Dealing with aggressive rooster

[Sydney Acres]

Everyone is saying "Kill him!" "Cook him!" "Eat him!"

Most people don't realise that you can actually tame an aggressive rooster! Especially silkies.... I've been taming and re-homing roosters for years now and I know it's definitely possible, you have a %80 of becoming the boss of your rooster, and there are no broken bones or aggressive actions involved.

When he attacks you, DO NOT kick him back or RUN away! This only provokes roosters and makes their nature more aggressive...
Next time he has a go at you, simply pick him up and hold him tight until he stops struggling, then do a few chicken chores for about 2 minutes with him and only then can you let him go. If he tries attacking once you put him down then pick him up again. Do it as many times as you need to.

Most aggressive roosters absolutely hate being picked up, although it may take a bit of patience and a few days to start working, it's worth it. The rule is not to try and friend him (It could work though, two birds with one stone) but to rule him. Don't avoid standing next to him and don't make it obvious that you're frightened of him. Walk up to him, walk closely past him and hold hens while he's watching you. DON'T SHOW ANY FEAR!

Kicking puts him in stress and danger, making him more alert and aggressive. While just running away makes him think that he's winning, and he'll keep doing it.
Picking him up and holding him makes him helpless, and luckily since he's such a small breed, he shouldn't be able to hurt you that much.

Try this and see if it starts working after a week or so... Mind you, you need to do it every day and patience is required.

Yes, it does work for some, but it does not work for all. There are some that spend their entire day pushing and pushing and pushing the limits. If that's the type of bird you have, taming him will be a full time job with no resolution in sight. It is true that most of the time holding or hugging them does stop the attack -- their fighting behavior involves either attack, defend, or run. Having someone gently restrain them without the possibility of one of those three options just does not compute. But there are some that are just so focused on the fight that the moment you put them down they're at it again. You could spend 8 hours a day with them and the moment you put them down the fight's back on, just like it would be if they were housed with another rooster. There are some roosters that live together and work together intelligently and peacefully, and others that will spend their entire day trying to kill each other. The type of rooster that never gives up will never be tame, or respectful to a caretaker.

And teaching him to respect just the main caretaker isn't the only issue. I currently have 25 roosters. Not a single one of them is dangerous to ME. But there are several that are quite dangerous to others. If I had a small child that lived on or visited the farm, those birds would be gone. I would never risk injury to a child just to keep a rooster with inadequate self control. And I have no intention of keeping a cockerel who doesn't want to be a pet, has no desirable breeding characteristics, and spends his whole day doing everything possible to injure another bird that has desirable breeding qualities or is a sweet pet. Some will grow out of their testosterone poisoning phase, with or without your influence, and others will force you to chose between them and the one(s) they attack. Once my sweet blind pet turkey hen was attacked, the choice was easy. There is no circumstance where I would keep a rooster that was so vicious to someone that was so innocent.

 

[Sydney Acres]

Another important point to consider in this discussion is that different people are looking at these aggressive roosters from different points of view.

There are many people on this site that are looking at these birds the same way that most people look at dogs. They are pets, or protection animals, but not food. If they can't be kept, they need to be rehomed or euthanized, so finding a way to make them acceptable to keep or rehome is vital.

On the other side of the coin is the self sufficiency farmer, or the hobby breeder, or the producer. We may keep a few favored birds as pets or protection animals for the flock, but for the most part all our birds serve a specific purpose -- either food, or breeding stock, or sale income. Whether we breed just a few every year or hundreds at a time, for the most part we are breeding more than we plan to keep, so a selection criteria is needed. Some people don't consider temperament in their selection, and others do. Personally, I'm tired of getting flogged, and I'm tired of listening to the screams of flockmates as the same bullies repeatedly attack birds that have no interest in fighting. I am both a hobby breeder and a self sufficiency farmer. I select the best individuals to keep for breeding, working to improve all the qualities of my flock with every generation. I grow out my culls for food because I don't want to support the cruelty of factory farming, but I'm not a vegetarian. Since the majority of my birds will end up in the freezer, I don't want to work with a constantly aggressive cockerel. I expect the youngsters to have a few freakouts when they first get flooded with hormones, but I also expect for them to learn how to deal with it. The ones that can't get passed it, either because their testosterone levels don't regulate properly, or their neurotransmitters aren't properly balanced, just can't compete with all the well balanced cockerels that I have to choose from. So the ones that spend their entire day hunting and hurting their flockmates are removed from the flock and put in individual runs where they can see and talk to each other but can't attack each other (I don't believe in totally isolating social species, so this setup works well). They each get exercise for a few hours a day in a pasture, but individually to prevent injuries, unless I have a pair or more that all get along with each other, but not the flock in general, in which case they can exercise together as a group. But managing them this way improves the quality of life within my grow-out cockerel flock, and decreases the number of aggressive birds I have to deal with each generation by eliminating the aggressors from the breeding pool.

