Cockerel Biting Child

[HeathenHavenHomestead]

Today I monitored Big Poppa and when my daughter ran across the yard he immediately ran after her.
This was a controlled experiment because before he could reach her I stepped between them and he turned around and walked off instantly.

I told my husband via text. However he still wanted to give him a fighting chance since no actual “attack” happened.

Tonight he walked outside with the dogs and once he stepped off the porch Big Poppa ran straight at him and started biting at his pants (which are those nice thick Duluth pants luckily) he nudged him off with his leg and he came back at him trying to flog him.

We are now having chicken for dinner.


My daughter will hardly leave my side when we go outside and cries “mama safe! Mama safe! Chicken biteeee chicken biiiitttteeeee!” Due to the 2x (in the same day) he bit her. We let her help in the plucking and explained the mean chicken was gone and she won’t ever have to worry again. We will always keep her safe. Now she seems a lot more confident around the chickens and will gain more once she really realizes she’s safe.

The funny part is our 2nd in command cockerel immediately started trying to mate with the females.

Also don’t mind my partially painted coop in the background…nothing to see here folks

 

[Devils Flower]

Today I monitored Big Poppa and when my daughter ran across the yard he immediately ran after her.
This was a controlled experiment because before he could reach her I stepped between them and he turned around and walked off instantly.

I told my husband via text. However he still wanted to give him a fighting chance since no actual “attack” happened.

Tonight he walked outside with the dogs and once he stepped off the porch Big Poppa ran straight at him and started biting at his pants (which are those nice thick Duluth pants luckily) he nudged him off with his leg and he came back at him trying to flog him.

We are now having chicken for dinner.


My daughter will hardly leave my side when we go outside and cries “mama safe! Mama safe! Chicken biteeee chicken biiiitttteeeee!” Due to the 2x (in the same day) he bit her. We let her help in the plucking and explained the mean chicken was gone and she won’t ever have to worry again. We will always keep her safe. Now she seems a lot more confident around the chickens and will gain more once she really realizes she’s safe.

The funny part is our 2nd in command cockerel immediately started trying to mate with the females.

Also don’t mind my partially painted coop in the background…nothing to see here folks

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Pour baby. My grandmother had a mean rooster years and years ago. He would only attack us kids. Finally after a few years of this we got to eat him. Chicken and noodles. I have no idea why my grandmother keeped him for so long.
Was a totally trifling experience for sure. I have a granddaughter and I have to constantly stay between her and my Bramha rooster and my Road island red. She is scared of them and as soon as she starts screaming it sets them off but my boys aren't for eating. It's hard to explain to a child not to scream like a banshee every time she see the rooster even when they are a mile away. She just assume they are going to jump on her.

 

[HeathenHavenHomestead]

Pour baby. My grandmother had a mean rooster years and years ago. He would only attack us kids. Finally after a few years of this we got to eat him. Chicken and noodles. I have no idea why my grandmother keeped him for so long.
Was a totally trifling experience for sure. I have a granddaughter and I have to constantly stay between her and my Bramha rooster and my Road island red. She is scared of them and as soon as she starts screaming it sets them off but my boys aren't for eating. It's hard to explain to a child not to scream like a banshee every time she see the rooster even when they are a mile away. She just assume they are going to jump on her.

We didn’t intend on eating him and it was actually pretty disappointing that he became aggressive towards our daughter and my husband became the final straw.

I whooped his a$$ the other day so that’s why he was still afraid of me. Not to mention I’m a crazy mama bear and I did hit him with the jet stream on the hose when he tried to bow up to me the same day he got my daughter.
He was our favorite and lead cockerel and he protected our flock but we can’t have a chicken that’s going to attack us and make my daughter afraid. She’s tough as nails and isn’t scared of anything but it shocked us as much as her that it chased her down and bit her.
Hence the new fear.

We free range the chickens so they can live their best life and my daughter shouldn’t have to be contained or heavily monitored so she can live her best life. She should be allowed to be a free spirit so everyone has to get along.

