Dealing with aggressive rooster

[Folly's place]

x2!!! Mary

 

[Sydney Acres]

Quote:

At 3 weeks of age you should expect a whole clutch (if you had that many chicks) to all be wadded up in the brooder with bloody heads.

Their little heads will be so bloody that they can barely open their eyes. A little baby oil or Vaseline smeared on their noggins will get them seeing again. After this they have decided who is the boss of who and run together peaceful until the little roosters get to about crowing size. Then they will do the whole thing again only this time without the pullets.

Young roosters or cockerels are unsure of their status and often either attack or are attacked by the females in the flock. The oldest or highest status hens are usually the last to knuckle under to the flock rooster. Just like dancing the tango it takes two, and any hen or rooster who refuses to acknowledge the higher status of another bird will be attacked on sight or at least anytime the higher status and lower status birds interact.

After all they are chickens and chickens only act like chickens. To try and bend, fold, or spindle a chicken into the shape of a little feathered human is in my opinion an inhumane act.

Wow. Those are some disturbing statements. I'm not going to question your experience with "1,000s of roosters," or that you have "more than a little experience with woman." I'm simply going to suggest that perhaps the roosters, the chicks, and the women, that you have experienced do not represent the norm, and that your experiences, and definitely your goals, are quite different than those of others.

 

[Sydney Acres]

I just don't like the domestic violence - the poor hen cowers in the corner and the rooster corners her and pecks at her. I think he drew blood the other day. Also, it hurts when he pecks me! Chicken ownership should be painful! I work hard keeping their area clean and dry with plenty of healthy food and treats. In return I'd like a rooster that doesn't attack me, or the hens. I realize there is some violence involved in mating, that I'll tolerate to a point. I'm wondering if I posted him on Craigslist if anyone would want him? He's a nice looking bird. Just doesn't stay still long enough for me to get a good picture.

I'd like to try another breed to see if the roosters are a little more gentle.

This situation may not be an issue with the breed, or even with the temperament of the individual cockerel. All chickens are very "pecking order" oriented. In nature, there would be numerous chicks in a clutch, and a hen to supervise. Multiple chicks would be jousting together all the time, and nothing would get too intense because there would be checks and balances within the group. But in this situation you have one dominant cockerel and one submissive pullet. The cockerel has no one to joust with -- there's no pushing and pulling, just pushing, and pushing and pushing further. He does it because he can, and he has no hen to redirect his behavior. The little pullet just isn't up to that level of jousting, so she cowers and gets beat up. It's not that one is bad and one is good. They're just in a situation without the normal checks and balances, and they're highly mismatched. It's a situation that is overdeveloping both his tendency to be dominant and her tendency to be submissive. Each of these individuals would benefit from having other chicks of their own age and their own temperaments to socialize with.

 

[chickengeorgeto]

Wow. Those are some disturbing statements. I'm not going to question your experience with "1,000s of roosters," or that you have "more than a little experience with woman." I'm simply going to suggest that perhaps the roosters, the chicks, and the women, that you have experienced do not represent the norm, and that your experiences, and definitely your goals, are quite different than those of others.

Outside of both species being warm blooded vertebrates, roosters, hens, or chicks have little in common with men, women, or children.

It is a grievous mistake to assume they do.

I never mentioned men, women, or any other class of human.

The pecking order is about status and only status. IN other words, who gets the preferred roosting spot, the best slot at the feeder, and who has first dibs on the choicest or most delectable treats.

Chickens however will kill their fellow bird to satisfy their greed, lust, and vanity, I suppose that this is about as close to the human condition that a chicken gets.

Perhaps a week spent watching who moves out of who's way will drive home the concept of the pecking order. A hen or rooster does not have to assault another for the pecking order to be effective. an evil look is usually all it takes.

 

[live77777]

I suggest that sometimes you bring a squirt bottle with you. Then if he starts to crow when your around step around him and stop him because he is basically saying that i'm top at the pecking order and your below me!

Hope that helped and good luck!

 

[Champoux]

I have a question and a confession.
I have a beautiful Andelusian rooster (Cortez) that I adore. He has been great, but yesterday he attacked me while I was feeding them. I stood my ground and walked him out of the coop and into the run. Today he did it again and out of just reaction I hit him over the head with a small bucket I use to feed. (I felt bad about that - confession) Initially I thought I killed him but I just knocked him out. When he came to I walked him out of the coop.
My question is, did I fix the problem or make it worse? I have not had this issue before.

 

[TalkALittle]

I have a question and a confession.
I have a beautiful Andelusian rooster (Cortez) that I adore. He has been great, but yesterday he attacked me while I was feeding them. I stood my ground and walked him out of the coop and into the run. Today he did it again and out of just reaction I hit him over the head with a small bucket I use to feed. (I felt bad about that - confession) Initially I thought I killed him but I just knocked him out. When he came to I walked him out of the coop.
My question is, did I fix the problem or make it worse? I have not had this issue before.

The only way to know is through observation of future behavior.

 

[Sydney Acres]

There's no way to predict that, but you'll find out soon.
In the future, carry a towel with you. If he is disrespectful to you in any way (don't wait for the attack), body slap him with the towel. Don't let him land even a single blow to your body. Eventually he will realize that he can't win that battle, but it may take a while. If he connects even one time, he'll keep trying to win the fight, as he wants to be the dominant rooster.

 

[MollySunshine]

There's no way to predict that, but you'll find out soon.
In the future, carry a towel with you. If he is disrespectful to you in any way (don't wait for the attack), body slap him with the towel. Don't let him land even a single blow to your body. Eventually he will realize that he can't win that battle, but it may take a while. If he connects even one time, he'll keep trying to win the fight, as he wants to be the dominant rooster.

With all due respect, I cannot agree with this method. This is aggressive behavior combating aggressive behavior. Your rooster needs to know you are alpha rooster. Carry a squirt bottle with you, if he attacks, squirt him and firmly say NO!. Don't continue to squirt him if he backs away.

 

[TalkALittle]

With all due respect, I cannot agree with this method.  This is aggressive behavior combating aggressive behavior.  Your rooster needs to know you are alpha rooster.  Carry a squirt bottle with you, if he attacks, squirt him and firmly say NO!.  Don't continue to squirt him if he backs away.   

With all due respect, how is your suggestion different than the towel suggestion?