Culling a long time rooster. Is there a better time of day?

[minaayindra]

my goodness, why would you wish him on anyone else? He could seriously harm a child, or an another adult for that matter. I definitely follow the no mean rooster rule. Also no reason to encourage that those mean genes. Take in a kind one that needs a home.

I did find a farm who would take in roosters with issues. They provide open shelter for the Roos and they are allowed to free range all the time. As someone said, other wildlife can pick some off here or there but they seem mostly happy since there are no hens to compete over. I don’t know if anyone else has found a set-up like this but it seems to work. Of course, no children or other animals are allowed to prevent any slip-ups!

 

[Birdie mom]

We have a rooster that is in charge of 18 pullets and hens. He has worn out his welcome. My legs are scarred beyond belief. I have been trying everything under the sun for the last 3 months with no success. I have lumps where he has spurred me that are over a month old.
My question is is there a better time of day to cull him? I was thinking at bedtime so it doesn’t disrupt the ladies too much but I didn’t know.

we usually do it in the mornings or whenever it is cooler outside, it terrible butchering in the heat of the day. i don't think the ladies will care much, mine never do.

 

[DuckduckGo0se]

I'm not so familiar with chickens, I have ducks but decided to read this thread. I have questions more than help. Do rooster claws make it through pants? Are rooster attacks hard to fight off? If you don't decide to kill him maybe clip his wings so he can't at least reach peoples head as easily. I found some ideas and some of my thoughts. Have you tried giving him treats every time you see him or the carrying method where every time he wants to attack you, you hold him and if he doesn't walk calmly away after you let him go you repeat holding him? But definitely wear protective clothing with that.
There's this one lady I read who has a male duck that would attack her and one day she picked him up and tossed him into the water and apparently he liked that and stopped being mean to her. He would like to go to her repeadtedly when he wants to play and be tossed into the water. I don't what you could do with a rooster though asides from treats.
This idea is a weird one that I have not thought out or researched but maybe hormones or a hormone blocker for the part of the year you don't need fertilized eggs might get him to relax and not be so aggressive about protecting the hens. lol drug him with something.
Is it possible to do something to his claws? Make it nubby and dull or something?

 

[DuckduckGo0se]

Here is one comment from an article I read-
My rooster got worse as he got older. I don’t trust him anymore, but, I finally found something that works. A couple of years ago, I tried to get the chickens in the house but they wouldn’t cooperate, so, I thought I would stun them by putting a towel over their heads. While the idea was good, the rooster fell into the pool because he was so terrified of the towel. Last year, the rooster became more aggressive than the year before and I was very discouraged. I would wear a jacket when I was out there, but you can’t wear a thick jacket in the summer! I got some rubber gloves that covered my arms, but they were too hot and bulky. Reasoning with the rooster didn’t work anymore. But, I remembered the big yellow towel they were terrified of. So, all I do now is put the towel around my neck. It scared the chickens at first, but they got used to it. When the rooster starts his act, I show him the towel, and he backs off. I open it up and sometimes, I will even chase after him. It really works well and if he does attack (which he could), I would just throw the towel over his head and create another unforgettable experience for him!

Also post #41 and down might find something there that could help-https://www.backyardchickens.com/threads/how-to-tame-roosters.1389289/page-5
One more- https://www.backyardchickens.com/ar...hicken-directed-at-humans-man-fighting.75750/

 

[Birdie mom]

i like your ideas @DuckduckGo0se but it seems like this guy has had it a long time coming. the towel idea is interesting but what if a child wandered into the coop, without the towel, and the rooster injured her/him? that would scar the child's memory and make them fearful of chickens, even nice ones, because of their experience with that one rooster. my brother, when he was around two years old, was attacked by a vicious rooster. the rooster's spurs went through his shirt and drew blood from his back. luckily my mom was close by and kicked the rooster away. there isn't really another option: bad boys go live in the fridge.