She did come before the chickens after all

 

[BigBlueHen53]

We didn’t intend on eating him and it was actually pretty disappointing that he became aggressive towards our daughter and my husband became the final straw.

I whooped his a$$ the other day so that’s why he was still afraid of me. Not to mention I’m a crazy mama bear and I did hit him with the jet stream on the hose when he tried to bow up to me the same day he got my daughter.
He was our favorite and lead cockerel and he protected our flock but we can’t have a chicken that’s going to attack us and make my daughter afraid. She’s tough as nails and isn’t scared of anything but it shocked us as much as her that it chased her down and bit her.
Hence the new fear.

We free range the chickens so they can live their best life and my daughter shouldn’t have to be contained or heavily monitored so she can live her best life. She should be allowed to be a free spirit so everyone has to get along.

She did come before the chickens after all

Good job! Children are WAAAY more important than any chicken.

 

[BigBlueHen53]

I have no idea why my grandmother keeped him for so long.

Your daughter will not understand, either.

 

[HeathenHavenHomestead]

Good job! Children are WAAAY more important than any chicken.

Absolutely! I was ready to take him out right after it happened but my husband didn’t witness it so to him it didn’t seem worth killing.
But once he jumped my husband he immediately took him out right then and there.

 

[BigBlueHen53]

Absolutely! I was ready to take him out right after it happened but my husband didn’t witness it so to him it didn’t seem worth killing.
But once he jumped my husband he immediately took him out right then and there.

Excellent. I am now of the "one strike, you're out" school of thought concerning cockerels and roosters. I never would have believed a bird could do the kind of damage they can, if it had not happened to me. I know this is very controversial and a lot of people would disagree with me and that's fine. Each to their own opinion, and if they want to try to rehab their cockerels or roosters I wish them well. But I hope they don't put their children in harm's way doing it.

 

[HeathenHavenHomestead]

Excellent. I am now of the "one strike, you're out" school of thought concerning cockerels and roosters. I never would have believed a bird could do the kind of damage they can, if it had not happened to me. I know this is very controversial and a lot of people would disagree with me and that's fine. Each to their own opinion, and if they want to try to rehab their cockerels or roosters I wish them well. But I hope they don't put their children in harm's way doing it.

I read him horror story after horror story including one I found on here about a little girl a few months older then our daughter who was brutally attacked while sitting inside her home playing.
He felt until he lost his trust he didn’t wanna take him out. He was pretty dang tasty.
we cooked the heart and liver over a bonfire and my daughter chowed down. I’ve never ate liver mostly cause my internal self feels it’s gross but it was some salty mushroom tasting stuff haha.

 

[Devils Flower]

We didn’t intend on eating him and it was actually pretty disappointing that he became aggressive towards our daughter and my husband became the final straw.

I whooped his a$$ the other day so that’s why he was still afraid of me. Not to mention I’m a crazy mama bear and I did hit him with the jet stream on the hose when he tried to bow up to me the same day he got my daughter.
He was our favorite and lead cockerel and he protected our flock but we can’t have a chicken that’s going to attack us and make my daughter afraid. She’s tough as nails and isn’t scared of anything but it shocked us as much as her that it chased her down and bit her.
Hence the new fear.

We free range the chickens so they can live their best life and my daughter shouldn’t have to be contained or heavily monitored so she can live her best life. She should be allowed to be a free spirit so everyone has to get along.

She did come before the chickens after all

You made the right decision that's for sure.. I'm sure it wasn't a easy one at that.

 

[Devils Flower]

Your daughter will not understand, either.

You mean my granddaughter? Well she does. She's very smart for her age and I have no problem explaining to her every time she comes over what to do and how to act around my roosters and turkeys if they get aggressive. As long as she follows the rules she will always be safe. Even if she forgets what to do she is never alone outside. I have chickens, ducks and turkeys and not one are made for eating.