Dealing with aggressive rooster

[MollySunshine]

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

Simply stated, it's a more aggressive approach. You don't want to scare your rooster. The goal is to adopt an understanding of who's in charge. As a for instance, one of my Buff Orpinton's who is now 9 months old decided he wanted to be a punk teenager. He charged my ankle. The first time I gave him. Maybe he was having an irritable day. The second time, not so lucky, he's doing this purposely. I simply clapped my hand and said NO! He hasn't done it since. I walk by he and simply gives me passage. We have an understanding.

 

[Sydney Acres]

Quote:
First, the alpha rooster would never wait for an attack. The alpha rooster walks into a pen and expects respect. The submissive rooster is punished for not giving it. Us peaceful humans may not like the rules, but that is how the chicken brain is hard wired. Any alpha rooster that allows an attack is, by definition, not the alpha rooster. Once the submissive rooster has started an attack, he has announced his intention to become the alpha rooster. That is an act of disrespect would never be tolerated by an actual dominant rooster. Watch the way a non-abusive mature rooster treats a juvenile rooster in his flock, and how the juvenile rooster shows respect to the adult rooster. Watch what the dominant rooster does when the juvenile rooster fails to show respect. That is your goal, because that is what their brain responds to. Insisting on respect is not aggressive -- it is just the way their social system works.

Second, maybe some silly little boy without his heart in it might respond to a squirt of water and a firm NO, but clearly you haven't met up with a real rooster that truly wants to kill you. A truly aggressive rooster will say thanks for the cooling spritz and fly right through the water, and respond to the firm NO with a louder and more dominant crow, right in your face. The purpose of the towel is to physically prevent contact without pain or injury. You don't want him fearful of you or be injured. You want him to realize that there is no way he can win the fight because he can't get to you. That is not aggressive -- it is defensive, and instructive.

 

[Sydney Acres]

Quote:
You have a juvenile Buff Orpington. They're a sweet and lovely breed without an aggressive bone in their body. If he's typical for his breed, there's probably nothing that you could do to turn him into a bird that wants to kill you and take your place on the top of the pecking order. Different breeds have different temperaments. I would never body slap a Buff Orpington with a towel. Any BO that needed such a measure would be culled for not having an appropriate temperament. That statement doesn't apply to most breeds.

 

[MollySunshine]

First, the alpha rooster would never wait for an attack. The alpha rooster walks into a pen and expects respect. The submissive rooster is punished for not giving it. Us peaceful humans may not like the rules, but that is how the chicken brain is hard wired. Any alpha rooster that allows an attack is, by definition, not the alpha rooster. Once the submissive rooster has started an attack, he has announced his intention to become the alpha rooster. That is an act of disrespect would never be tolerated by an actual dominant rooster. Watch the way a non-abusive mature rooster treats a juvenile rooster in his flock, and how the juvenile rooster shows respect to the adult rooster. Watch what the dominant rooster does when the juvenile rooster fails to show respect. That is your goal, because that is what their brain responds to. Insisting on respect is not aggressive -- it is just the way their social system works.

Second, maybe some silly little boy without his heart in it might respond to a squirt of water and a firm NO, but clearly you haven't met up with a real rooster that truly wants to kill you. A truly aggressive rooster will say thanks for the cooling spritz and fly right through the water, and respond to the firm NO with a louder and more dominant crow, right in your face. The purpose of the towel is to physically prevent contact without pain or injury. You don't want him fearful of you or be injured. You want him to realize that there is no way he can win the fight because he can't get to you. That is not aggressive -- it is defensive, and instructive.

My initial reaction to your response was to simply walk away with an agree to disagree attitude. But I can't. I feel the need to defend these creatures. I am in agreement with your above wording, although, not in it's entirety. And of course you realize where I draw the line. Yes, one can say "ah, Molly's new at this, she doesn't know." And that's ok with me. What I have is common sense. I have rationalized methodologies on this site and have successfully incorporated some of these concepts in my coops. At times modifying to work under my conditions. But aggressive behavior....this is one concept I cannot support. I am trained and tend to look at life analytically and from what I have gathered, aggressive behavior in an attempt to modify bad rooster behavior, hasn't been successfully accomplished. So therefore, I can theorize this method is essentially ineffective. On the other hand, if it were proven to work, I would jump on board! This is a site where people can come and exchange ideas. I am offering my own idea of an alternative reaction. I read somewhere on these boards that perhaps roosters react to us due to our demeanor. I too am fairly alpha....I am in charge....perhaps my boys sense this. I feel I have to remain in control. I have 11 boys in a bachelor pad and 3 in with the pullets. I don't have the luxury of loosing control, in any fashion. It would be a disaster. I'm challenged every day by my RIR's. As soon as I open their pop door I have one inevitably circling my feet with puffed up feathers. I stand there stoically and ask them what they think they are doing. It doesn't take long for them to walk away. So one can come to the conclusion that perhaps I've just been darn lucky to have well behaved roo's. Maybe there's a certain amount of truth to that statement. But maybe, just maybe, it stems from my interactions from day one. Regardless, I would never enter my coop and throw buckets, towels etc. at my rooster or any animal I have, for that matter. Be an observer of your flock. Watch and learn. I apologize up front if someone finds offense to my words but I have to stand up for what I view as wrong.

 

[Champoux]

I want to thank everyone for your passionate suggestions as what to do with my aggressive rooster.

As it turns out, the bucket to the side of his head must have worked. He wants nothing to do with me any more and gives me a wide birth. Although, I would not recommend the bucket method.
Thank you all.

 

[oldhenlikesdogs]

Glad you got him to stop. Keep an eye on him for a while in case he gets his nerve up again.

 

[alli4817]

how did you get rid of him? because i have one but no one wants my white leghorn 5 week old rooster.