Bad rooster

[nminusyplusm]

Oh, well I don't have any pictures of it at the moment and it's dark outside but it's pretty much just a rectangle 16 by 28 I think, and the floors are just sand like outside with some hay on the floor for the duck to sleep in they roost on the beems going across the ceiling.

Does it have a hardware cloth skirt coming out horizontally on the ground from the base of the run?

 

[bobbi-j]

Hello so I have a question we have six chickens and one of them is a rooster. Most of the time he's okay he just goes around and pecks at the floor like any other chickens but when we came home from being out of town for four days he attacked me! Usually he just runs at me when my back is turned but I just kick at him and he walks off but this time when I was walking to grab all the eggs and he scratched my leg and drew blood! I've read that this behavior will only get worse but is there any way to train him to not attack? We don't want to give him away or eat him since he's the only thing protecting the defenseless hens from whatever has been burrowing under the coop. Oh, we also have a male duck that is a part of their flock (he's pretty much a chicken) and some cats, Would that contributed to his bad behavior? He's never attacked any of the animals. Thanks for reading this I hope someone can help with our bad bad rooster!

The running at you when your back was turned was your first sign of aggression from him. His attacks may only escalate from here if you don't get a handle on it. I am going to paste a post from member Beekissed that I have found very helpful. First, I'm going to address whatever is burrowing into your coop. Your rooster may or may not be defending your hens from whatever it is. My guess instead, is that it's maybe something that is not after your chickens. Maybe a woodchuck (also known as whistle-pigs or ground hogs). They are vegetarians, I believe. But that burrow may open the door so to speak for something that WILL eat your chickens, and if it comes in at night, your rooster will be useless as chickens don't see well at night, and is just as vulnerable as your hens.

I have to go to bed but please keep posting any advise or questions they help so much! I'll get back to this ASAP! Good night.

Some info you may need to know.
We have many cats and six chickens and one male duck they all live together peacefully. We have possums, dogs, raccoons, miners cats, ocelots, owls, coyotes, a lot of snakes, pigs, rats, and many other animals around our area. The chickens get let out in the late afternoon for a very long reason and they stay in the coop when we're on vacation. We have predator lights on the coop about a foot up. Once I noticed something had dug under the coops walls and broken an egg in the hole none of the chickens were harmed but that was just once and about a week ago. We're located in southern Texas I don't want to give away exactly where we live for obvious reasons but I do understand why y'all would need to know to be able to help me. We have a pretty big coop and there is a tiny coop inside the big coop the tiny coop is about 2 by 4 and is on stilts so the chickens have to climb a ramp to get up there that is also where they lay their eggs. Thank you so much for trying to help me and I'll get back to y'all as soon as I can!

So, is the "pretty big" part of the coop a fenced in area? That would be referred to as the "run" (just to keep things from getting confused). The "coop" is the part where they go to sleep and lay eggs. Something that can help keep things from burrowing in is to put a hardware cloth "apron" around the outside of your coop/run. Just lay it flat on the ground along the bottom of the fence and bury it. That should stop digging animals from getting in. Personally, I would not keep a rooster that attacks people.

Here is the post I was referring to. If you want to keep this bird, I would suggest you and your parent read it and give it a try. If it doesn't work, you may want to rethink keeping him around.

I'm going to give you a clue on "rooster speak"....holding him down doesn't mean anything to him. If you'll watch how roosters interact between dominant ones and subordinate ones, there is rarely any, if ever, holding a bird down for a long time when there is an altercation. There is very quick flogging, gripping by the back of the head and flinging him away or getting him down and giving some savage pecking to the back of the head or neck. No holding him down and nothing else. That's a rooster on a hen maneuver, not rooster on rooster.

Because your rooster is attacking you, you are the subordinate in this picture. You are getting dominated by your bird simply because you are walking where a subordinate isn't supposed to be walking when a dominant is in the area. What you never see is a dominant rooster getting attacked by a subordinate rooster unless there is going to be a definite shift in power, at which time the sub will challenge the dom and win...or lose. So far you are losing and not even challenging.

If you want to win this battle, you must go on the offensive, not the defensive. He who attacks first, and is still claiming the area when the other guy leaves it, is the winner. Some people never have to go on the offensive because their movements in the coop are so decisive that they move and act like a dominant and a 2 ft. rooster is smart enough to recognize a dominant attitude and behavior...which is likely why he's never attacked your husband. Most men move more decisively than do women and children and they rarely step around a bird, but walk through them.

Carrying him around also doesn't mean anything to him...it just doesn't translate at all. His environment is that coop and run floor and that's where you need to speak to him, in a language he understands. Because they are quick on their feet and can evade you, you need a training tool like a long, limber, supple rod of some kind...cutting a nice switch from a shrub or tree that will lengthen your reach by 5 ft. really helps in this. Don't use a rake or broom because they are too clumsy and stiff and can put the hurts on the guy when you don't really mean to.

