A cockerel was abandoned at my house earlier this summer. I’m not sure how old, he was pretty big but he wasn’t crowing yet. He was very endearing and not at all aggressive toward us so I decided to keep him, and integration with my 7 hens and 3 chicks being raised by a broody girl was going really well. He started crowing about two weeks ago. Would run up to me seemingly happy to see me and I had gotten him to the point of taking treats from my hand. Then last week I went on vacation, came back yesterday, and it’s like he’s a different rooster! 
He’s suddenly aggressive, and I swear bigger. My chicken sitter said he was aggressive toward him on the first and fifth day but otherwise ok, and he’s tried to come after me three times now since we got home last night. Today I thought we were doing better, he was mostly ignoring me while they free ranged, but then out of nowhere after I tossed treats to get them in for the night he came back out of the run at me. I feel like he’s crowing more when I’m around now, too. I’m using a round sled as a shield when near him and currently not letting our kids be outside if the chickens are out, which isn’t sustainable. Did my 8 day absence trigger this? Did he have a poorly timed surge of hormones while we were away? Is there any chance he’ll go back to being the way he was before and he just needs a few days, or does aggression tend to persist if it starts? I’m so sad! I have lost all trust in him and he makes me feel on edge now. Could things go back to how they were?? I took this pic of him a couple minutes before he attacked me last night for the first time. I feel like a switch flipped in him or something. 
He’s suddenly aggressive, and I swear bigger. My chicken sitter said he was aggressive toward him on the first and fifth day but otherwise ok, and he’s tried to come after me three times now since we got home last night. Today I thought we were doing better, he was mostly ignoring me while they free ranged, but then out of nowhere after I tossed treats to get them in for the night he came back out of the run at me. I feel like he’s crowing more when I’m around now, too. I’m using a round sled as a shield when near him and currently not letting our kids be outside if the chickens are out, which isn’t sustainable. Did my 8 day absence trigger this? Did he have a poorly timed surge of hormones while we were away? Is there any chance he’ll go back to being the way he was before and he just needs a few days, or does aggression tend to persist if it starts? I’m so sad! I have lost all trust in him and he makes me feel on edge now. Could things go back to how they were?? I took this pic of him a couple minutes before he attacked me last night for the first time. I feel like a switch flipped in him or something.
