can we show him? beautiful, but BAD

[Elite Silkies]

My Silkie Roo was extremely mean! I never entered his coop without protection. I held him everyday for a week (my husband helped me catch him) and now he doesn't bother me at all.

You may not be able to change them all, but I certainly feel that you can change some of them.

 

[Splash Giants]

I have seen alot of birds that were aggressive at the shows but never seen one DQ. I seen a Golden Duckwing OE take 5th best old english last year and that bird would bite and flog you. I think alot of it has to do with your judges. I try not to breed form birds like that because I have found over the years it tends to be passed down.

 

[Sonoran Silkies]

Quote:
Have you seen that happen? At what sort of show, if so? Sanctioned APA/ABA show?

I have, or more specifically, the judge refused to judge the bird after it attacked him. Wrote on the cage "MEAN BIRD!" and lectured the whole club at the banquet to leave birds like that home.

However, I do believe that you should make an effort to break him of his bad behavior. It can be done with many aggresive roosters. They are at their worst when they are teenagers; they will naturally calm down a bit as they age past that stage. www.browneggblueegg.com has a very good article on taming roosters.

Also, I would like to note that roosters are aggressive for two reasons--if you can figure out which one, you can alter your behavior so that he no longer views you in that light.

1) he sees you as a predator from whom he must protect his flock, or

2) he sees you as a rival for the attentions of his hens.

You WANT him to view you as a benevolent force of nature who provides good things for his flock, and is no threat to either him or his flock. Also, he needs to think himself completely incapable of altering your behavior by aggression any more than he can alter rain or wind or coop walls.

 

[NYREDS]

Quote:
What judge has disqualified a bird based on aggressiveness? If that were to happen I'd contest it and win. There is absolutely nothing in the Standard to suggest that birds can be disqualified based on behavior.
I always volunteer to to the big Games when I judge. I expect those males to be aggressive & find that the ones that aren't are usually soft bodied.
I not only don't consider aggressiveness as a culling criteria I prefer males that tend to be aggressive, they tend to make better breeders.
I'm a 225# man, if I was afraid an 8# chicken was going to hurt me I'd get a different hobby.

 

[greenfamilyfarms]

I've seen some judges that actually LIKED the aggressive roos, especially the OEGBs and Moderns.

 

[Sonoran Silkies]

I think there is a difference between being aggressive and being active.

 

[rodriguezpoultry]

Quote:
Have you seen that happen? At what sort of show, if so? Sanctioned APA/ABA show?

Yes it has happened. It was an APA show. No judge should have to handle a bird that is screaming, biting and scratching. Show birds need to be conditioned to handling...any bird that attacks, in my opinion, ESPECIALLY an Asiatic bird or bantam Cochin needs have their owner contacted.

Aggression towards an owner is one thing, especially if that person seeks for aggression for higher fertility, but a judge should not have to be torn apart by a bird that should be conditioned for show.

I will say that the bird that was DQed had several other problems, but the judge wrote "Too Aggressive for Show" on the tag. I'd never realized an Australorp would attack that way. Poor judge was dripping blood from where the thing latched on.

 

[catwalk]

The SCNA awards one quarter of it's score for "character." I do not know if other breeds do this, but agression will knock a Serama's score WAY down. And he's only a one-pound bird! I don't think a judge owes a prize to a bird that injures him, but at your roo's age, I think you can turn him around! Good luck!

 

[NYREDS]

Quote:
Serama shows are an entity unto themselves. There is no "character" requirement in an APA or ABA show. When & if [and I do mean if] Seramas are accepted into the APA Standard I would not expect the character criteria to be carried over. I would assume that the existing scale of points would apply to Seramas as well.
Personally, I don't know of any judge who considers behavior when judging. Quite the opposite, I do know many who agree with me about the Games. They're expected to be aggressive. I can't recall a show I've judged where I didn't get hit at least once. It's really not that big a deal.

 

[BarkerChickens]

If his aggressiveness is the issue, you can try a little rooster reform. If you go up to User List at the top, search for Gritsar. Once you click on her name, scroll the bottom so you can click on the link to view her BYC page. She has a page that she made all on how to reform a rooster. It is great! DH and I have used it on a couple roosters now!