Bantom rooster aggression

[rhmnola74]

Our 1 year old bantom rooster that we have raised since he was 2 days old is horrible.
When we arrived home with him, he was very weak.
My sister sent me an email on how rewarding caring for a sick baby chick is.
From that moment, we handled him often and loved him. At that point, we did not know he was a cockerel!
Around 3 months, he began sideways shuffling us and has not stopped.
I pick him up and carry him around, while talking sweet to him. My daughter holds him on his back like a baby and he falls asleep!

Besides crowing ALL day and most of night and sideways shuffling us and anyone or anything, he has started pecking me.
It hurts badly!!!
What should we do???

 

[ChickensAreSweet]

Don't tolerate a biting rooster.

Get rid of him would be my advice.

Sadly, they can injure the eyes if they fly up at you.

If you cannot bear to get rid of him, you may need to make a bachelor pen for him, where he is kept near his girls but where you can be on guard to care for him and not be attacked whilst walking the yard.

Chickens get lonely by themselves- you could put one other chicken in with him to make it humane.

 

[zebraffe4231]

Well to start, roosters are not pets. They have no interest in being your pet because it is just not in their nature, so don't treat them like one. He was wired to protect the flock so he is really just doing his job. He is doing it because he sees you as a threat to the flock so try and look at things through his eyes. What are you doing when he attacks you? Where you moving quickly? Did one of the hens squawk when you touched her? He also could just be trying to dominate you which you cannot allow or else it will just keep getting worse.

You need to teach him that you are at the top of the pecking order. Don't let him mate with the hens in front of you. When he mounts them push him off. When he does this he is saying this hen is mine. So is that one, and that one over there. You need to let him know that they are in fact yours. Don let him crow in front of you. Roosters crow for a number of reasons but a big one is to assert their dominance. He is essentially screaming "I am dominant and you are below me" so don't let him. When he crow just take a step towards him. Most roosters are all talk so if you step at him he will run away and shut up. If he drops his wings down he is also showing how big and dominant he is so when he does this pick him up. Hold I'm under your arm and carry him around for ten minutes. Don't let him hold his head high when you hold him either. If he lifts it above his shoulders just tap it down with your finger like a peck from a chicken. If he struggles do it for longer. If he attacks you grab him and pin him on the ground. Make sure you keep his head down. If he tries to lift it tap him on the head. Keep him there for a bout two minutes and if he struggles do it for longer. Don't let him decide when he is going to get up.

This is what I do with my room who used to flog me every time I went in the coop. One time he got me in the face and sliced my whole cheek open. Now he rarely attacks me. I have him so well trained that when I pin him, he will stay like that until i nudge him to get up.

Remember that roosters unfortunately, regardless of how much you want to snuggle them, are not pets. Good luck!