Attacking or "boys will be boys"

[lcountry]

I've got a 3 month old BB Red rooster. (grr, but that's a different story...) Anyway, when we walk past the coop he will jump up on the front and "kick" at it. I'm concerned that this is the beginnings of spurring, but since I've never seen it I wanted to confirm with the experts.

He doesn't do this when you actually get in there and open the door. He WILL, however, peck and hang on - enough so to leave a mark. Is this the beginnings of a difficult to handle rooster or is this just a developmental stage that all (most) roosters go through?

I've got young kids and won't have a rooster attacking anyone. Yet, I do want to be fair to him that he has a chance to be good.

Thanks for your help.

Lisa

 

[justusnak]

Lisa. I would be carefull. He sounds pretty agressive to me. Try picking him up every time you go in the yard/coop. Carry him around for a while. Let him know you are the ALPHA.....then, when you set him down....genlty push him to the ground, in a squating position. Hold him there for a few seconds before letting him up. This will help, but you have to be vey consistant. Also...while you hold him....keep him away from your eyes! They love shiny eyeballs, and are quite fast at pecking. ( this is from experience....took me 3 or 4 days before I could open my eye!) Good luck with him.

 

[rooster-red]

It's the beginings of showing agression.

 

[lcountry]

Thank you for the response. I was thinking that this seemed aggressive, but I just wanted to be sure. After he's grabbed on, I will pick him up and hold him until I say time to get down. Often, I'll turn him upside down too (he's also easier to hold that way!) until he settles down. I haven't tried putting him to a squatting position.

I'm also concerned that he seems pretty young to be so full of himself. Do bantams grow up faster? He's also had lots of attention growing up. I wonder if that makes him more comfortable with attacking people.

I'm not thrilled with being bitten, but I'm particularly concerned for my kids and their friends who come over. They all love the chickens and I don't want anyone to be hurt. My others chickens are such sweet babies...

 

[rooster-red]

Just FYI...
I would turn him upside down only as a last resort.
I found out the hard way after doing this probably 50 times (different Roo's) that their lungs can colapse in this position and kill them.

I had a roo turn completely blue, gasping for breath and suffacating right in front of me.
I got very lucky and got his lungs reinflated, but most of the time it ends in death.

 

[lcountry]

Oh! Thanks for the warning! I didn't know that it could kill them. (Though if he doesn't shape up big time and fast, he's NOT going to be living to a ripe old age!)

 

[Queen of the Lilliputians]

Honestly.. your roo would scare me. I just think that there's a lot of aggression in such a young roo, kwim? Usually it seems like they just get MORE aggressive as they get older (not all of them, mind you.. but the ones that are prone to it). Especially where you have young children.

There are too many nice roos out there looking for homes to keep one that is being so pushy. I'd be getting out the cookbook, myself.

-Meghan