Attacking roosters

[Holladay chicks]

It seams that every time I get a rooster it turns on me. I raised one from a chick and it started attacking me while the other rooster did not. I dispatched it and got another one that was 5 months old. I have had him for three months and he was friendly then all of a sudden one day he attacked me. Now he stalks me if I am in the yard even if there is a fence between us and he can see me. I am the one that brings the feed and they are free range. I have him and 10 hens in the yard. He is okay with my husband there and if he goes toward my husband he swats him and the roo backs down. If I try to push him away he still jumps at me head on. I never did anything to fast of sudden while in the coop so I don't know what he would feel threatened about. Now I can't go out to feed the hens. I am going to get rid of him but would like to ask one thing. Does a rooster attack a human based on smell? Could he just sense fear of smell the difference between me and my husband? Or am I crazy? I want to make sure the next roo is calm with me at all times. I have chicks and some of them are roos.

 

[Ocegra]

He's just one of those roosters that are too overprotective of his ladies. He takes anything as a threat to them. Sadly even you. But he's also trying to show you that he's your boss,that your not his. See how your husbands swats at him and he goes away. It's because he knows the husband is much bigger and stronger than him so he's the boss. So 1. You can get rid of him. Or 2. Show him your boss. I just read an article about this a day ago. You can probably find plenty of those on this website about that. Or 3. Let him keep on doing it, obviously. When he charges at you take a step toward him or charge at him back. He'll probably back down. Best of luck with you.

 

[Peeps61]

x2

My Ameraucana rooster started that kind of behavior early. Each time he came at me, he met my foot. He'd back down. He's a little over a year old now and I'm glad I stuck it out because he's a great rooster - very pretty too. He will move out of my way and doesn't challenge me, but he makes it clear that he doesn't like me around the hens - he still doesn't do anything about it though. He moves away when I walk towards him, and that's what I want. My hens greet me in the morning when I let them out to free range, and will come running whenever I go outside, the rooster along with them. Food is a good way to get him to accept you too, AFTER you get him to understand that attacking you is unacceptable. Swat him around some - he'll get the idea and start respecting you. When I say swat, I mean make him uncomfortable, but not to hurt him. Consistency is the key.

 

[hildar]

Around here when I have one do that. I cull there is no next time. I have scars on my back from one rooster, and even got my face scratched bad, he was culled the next day. I no longer tolerate that. I breed for temperament and fighting people is not what I want in any rooster. All the boys that I have here I can walk along and pick up and walk with them around the yard they wont even think twice about hurting me or my kids.

 

[Peeps61]

Hi Hidar,

Yes, I agree. He's never touched me - just flared up at me and acted like he was going to. He doesn't do that now - just moves away. I've made up my mind that if he does attack, it will be his one and only time because we'll have chicken-n-dumplings for supper that night!

 

[bugflipper]

There's really no reason to put up with this behavior. I am betting you prepared to get rid of the old one by hatching eggs for a replacement that he fertilized? Aggression is hereditary. It overrides the common sense that they have. For him to try with the husband as well is showing he has more aggression than sense. So it's not a situation where he sees fear in you. It's just a situation where he has better results with his intent because you are meaker. He tries with the husband as well and is dissuaded.

Put him in the pot and start with a new line to continue on with the flock. As an experiment try this. Take a switch with you and pop him when he tries to attack. He will most likely try it the next day and the next. He may learn to avoid a bit better and not follow through completely but it will show you his aggression is instinctive. His fear is all that will keep him from completing the task that he can't help but act upon. There is no need to have to put up with that aggravation when likely someone on craigslist will have a young cockerel of the same breed that needs a new home. If so when you go there ask if you can go and see their chickens and you will know quickly if their line is bad as well.

 

[cassy2329]

I just got rid of my easter egger rooster. He was raised from a chick and I though I raised him right. He was fine until I started using a hunting horn to train my hounds. Then all of a sudden he thought I was competition or a threat or something. I tried to swat at him, tried teaching him whose boss... all to no avail as he took to attacking me when my back was turned. Personally I have no interest in putting up with this kind of behavior.

If I ever get another rooster , I plan on one that is a more docile breed.

 

[hildar]

Hi Hidar,

Yes, I agree. He's never touched me - just flared up at me and acted like he was going to. He doesn't do that now - just moves away. I've made up my mind that if he does attack, it will be his one and only time because we'll have chicken-n-dumplings for supper that night!

One rooster that we had for about 2 years would dance for me, he never showed aggression for that 2 years, however he would do a little dance for me like I belonged to him and was one of his women. I found out quickly that if he didn't get attention he would act like he wanted to come at my leg. I quickly got him out of that by acting like I wanted to catch his booty. I would chase him all over the yard. It was something that I would do every 2 or 3 days and he learned quickly if he started to dance for us that we would chase him all over the yard.

I actually made the mistake last year of putting him into a coop all by himself, and in doing so it made him very aggressive after that. That was my mistake and not his, however he still lost his head after his first attack of me when I put him out he started attacking me and then the kids right afterwards, so he lost his head after being placed back in his coop to cool off. My son grabbed him luckily and I put him back in there, he wasn't happy you could tell.

I breed most of mine for temperament so when I get one that ends up being mean it is gone, I never give a second chance to that. Luckily I always have a few special back up roosters just in case.

 

[Holladay chicks]

I have decided to get rid of him but I will not hatch any of his eggs. I have no interest in having a bunch of mean roosters. I did have a bossy hen that thought she could rule me but I stopped that quick. Of course she was smaller and didn't have spurs.

 

[Holladay chicks]

Thanks for the info. I thought about putting him in a coop alone but after you said it makes them mean I am glad I didn't. I have an rooster in the chicks I am raising one is a Maran, two crème legbars and one Ameraucana splash. I hatched some NHR that will probably have rooster too.