butthead 3 month old cockerel

[chickenmomma6]

this little butthead "bruce" grabs my girls by the back of their necks all the time. he will do it if they try to eat or drink first or if I pet them. this little butt has also been pecking at me and trying to kick at me and my kids. he so pretty but he's such a butthead

 

[TheTwoRoos]

Well,he looks way older then three months,I suggest getting rid of him.Either cull or gibr to eomeoem will to deal with the behavior.Wouldnt try to rehabilitate him cause you have kids.

 

[chickenmomma6]

Well,he looks way older then three months,I suggest getting rid of him.Either cull or gibr to eomeoem will to deal with the behavior.Wouldnt try to rehabilitate him cause you have kids.

sorry I just looked I guess he is 14 weeks, so 3.5 months old.

 

[EggSighted4Life]

What he's doing is typical of a young cockerel trying to dominate the ladies so that he can mate with them. It isn't until after they mature quite a bit that they start calling the ladies to treats and standing guard for them.

However, kicking at you and your kids IS an issue. How old are your kids?

Hi isn't being a butthead. He is testing his boundaries and hormones are setting in. Soon they will control him. Raging hormones make for really stupid cockerels... that WON'T back down. They aren't reasoning things out... they are simply fighting for the right to mate and don't want you handling the hens... in my experience.

Either get yourself a stick or something and put a little chase to him. Once he is on the run, let up. Smack down that stick nearby every time he tries to get close. Kicking back will escalate his behavior. You can look up "rooster speak" or rooster training, posted by beekissed if you like. It didn't work for me with my problem boy... but MAYBE it isn't too late for you and him.

Did you let this boy hang out on your lap and act real friendly to him? If so he now see's you not as a threat, but a challenge. If you made him "trust" you... then he knows you won't hurt him in the back of his mind. Unfortunately, in the chicken world fear = respect and he has neither for you.

Good luck!

 

[chickenmomma6]

What he's doing is typical of a young cockerel trying to dominate the ladies so that he can mate with them. It isn't until after they mature quite a bit that they start calling the ladies to treats and standing guard for them.

However, kicking at you and your kids IS an issue. How old are your kids?

Hi isn't being a butthead. He is testing his boundaries and hormones are setting in. Soon they will control him. Raging hormones make for really stupid cockerels... that WON'T back down. They aren't reasoning things out... they are simply fighting for the right to mate and don't want you handling the hens... in my experience.

Either get yourself a stick or something and put a little chase to him. Once he is on the run, let up. Smack down that stick nearby every time he tries to get close. Kicking back will escalate his behavior. You can look up "rooster speak" or rooster training, posted by beekissed if you like. It didn't work for me with my problem boy... but MAYBE it isn't too late for you and him.

Did you let this boy hang out on your lap and act real friendly to him? If so he now see's you not as a threat, but a challenge. If you made him "trust" you... then he knows you won't hurt him in the back of his mind. Unfortunately, in the chicken world fear = respect and he has neither for you.

Good luck!

yes as a baby he was super friendly and would always sit in my lap. my kids are 4.5 and 2 yrs old.

 

[EggSighted4Life]

yes as a baby he was super friendly and would always sit in my lap. my kids are 4.5 and 2 yrs old.

I'm sorry... in my experience, he HAS to go...

Your kids are too young to risk his behavior going forward. They could easily be blinded at that height. Also I wouldn't want them to become scared of chickens due the behavior of one hormonal idiot.

I was SOOO excited for my first young cockerel that sat on my lap and acted so sweet! Before being removed to the stag pen, he tried to pull a hen off my lap. The first time I felt something brush my leg I didn't realize it was an attack. The second time, I had wised up. It eventually became rushing me at the fence, stalking me and pretending to do busy work if I looked at him. Then crowing AT ME relentlessly. After being attacked every time I turned my back for several months... I'm not gonna lie... The meaner the roo, the sweeter the stew!

Took me a while to get past that. Since then I have had a good rooster... who didn't look cross eyed at my dogs. He did drop his wing to try and dance at me ONE morning. Which I quickly corrected and he was my best rooster yet. He was not a lap cockerel.

Now some people have luck and get good boys even though they were lap boys. That was not my experience and NOW I don't have lap boys and will NEVER recommend it. I teach them to avoid me. Not that I'm a threat per say and also not to be seen as part of the pecking order... More like a master. The giant who brings food is NOT to be challenged, they are accepted as part of the normal routine.

Note... now all stags get separated into the stag pen before they reach mating age... so they can gain some maturity and manners.

I know it's a hard decision... but I can almost guarantee you that you will have a happier family and flock if you rehome him ASAP, but don't advertise him as friendly because it is misnomer and he now has hormones kicking in. You can always add another boy down the road, when you have more experience or your kids are a bit taller. Separation to me is not a good choice since accidents happen and he could get out just to go after one of the kids. And I wouldn't want that sort of liability if I had other children visiting.

Check out post #18 in this thread to see the rooster training I was speaking of. It didn't work for me... but each bird is an individual. I also don't follow much of the whole don't let him eat in front of you thing. At this point his behavior really is a misunderstanding created by you. But don't blame yourself, we all do our best until we learn something new! ... https://www.backyardchickens.com/threads/aggressive-rooster.1149551/

Now I keep it simple... treat them as chickens. Yes I walk through them and not moving is an indicator of things to come. People think "friendly" chickens are friendly... WRONG, they are in fact confident. I go mostly hands off once identified as cockerel... that is to say, I handle them when I want to, whether they like it or not. But NONE (boys) will be invited to hang out on me... NOT even Silkies! Yes, I've been attacked by Silkies to.

Good luck whatever you decide.

 

[Folly's place]

My first rooster, a tiny bantam, was a real killer jerk. He attacked every human daily, and wouldn't give up, ever.
I learned that life is way too short to put up with an idiot like that!
My cockerels are polite, and move out of my way when I walk 'through' them, which happens almost every day. Pullets and hens can be pets, but roosters have work to do, and it doesn't include stalking or attacking humans!!!
You have small children and retraining this boy isn't going to work for them.
He should be dinner, for you or another family, before somebody is injured.
Mary