I have never found that a gentle but well-balance rooster is reluctant to defend his hens. The overly shy and anxious rooster will run and hide when a threat is present, but that personality, while usually safe around children, is also not a good selection as a flock sire. The appropriate flock sire is gentle with hens, chicks, and children, escorts his harem around the farm, is alert and vigorous, constantly watches for danger so his hens and chicks can forage, eat, dustbathe, lay eggs, brood, etc without concern, is self confident and aggressive enough to fight off any threat, but has enough judgment to distinguish between an actual threat, a known non-threat, and an unknown. I have one rooster like that, and several that are very close. They are absolute treasures, and necessary for my type of free range management. An aggressive rooster without that level of judgment could never substitute. There's so much more to being a good flock leader than just fighting off the hawk. If that's a rooster's only attribute, then he's unqualified to do the job.

 

[chickenpatch]

I understand that taming doesn't work with every rooster.

But I know Silkies are one of the easiest breeds to tame and it's possible.
As I've said, I've been rescuing and taming for years, I know what it takes. If you really want to keep your roo, and love him... Then you can tame him.

Picking them up really annoys them, and they hate it (In most cases). So this teaches them not to attack next time. And as long as you don't act scared around him, he won't have a need to hurt you.

 

[Sydney Acres]

I understand that taming doesn't work with every rooster.

But I know Silkies are one of the easiest breeds to tame and it's possible.
As I've said, I've been rescuing and taming for years, I know what it takes. If you really want to keep your roo, and love him... Then you can tame him.

Picking them up really annoys them, and they hate it (In most cases). So this teaches them not to attack next time. And as long as you don't act scared around him, he won't have a need to hurt you.

I absolutely agree there. If your rooster is a pet, and there are no significant risks to innocent children or other animals, many of them can be retrained to be polite and respectful. Silkies are one of the easiest to tame -- somewhat like a teeny tiny Golden Retriever of the chicken world, behavior wise. They are quite intelligent, respond to gentle negative and most positive conditioning, and can be easily bribed with food treats to encourage behavior modification. And being Silkies, they have two other very important characteristics. The roosters are only 2-3 pounds, which makes them a lot safer than an 8-12 pound powerhouse. Also, having Silkie feathers instead of normal feathers, they are unable to fly up and attack your head.

So the risk level from Silkie roosters is very low by comparison, and the success rate is relatively high, so retraining is definitely worth a try under those circumstances. The worst that is likely to happen is your ankles get pecked, or occasionally flogged, or your hands get bitten. A really lucky shot might result in a joint infection, but other than that it's just a little blood and superficial scratches.

