Barred Rocks!!

[DesertChic]

My Barred Rock rooster chased my 4-yr old son the other day! My husband had to get between them with his lawnmower he was on. He said one more time and it's to the stew pot he goes! I am so bummed, because he is great to his ladies, can gather them with one crow. He is so protective, and hasn't ever been aggressive before. He is I think about 6 months old, so I guess his hormones are really starting to kick in. I really hope there isn't a next time, because I am already getting bullseyes on the yolks and I really wanted to breed him to my Buffs that will be laying in 5 months.

Are Barred Rock roos naturally more aggressive than other breeds? I hope not, because I have another who is a month old chick that I'm hoping to use for breeding too. I almost got a Brahma, but didn't want anything too heavy for my Easter Egger hens to have to support. Maybe I should have researched this a little more before selecting?

The sad truth is that not everyone breeds for temperament, and hatchery Barred Rocks are definitely NOT breed for temperament. If a cockerel is attacking your children you can expect the behavior to continue and probably escalate. I've owned dozens of cockerels/roosters of multiple breeds and I know from experience that chasing after a child is not something they'll outgrow. The bird sees your child as a threat. So...which do you like more?

There are plenty of breeds out there with very friendly and docile cockerels/roosters. I've had consistently good luck with Naked Neck Turkens, Bielefelders, Easter Eggers, and Ameraucanas. And since many people can't or don't want to keep roosters, you may be able to pick up a child-friendly one for free or very little money.

 

[Mezzer]

I must add that the neighbors rooster is making daily moves on my girls. lol. It's so VERY funny to watch him flap and crow and even make the "I've found food" cluck and they complete ignore him. Lol.

 

[10AcreChick]

Thank you all for all the replies to my post. Honestly the ONLY reason I hesitate to send this rooster straight to the stew pot is because nobody saw what may have triggered this roosters behavior. He has until now been totally docile. I'm not saying it was my boy's fault, but I hadn't really talked to him about how to act around the rooster (or any other chicken for that matter) before now, other than yelling to not chase them (boys will be boys). Its hard to get a straight story out of a four year old. I took my two young boys out this evening and we walked among the chickens and rooster. He kept himself between us and the hens, but did nothing else. I also explained to them why he does this and that he is more dangerous than he looks, so to be wary. I will monitor the situation with a long Easter break coming up, and see what happens. I know he may act different when I am not around, too.

I picked up on this thread that sometimes when a rooster is handled a lot as a chick he actually can be more aggressive later. I'm guessing this is because he is not afraid of us? Which would explain why my 1 month bar rock chick roo (who had a case of pasty butt and I had to handle daily for a while) is the only one of my 23 chicks that is not afraid of me now that he is back with the rest. The fear is coming back, though. And, no, he is not the offspring of the rooster above. Though he is also a hatchery chick.

 

[kekstrom]

Ethel at one week old. Her feathering is so pretty! She is quite spunky and loves to hop up on our hand when we put it down into the brooder. And she never wants to go back in. I sure hope her friendliness persists.

 

[AK Chick]

Thank you all for all the replies to my post. Honestly the ONLY reason I hesitate to send this rooster straight to the stew pot is because nobody saw what may have triggered this roosters behavior. He has until now been totally docile. I'm not saying it was my boy's fault, but I hadn't really talked to him about how to act around the rooster (or any other chicken for that matter) before now, other than yelling to not chase them (boys will be boys). Its hard to get a straight story out of a four year old. I took my two young boys out this evening and we walked among the chickens and rooster. He kept himself between us and the hens, but did nothing else. I also explained to them why he does this and that he is more dangerous than he looks, so to be wary. I will monitor the situation with a long Easter break coming up, and see what happens. I know he may act different when I am not around, too.

I picked up on this thread that sometimes when a rooster is handled a lot as a chick he actually can be more aggressive later. I'm guessing this is because he is not afraid of us? Which would explain why my 1 month bar rock chick roo (who had a case of pasty butt and I had to handle daily for a while) is the only one of my 23 chicks that is not afraid of me now that he is back with the rest. The fear is coming back, though. And, no, he is not the offspring of the rooster above. Though he is also a hatchery chick.

I had a perfectly nice Rhode Island Red rooster that we never had problems with until my young son was in the coop with me one day. He attacked my son by flying at him with his spurs out. I smacked him with the pitcher I was using for feed to get him back but he had decided to be territorial and even though we tried to have my son feed the chickens, give them treats, pet the hens, etc he would not stop being aggressive. .The worst part was that we got chickens so that it could be part of his growing-up experience, and after that, he was so scared of the chickens I couldn't get him anywhere near them.That rooster would even chase him from behind the chicken fencing when he played in the yard. After much coaxing, I got my son to come back in the coop, but it took a couple of weeks and when we did, that rooster attacked him again. I decided that I couldn't risk him for the sake of the chicken, so we BBQ'd him. I hated to do it, but my son's safety has to come first. Now, we have an Arucana/Chanticler mix rooster who is good to the hens, and tolerant of us. I am so glad to not have that worry.

 

[DesertChic]

Ethel at one week old. Her feathering is so pretty! She is quite spunky and loves to hop up on our hand when we put it down into the brooder. And she never wants to go back in. I sure hope her friendliness persists.

So cute!!! My BR chicks are always some of my friendliest, and while all of my BR girls have remained friendly, they don't always remain quite so affectionate. One of the things I love about this breed is their assertiveness. All of my BR girls will still tolerate being handled and pet, and some will still hop onto my lap if they think it will get them a treat, but they're quite content to run over to say their hello and then go about their business. And they're AMAZING layers. Some of my largest eggs come from my smallest BR hen, and her production has been beyond impressive. I tease her about being part ostrich to give me such large eggs for her size. She simply responds by clucking for treats.

 

[kekstrom]

So cute!!! My BR chicks are always some of my friendliest, and while all of my BR girls have remained friendly, they don't always remain quite so affectionate. One of the things I love about this breed is their assertiveness. All of my BR girls will still tolerate being handled and pet, and some will still hop onto my lap if they think it will get them a treat, but they're quite content to run over to say their hello and then go about their business. And they're AMAZING layers. Some of my largest eggs come from my smallest BR hen, and her production has been beyond impressive. I tease her about being part ostrich to give me such large eggs for her size. She simply responds by clucking for treats.

I can already see that assertiveness you mention. I am wondering if she'll be top chicken.

 

[DesertChic]

I can already see that assertiveness you mention. I am wondering if she'll be top chicken.

The first flock of chickens I ever bought included Australorps, Silkies and Barred Rocks. The BRs were only days old while the other birds were 1-2 weeks old already. My favorite BR pullet jumped up on the feed dish, let out this amazing squawk at the flock, and they all ran to the other end of the brooder and stayed there until she finished eating and hopped off the dish. It was the most hilarious thing I'd ever seen...and she continues to hold her dominance to this day.

 

[10AcreChick]

He charged at my husband and I also, so I dispatched of the rooster this morning. At 23 weeks he dressed out to 5 lbs. Better luck with my other BR chick. And I think one of my Buffs is a rooster, too!

 

[kekstrom]

Here is Ethel's 2 week old pic.



Her beak is menacing! Haha!