attacking rooster

[poodlepill]

I guess I am fortunate that in my area there is a couple that advertise they pay $2 for large chickens no matter what age they just want full grown for butcher. I have moved a few Roosters their way. Gives me a much appreciated outlet.

 

[howfunkyisurchicken]

Chase him before he chases you. The only mean rooster I've ever ones was a frizzled cochin ( go figure

). This little sucker would wait until you turned your back on him, then he would go full force on the back of my legs. Giving him the boot, holding him down, carrying him around never worked. Id give him a kick, he'd give me ten. Id carry him all day, sit him down and he'd be rightback at it. So after that, everytime I'd see him I would chase him aggressively- and by aggressively I mean flailing my arms and yelling loudly like some crazy person. My neighbors found it hilarious, but he didn't. After a couple of weeks of being chased and "flogged" himself, I think he decided he should treat others the way he would like to be treated. He was eventually rehomed to a family who "didn't mind a mean rooster". He eventually got to meet Mr. Hatchet and apparently made a very nice little dinner for that family. Anyhoo- the point is there are plenty of nice roosters to waste your time with a mean one. Sometimes you can rehab them, sometimes you can't. But you should never have to worry about what a pet is going to do to you. Especially when you take the time to feed them and make sure they have the best care possible. Good luck with your decision..........sometimes its a hard one to make, even more so when you are attatched.

 

[Noleball]

Great stuff guys. I don't post much but I read a lot and this thread hit home today. My RIR roo is about a year old and he is HUGE. Today, he decided that it was time to show me that the coop was his and he jumped up with spurs flying and attacked. I though it was funny at first until I realized he was serious. Anyway, a well timed kick sent him into the side of the pen and I though maybe that would settle it but he seems to be convinced that he will win.

I came on here to get some advice and I have about decided that he will enjoy a nice dinner with some rice next week. The primary caregivers, my 7 and 10 yo daughters, are scared of him and he has shown aggression to them recently as well.

My biggest concern was whether it would affect the girls (hens) but, honestly, they are so skinned up from his "affection" I think it may be a relief to them for him to become absent. All 12 girls have big bare patched on their backs with scratches and sores so they could probably use a break. We have way too many coyotes and hawks to allow free-ranging so they stay in a nice 16x35 pen and are happy with it. So, the protection factor isn't really a factor.

Either way, I want to thank you guys for all of the help although I never "officially" ask. In the case of most message boards, if we just look a bit, the answer is there and I have looked a lot on here.

 

[ladybug99]

Were did you get yours from and around what time last summer... I have a wellie roo from HELL too I think they may be brothers!! I was told they are very gentle roosters and I would not have any issues with a Welsummer... wow was my infromation wrong. I have tried every thing too but mine is penned up most of the day and can't harm any one. He has gone after my dog and I assume yours given the chance will go after yours to. Mine is about 9 months old and I am hoping he will grow out of this phase...he is huge comes up over my knee ( I am 6 feet tall) and he is very scary. I have become able to predict his behaviors... his feet turn bright red right before he is going to attack... he cocks his head a bit and then comes running as fast as he can....if you stop what you are doing he will start hopping up and flogging you. He does have some respect for my broom and has respected it ever since I swatted him with it months ago... so we keep him penned up and carry the broom every where we go when inside the pen or coop.

But sounds like yours could really hurt someone....I am sorry for that

 

[Dragynn]

Quote:
I do the same, the chickens are pretty wary of sticks or any kind of large object in my hands anyway. My alpha roo is a wonderfully good boy to his hens, he really only gets perturbed if I have to pick up one of the hens for some reason, pretty sweet mostly, he was very intensively hand-raised, he broke a toe at a very young age and injured that hip socket in the process, it was a long slow recovery with us having to make little chicken splints/casts out of vet wrap etc. and massage his legs daily to keep him limber, Mama loves that chicken, so eating him is out of the question shaking a stick at him generally does the trick, if not I chase him a bit or do that rooster sideways-dance at him, and he remembers who the big rooster is.

Gotta respect the sheer guts of taking on a creature 20 times your size, and with no hands to do it with either

 

[maderuyck]

Thanks for all the good stuff. Sounds like my rooster (Curt) is just acting like a rooster. The funny thing about when he attacks is that I am no where near his hens when it happens and he abandons them to run a hundred yards or more to come find me. So when I see him coming I'm thinking "Oh great, here we go again". I don't remember if I said this in the original post, but the days when Curt and I are going toe to toe are the same days that the hens have been pecking at their eggs. So I'm also concerned that if Curt takes the dirt nap his hens will get stressed and persist with their egg pecking.
He lives another day as I contemplate his fate and look up recipes just in case.

 

[Judy]

Usually it's the dog who attacks the rooster, not the other way around.

Lots of folks make stew out of people aggressive roosters -- and others don't, especially one like yours who does a good job as a roo in regard to his girls. Whether there are ever young children around him is a big part of the decision, IMO. They can do some serious harm to a child, obviously.

I try to arrange things so I can choose a roo who does his job but is not people aggressive. Sometimes that's not so easy.

 

[Judy]

Quote:
Hmmm... any chance Curt is the one eating eggs? Now that is a hard habit to break in any chicken....

 

[GarlicEater]

Two suggestions:

If you have an ornery rooster, at least round off his spurs, so he can bruise you not puncture. Infections are no joke.

And, if he's really being bad, grab him by the tail and hold him up. They seem to have no defense against just being grabbed by the tail and it's a convenient handle. Get enough tail or he'll just lose some feathers and you'll feel silly.


I read up on a device called "poultry hook" and made myself one, once you get the knack it's a really good way to catch a chicken, you could also use one to catch a problem rooster and just hold him up for a bit.

 

[7&8]

Quote:
My Barred Rock rooster is very well mannered. He's excellent with both hens and people.