Cockerel is Terrified of me

[pony007]

My already skiddish (and not very bright) 6 month old Brahma cockerel managed to tag himself on the electric fence twice this weekend. He now thinks that my husband and I can shoot lightning out of our hands at a distance of 30 feet. He runs away from us, and won't even come near for treats. He was always been hard to catch, but he used to eat treats out of my hand. Will he ever forget about our "magic powers"? or will he be skiddish and spooky at us forever? Any tips on gaining his trust back? Thanks for the help!

 

[gtaus]

Any tips on gaining his trust back?

I don't treat my chickens as pets, but I have seen YouTube videos of people who want more personal contact with their birds. One person just brought a chair out to the chicken run and would sit there, letting the chickens get used to her presence. You could probably bring out some treats as you sit there, and coax the chickens to get more friendly towards you. It probably won't happen in a day, but over time, I imagine they will associate your presence as non threatening and as someone with possible good treats to eat.

Again, I don't treat my chickens as pets, but if I show up with a pail of kitchen scraps, you would think I was their best friend.

 

[Smileybans]

I have a light Brahma, Monster, who is a huge baby. He is twice the size of my RIR laying pullet but jumps any time she comes near him. Not to mention when I’m in the yard he follows me everywhere. Not for snacks either. With him it’s a comfort thing. When he was a chick he wouldn’t settle down to sleep so I sat in with him and his sister. They were relentless.

When they got moved out to the baby coop to get integrated into the flock he wanted nothing to do with me. Didn’t want me picking him up or touching him. Which was inconvenient because I had to do both to get him into the coop at night. But after a month or so he warmed back up. I stopped touching him and respected his space. He’s still a huge baby. But now he comes around for treats and still wants to keep me in eye shot. I think you just have to give your Brahma time and he’ll come around. Try different things to get his respect and trust back. The sitting within range of him works and I found tossing treats to him works as well.

 

[pony007]

Thanks for all the advice It seems that Ritz crackers and raisins have once again won over the heart of Freddie my cockerel. He's still scared of the fence, but at least I'm no longer as scary!

 

[adstowe]

I'd consider that a good thing. Do you know what a rooster who's running away from you isn't doing? Running AT you. My rooster will come near me when I put out food, but if I move towards him he moves away. That's exactly the way I want it. Make pets out of your hens if you want, but a cockerel that thinks you can harness lightning isn't necessarily a bad thing. It'll subside a bit over time, but if it causes him to have a healthy respect for people I'd say it's in your benefit.

 

[theoldchick]

I'd rather have a rooster that runs from then attacks me. Some chickens are just naturally more timid as they were not bred to be pets. In the not too distance past, poultry were considered livestock and treated as such. Now that backyard flocks are becoming more popular people are wanting pet-like poultry. Though your rooster may never be the snuggly lap dog that you want, you can train him with food. Remember, chickens don't like things hoovering over them, so get down to their level and dispense food treats. As mentioned sitting in a chair and simply spending time with them is a good way to start. And though you may not have the snuggly love bug that you want, you will enjoy watching the chickens going around their daily routine. Dust bathing is a hoot to watch and taking bets on chicken football can really get the family cheering for the chicken gaining ground with her beak full of a morsel of food while others run madly with wattles flapping and feet flying. Enjoy your chickens for what they are and you'll soon respect what funny little things they are.

 

[Aapomp831]

I would leave him alone. Roosters aren’t supposed to be cuddly and they don’t want to be either. He’s probably traumatized from having to be caught a few times for whatever reason.... just go about your regular daily business and ignore him. He’ll eventually realize you’re not there to murder; you’re there to provide. He’s never going to run to you singing jaunty tunes and that’s fine and completely natural. IMO a cuddly rooster is a worthless rooster.

 

[pony007]

Oh believe me I dont want a cuddly rooster, its just really hard to catch something that stays 30 ft away from you Freddie never had trouble staying out of my space, as hes always been skiddish of me even before the fence incident. I only need him to come close for treats so i can get him back in his yard at night. He has gotten better with more tantalising treats. We'll see if he can stay off the electric fence in the future.