California - Northern

Unfortunately when you make pets out of the roosters they loose their fear of you and don't respect you as head of the flock. Many well known breeders have suggested not to tame your roosters. You need to find a way to scare him into submitting to you. Bring a broom into the pen and go straight at him with it until he runs away from you. Each time you come into the pen, first thing you do is walk towards him and make him move away from you to let him know YOU own the hens. This has worked for me with most of my roosters. The ones it didn't work on have been sent to the auction.

Sorry you are having rooster trouble. Hope this works for you.

We were sweet to the roos when they were babies. But we don't really interact with them since their teens. They usually yield to us and move out of the way as we walk past them. This has only happened a few times. I don't feed them by hand, or put up with them giving me "the look". Wouldn't attacking the rooster make him to fight back even more?
 
Unfortunately when you make pets out of the roosters they loose their fear of you and don't respect you as head of the flock. Many well known breeders have suggested not to tame your roosters. You need to find a way to scare him into submitting to you. Bring a broom into the pen and go straight at him with it until he runs away from you. Each time you come into the pen, first thing you do is walk towards him and make him move away from you to let him know YOU own the hens. This has worked for me with most of my roosters. The ones it didn't work on have been sent to the auction.

Sorry you are having rooster trouble. Hope this works for you.

Grrrrr It deleted my post back and only posted the quote!

We don't treat the two roos like the hens anymore for sure. When they got into their teens they got distant and we were fine with that. If they give me "the look" I pin them to the ground until they are calm. Mostly its the English Orp, but once in a blue moom Emmet decides to get cocky. Even then it's not common. This is probably the third time since we've gotten the chicks. We don't feed them by hand or anything to encourage dominance.

Wouldn't going after them with a broom just make them angrier?
 
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He's a blue English Orpington. That's expensive soup :(
Yes it is.

I believe you can get him to stop. They are big but cannot jump too far so the Spur danger is low. If he is able to spur you, the spurs can be removed. It does not seem to hurt them and it makes them a bunch safer if they try to get you by the old flying spur attack.

Worst I have had is hard pecking so far.
 
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We were sweet to the roos when they were babies. But we don't really interact with them since their teens. They usually yield to us and move out of the way as we walk past them. This has only happened a few times. I don't feed them by hand, or put up with them giving me "the look". Wouldn't attacking the rooster make him to fight back even more?
It is more of a behavior thing and is likely more genetic than learned. You are not trying to attack him but gaining dominance over him. Pushing him back with a broom does that without hurting them. The reason many Show Quality or lines of a breed that are shown have less aggression is because they have been selectively bred for being less aggressive. If you really like the way this one looks, work with him this year and get a bunch of boy offspring. Cull the aggressive ones and breed from the one or two that are less aggressive next year. They will become much nicer quickly that way.

When one of them pecks me, I pick them up and carry them around for a bit. I do not know if it causes dominance in their minds but they usually calm down. Some do not though and then they do become soup no matter what! Life gets to be much simpler when a mean Boy is gone. The other chickens are happier too.
 

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