 1 yr old and 4 years old. I never had a problem out of them ever.

But I never show them fear of any kind I actually never knew to be afraid of them and have always picked them up when ever I pleased. When we go outside they stand by us and look up like are you going to pick me up? They have been I suppose humiliated by my daughters who have dressed them up in dress clothes like those feather scarfs, bonnets , bibs and been forced to play tea party. Well I shouldn't say forced when they lay there willingly they could easily get away I am sure if they wanted but they had been handled from the time they were hatched.

I have never had a rooster flog me, or even chase me. Neither have they done this to my kids. My youngest child was 8 yrs old when I first started raising roosters he is 11 going on 12 he handles them better than my husband does.

I think Chickens and Roosters can pick up on our energy the vibes we put out there so if its on your mind that your worried about getting flogged maybe they sense that and its empowering to them.

These are just my thoughts on it but not proven fact just something to think about.

 

[speckledhen]

No, I keep only the calmest ones here. Human-aggressive roosters are culled. You don't need that and they can still be great for the hens in all ways without being stupid enough to attack the hand that feeds them.

What I am starting to become a bit irritated with are recommendations for a certain breed being calm around kids--you cannot ever recommend a rooster by breed alone, especially when even the best, least aggressive rooster may react entirely unlike himself when faced with a small child who is loud, jumpy and makes him nervous (not to mention is about his own height!).

I've had wonderful, sweet Barred Rock, Delaware, Ameraucana and Orpington roosters.

Guess what? I've also had aggressive Barred Rocks, Delawares and Ameraucanas (never kept an Orp other than the big blue guy in my avatar and he throws wonderfully easygoing sons).

Handling a cockerel will not make him sweet or make him mean--it only brings out his natural tendencies earlier. If he is predisposed to being human-aggressive, having him close and familiar with you on a daily basis will make him think you are his equal and he will be likely to challenge you. If he's not inclined to be that way, handling him won't make him that way.

 

[StormyMoon]

No, I keep only the calmest ones here. Human-aggressive roosters are culled. You don't need that and they can still be great for the hens in all ways without being stupid enough to attack the hand that feeds them.

What I am starting to become a bit irritated with are recommendations for a certain breed being calm around kids--you cannot ever recommend a rooster by breed alone, especially when even the best, least aggressive rooster may react entirely unlike himself when faced with a small child who is loud, jumpy and makes him nervous (not to mention is about his own height!).

I've had wonderful, sweet Barred Rock, Delaware, Ameraucana and Orpington roosters.

Guess what? I've also had aggressive Barred Rocks, Delawares and Ameraucanas (never kept an Orp other than the big blue guy in my avatar and he throws wonderfully easygoing sons).

He sure is handsome

I agree with what your saying too I was fortunate not to have toddlers when I started. I have heard some people say their Buff Orpington flogged them, the only one I haven't heard till now is Barred Rocks being aggressive. Its hard to tell what will happen when they get older but I still feel too they can pick up on things too that will make them nervous. I agree with not keeping an aggressive roo once they get away with something they will usually do it again.

Small children also get similar reactions from dogs and it isn't just one breed but could be any breed.

 

[speckledhen]

Check out the video in this post for proof of what a rooster can be like:
https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/384349/sdwd/14610#post_8894682

Then, I'll tell you that even with that sweet, wonderful Delaware lovebug, I would never allow a small child around him and risk him becoming nervous enough to consider that child some sort of threat to his hens. He's tall and powerful enough to seriously hurt and/or blind a child and it only takes one time. He is completely trustworthy otherwise-he had never met that girl in the video before that weekend.


As to those aggressive roosters of all those breeds I had? They were culled. None were allowed to stay here so even the adults never had to put up with them for long.

 

[StormyMoon]

Check out the video in this post for proof of what a rooster can be like:
https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/384349/sdwd/14610#post_8894682

Then, I'll tell you that even with that sweet, wonderful Delaware lovebug, I would never allow a small child around him and risk him becoming nervous enough to consider that child some sort of threat to his hens. He's tall and powerful enough to seriously hurt and/or blind a child and it only takes one time. He is completely trustworthy otherwise-he had never met that girl in the video before that weekend.


As to those aggressive roosters of all those breeds I had? They were culled. None were allowed to stay here so even the adults never had to put up with them for long.

I just watched the video

Thats how my boys are with my kids I am one who has never had fear of animals even in Mexico where they show zero attention to their chickens my kids were walking up picking them up and snuggling with them and so was I even tho my mother in law kept telling me they would give me lice lol

Some people just have it I think but yea I would never fully trust mine around little children. We don't really know what is going on in their minds before they do something it could be like some have said the shinny eye attraction to peck that shinny thing. Whatever it is no attack is acceptable.

 

[emptynesterMom]

Hello All,
Thanks for the advice and support. Thank you Speckledhen for the link to the great video. What a beautiful child as well as roo. I think my newbie mistake may have been starting with hatchery and farm store birds rather than from a breeder. I thought I had done enough research, thought they were pullets, etc, etc. In hindsight, the lines that I purchased have probably never been culled for temperment. The aggression has never been bred out of them and they acted accordingly. Sooo, I'm hoping the teen agers that I hatched from a fellow BYCer won't have the same issues. I have seen them be a little assertive with each other (head down and neck flaring), but no human aggression so far. I've had much better luck with my turkeys - culled the mean ones at Thanksgiving and have two of the sweetest toms you could hope for. So now, I'm just crossing my fingers and hoping for a decent roo and not another nasty one.

 

[speckledhen]

That beautiful teenager in the video belongs to my good friend, Cetawin, here on BYC. Cheyenne fell in love with Isaac that weekend, and he with her. He's always been a good rooster, but that was truly amazing to watch.

 

[aoxa]

Never had a mean roo. I have four right now. 2 are over 2 years - 1 is just under a year, and one is around 20 weeks.

So as long as the temperament of the breeding stock was considered by the breeder, you can get a really good one. I have a barred rock boy who is not a pet by any means, and he has never in his life pecked a human. If he was, he would be gone, and I would never breed him. I would wait until a roo is around a year old before breeding.. just so you know what your getting.. All roos go through a hormonal stage, but should not attack even so.

I do have a sizzle that will bite if you put your hand out in front of his face too fast, but he does not flog. He frightens easily (think it's the lack of vision because of his tophat).

 

[speckledhen]

Agreed that temperament is heritable, however, even the calmest rooster may react differently than his norm when confronted with a wild-acting small child in his face.