When you enter your coop, walk with decisive movements and walk directly towards your rooster. Move him away from the feeder and the rest of the flock and keep a slow, determined pressure on him until he leaves the coop. The stick will help you guide him. Then...wait patiently while he gets his bird mind around what just happened. He will try to come back in the coop...let him. When he gets a good bit into that coop, take your switch and give him a good smack on the fluffy feathers under his tail if you can aim it well. If you cannot, just smack the floor near him very hard and fast until he hops and runs and keep at it until he leaves the coop once again. Repeat this process until he is too wary to come back in the coop.

Feed your hens. When he tries to come to the feeder, you "attack" him with the switch...smack the wall by the pop door just as he tries to enter. If he makes it inside, pursue him with the stick either smacking the floor or tapping him on the back or the head until he leaves in a hurry. Make him stay outside while you sit there and enjoy watching your hens eat. Use the stick to keep him from the flock..just him. Don't worry about the hens running and getting excited when this is happening...they will get over it. This is for the future of your flock and your management of it.

When the hens have had a good tucker....leave the coop and let him come back in. Go out later and walk through that flock and use your legs to scatter birds if they get in your way...top roosters do not step to one side for any other bird in the flock. You shouldn't either. Take your stick and startle him with a smack on the floor next to him when he is least expecting it...make that bird jump and RUN. Make him so nervous around you that he is always looking over his shoulder and trying to get out of your way. THAT'S how he needs to be from now on in your lives together. Forget about pets or cuddles...this is a language and behavior he understands. You can hand feed him and such later...right now you need to establish that when you move, he moves...away. When you turn your back, he doesn't move towards you...ever.

Then test him...take your stick along, move around in the coop, bend over with your back turned to him, feed, water, etc....but keep one eye on that rooster. If he even makes one tiny step in your direction or in your "zone", go on the attack and run him clear on out of the coop. Then keep him out while everyone else is eating.

THAT'S how a dominant rooster treats a subordinate. They don't let them crow, mate or even eat in their space. If the subordinate knows his place and watches over his shoulder a lot, he may get to come and eat while the other rooster is at the feeder...but he doesn't ever relax if he knows what is good for him. At any given time the dominant will run him off of that feed and he knows it, so he eats with one eye toward the door. If he feels the need to crow, it's not usually where the dom can reach him...maybe across the yard.

If your rooster crows while you are there, move towards him and keep on the pressure until he stops. He doesn't get to crow while you are there. He can crow later...not while you are there.

It all sounds time consuming but it really isn't...shouldn't take more than minutes for each lesson and you can learn a lot as you go along. And it can be fun if you venture into it with the right attitude....this is rooster training that really works if you do it correctly. This can work on strange roosters, multiple roosters and even old roosters...they can all learn. You rule the coop...now act like it. Carrying is for babies...you have a full grown rooster on your hands, not a baby.

Wishing you the best with your rooster. Remember - there is nothing wrong with removing a bird from the flock that doesn't work for you.

 

[Stayc]

I say he is young and can overcome this. He probably missed you. Do u let them free range when you are home?

 

[Chickens and kittens]

We basically built a rectangle fence with a roof on top the fencing goes up about 3 feet then the rest is chicken wire. So no we don't have a cloth skirt coming out horizontally.

No we have no run for the chickens it's just a coop I let them out about 3:00 pm and they walk around the yard. I let them out at this time because if I let them out any earlier the rooster will make time to go into our neighbors yard and attack his dog. We did consider giving up on him but decided not to so the article will really help thank you. We also don't have any kids like I said before so it's not like he's going to have the opportunity to hurt a child.

And yes we do let them free range.

Thank y'all all so much I will tell my parents about the apron and see what they say. Thanks again! Hopefully he'll stop attacking us but I'll try and keep y'all posted!

 

[Chickens and kittens]

So I've been following ya'll's instructions about the rooster minus the spray bottle I couldn't find one but he's doing so much better. He doesn't crow around me and definitely doesn't attack. I'm still working on the thing getting into our chicken coop though. Now I was wondering our friends have a blue heeler they're giving away I don't know exactly how old he is but we guess that he's about 3 years would he protect the chickens or kill them? He's a chill dog and just sits around over there and he's very good he sits, lays, and gives paw.

 

[sourland]

Keep an eye on your drake. If he starts breeding your chicken hens, and he probably will, he can injure or kill them. Drakes have penises, roosters do not; therefore, chicken hens are not structured for the insertion of 'objects'.

 

[Frazzemrat1]

So I've been following ya'll's instructions about the rooster minus the spray bottle I couldn't find one but he's doing so much better. He doesn't crow around me and definitely doesn't attack. I'm still working on the thing getting into our chicken coop though. Now I was wondering our friends have a blue heeler they're giving away I don't know exactly how old he is but we guess that he's about 3 years would he protect the chickens or kill them? He's a chill dog and just sits around over there and he's very good he sits, lays, and gives paw.

Just remember, from everything I've learned on here about roosters, is that your probably going to have to continuously assert yourself. Always have to make sure your the boss. Chickens are still animals that act on instinct, and his instinct is that he has to protect his ladies from predators and from rivals.