 

[Folly's place]

Our first chickens included a nasty attack bantam, and he easily flew six feet in the air during attacks! No children were here at the time. and i did the 'carry a weapon' thing too long, before we eliminated him for good. Then, it was about 'we can make him better', and it never worked with the bad boys. Then, 'three strikes and you're out', equally a failure.
Now, good cockerels and roosters have homes, either here or at another farm, and jerks go to a freezer, mine of someone else's.
Deep infected wounds and lost eyeballs are NOT good! Idiots who attack the giant bringing food should leave the gene pool too.
Mary

 

[JacinLarkwell]

I'm not so familiar with chickens, I have ducks but decided to read this thread. I have questions more than help. Do rooster claws make it through pants? Are rooster attacks hard to fight off? If you don't decide to kill him maybe clip his wings so he can't at least reach peoples head as easily. I found some ideas and some of my thoughts. Have you tried giving him treats every time you see him or the carrying method where every time he wants to attack you, you hold him and if he doesn't walk calmly away after you let him go you repeat holding him? But definitely wear protective clothing with that.
There's this one lady I read who has a male duck that would attack her and one day she picked him up and tossed him into the water and apparently he liked that and stopped being mean to her. He would like to go to her repeadtedly when he wants to play and be tossed into the water. I don't what you could do with a rooster though asides from treats.
This idea is a weird one that I have not thought out or researched but maybe hormones or a hormone blocker for the part of the year you don't need fertilized eggs might get him to relax and not be so aggressive about protecting the hens. lol drug him with something.
Is it possible to do something to his claws? Make it nubby and dull or something?

In my experience, a determined roosters spurs and beak will do damage no matter what you're wearing besides leather and even then it might leave a bruise. I had to wear leather work gloves with one of my male's on year at fair.

Size plays a difference in how hard they are to fight off. Obviously a large, flying male is harder and usually more surprising than a small flying rooster. I would gladly take on a mean bantam over a mean standard any day.

A lot of these methods don't actually help a rooster become nice. It's genetics and just personality. Not every rooster can be trained to be nice

Hormone therapy would more than likely be way to expensive to be worth it.

You can trim spurs, but they are like nails and have very sensitive quick and nerves so you can't just cut them off, and they can grow fast. Most of my male's have spurs 2 to 3 inches now.

 

[doublecrossranch]

I'm not so familiar with chickens, I have ducks but decided to read this thread. I have questions more than help. Do rooster claws make it through pants? Are rooster attacks hard to fight off? If you don't decide to kill him maybe clip his wings so he can't at least reach peoples head as easily. I found some ideas and some of my thoughts. Have you tried giving him treats every time you see him or the carrying method where every time he wants to attack you, you hold him and if he doesn't walk calmly away after you let him go you repeat holding him? But definitely wear protective clothing with that.
There's this one lady I read who has a male duck that would attack her and one day she picked him up and tossed him into the water and apparently he liked that and stopped being mean to her. He would like to go to her repeadtedly when he wants to play and be tossed into the water. I don't what you could do with a rooster though asides from treats.
This idea is a weird one that I have not thought out or researched but maybe hormones or a hormone blocker for the part of the year you don't need fertilized eggs might get him to relax and not be so aggressive about protecting the hens. lol drug him with something.
Is it possible to do something to his claws? Make it nubby and dull or something?

This is yesterday through heavy wrangler jeans and cowgirl boots. He has attacked me while giving him treats. I have held him and thrown water on him. I have tried everything. I don’t want to drug him.

 

[JacinLarkwell]

This is yesterday through heavy wrangler jeans and cowgirl boots. He has attacked me while giving him treats. I have held him and thrown water on him. I have tried everything. I don’t want to drug him.

Yikes. Are those from his beak or spurs?

 

[doublecrossranch]

Yikes. Are those from his beak or spurs?

Spurs. There was a lot of cursing involved