However, that low risk situation is not the same with all roosters. 5-6 years ago my husband's 10-11 pound, very tall Croad Langshan rooster, the aggressive rooster that would take on bald eagles to protect his hens, and is not too fond of people, decided he didn't want me in his yard. He started stalking me, sneaking around every bush and tree before he could get close enough to attack. I was prepared for it, as he attacked frequently and had some predictable moves. But this time he changed his routine, and ended up burying his 3 inch spur in my inner thigh up to the hilt, at a downward angle such that he was hanging from my thigh by his spur. Blood was everywhere (mine, not his), oozing out around the spur as he hung upside down, flapping, unable to free himself because his spur was through my entire inner thigh musculature and was wedged up against the bone at a downward angle. I starred at him in total disbelief, trying to decide if the huge amount of blood pouring down my leg was just because of the muscle trauma, or if he had damaged my femoral artery. I considered killing him then and there, but was more concerned about my own life if my femoral artery was damaged, since I was home alone and was more than 600 feet from the house, and a phone to call for help. Normally you shouldn't remove an impaled object from the body if there is a risk of severe bleeding, but that becomes technically difficult when that impaled object is a flailing live animal. I knew if I killed him there would be more flailing as he died, which could cause further bleeding, so I decided that the safest thing to do was to pull him off quickly and get direct pressure on the wound instantly. I pulled him up and out of my leg, tossed him about 6 feet away, and pressed tightly on the wound as blood oozed out around my hand. Then as I was taking off my jacket to tie the long sleeve around my leg for better direct pressure, the rooster decided the fight wasn't over. He rushed me as hard as he could, and using my uninjured leg I kicked him right in the chest, which sent him flying. I felt horrible, as I had never before kicked an animal, but at that point it was a self defense situation. He started to turn on me again after he landed, but realized that he was becoming more and more sore with every step, so he limped off in another direction. I was able to get the bleeding under control after about 6-8 minutes, as it was severe muscular bleeding instead of arterial bleeding. After lots of ice packs, anti-inflammatories, and antibiotics the injury healed, but it could have just as easily become a severe muscle and bone infection requiring multiple surgeries to resolve. Despite this attack, that same rooster is still around. He is 8-9 years old, still huge, very arthritic and decepit, but still has a strong will to live. He now lets me take care of him, most of the time, with only an occasional gentle bite to remind me that he's really an a-s-s under all that geriatric neediness. Now on daily arthritis medications, thick soft bedding and a special diet, he hobbles around the farm flirting with the hens, occasionally chasing one for 10-20 steps, occasionally trying to breed one (it's a sad sight, all that slipping and falling off), but usually just trying to keep up with his social group, going from one soft spot to another, and watching the skies to give early warnings when eagles fly overhead.

This is an example of a rooster that is NOT safe for most people to have, and would never respond to any taming techniques (believe me, I tried, really tried, continuously before this incident happened). As my leg was healing I debated a long time about what to do with him. I even picked out a special recipe by a French chef at a top restaurant, specifically developed to bring out the flavors and create tenderness in an older, free range rooster. But he was an important member of the Langshan family -- five hens, another rooster, and him. He and the other rooster worked together as a team to escort the hens over the property. The other rooster is the brains of the group, and he is the brawn. The other rooster is the flock leader, and he is the soldier, the body guard, the decoy for eagles that gives the others time to find cover, and sometimes takes the punishment with fistfuls of plucked saddle feathers, but agile enough to avoid the talons, and once was seen taking an eagle to the ground as it attacked. He and his little flock were the only Langshan survivors of a terrible living situation that they were rescued from -- 7 Croad Langshans, 30 ducks, 70-100 bantams, 50-100 pigeons, uncounted quail, all crammed together in a 12X20 foot pen with no roosts, no house, no bedding, with stray dogs and coyotes and raccoons regularly pacing around the perimeter, raccoons reaching in through the wire every night to pull the head off any bird close enough to reach. They were terrified and traumatized when we got them, and took months to realize that they were safe in their overnight pen. And despite this incident, these birds meant a lot to my husband, so I decided to give him another chance. But things had to change. He clearly wasn't responding to kindness and respect from me, so I started treating him like another rooster would treat him. I never went outside without a large towel in my hand. Whenever he approached me in an aggressive or suspicious manner, he got body slapped with the towel, and he continued to get slapped with the towel until he ran away. He was allowed to approach me calmly without punishment, he could eat from my hand, and he could sit beside me, but he was never allowed to give an impression of dominance or aggression without punishment. To him, it was a fight that he always lost, because he couldn't get close enough to land any blows. Eventually he just stopped trying. At that point I started approaching him, with the expectation that he would respectfully move aside. If he didn't, he was punished with the towel. He was a bit slow to figure it out, until the other rooster helped him. The other rooster is the brains of the flock, and despite being smaller and unaggressive he is also the dominant male. When the other rooster realized what I was doing he started helping. As I approached the aggressive rooster, the dominant rooster would get between us and move the aggressive rooster away from me. Later I stopped carrying the towel, but the dominant rooster tends to maintain a position between the aggressive rooster and any person who comes on to the property, overtly defending people from the aggressive rooster's misguided threats. On the rare occasion that the aggressive rooster attempted an attack after that, the dominant rooster punished him severely. So now he and I have an understanding, and I will take care of him until he dies and is buried under his favorite tree. But he's still an a-s-s!!

 

[malkered]

I've never done this myself, but Beekissed posted her method for dealing with an aggressive cock and it makes since to me. I saved it and now share it with you. I hope she doesn't mind me reposting it. Hope he is really worth the effort.
[COLOR=333333]I'm going to give you a clue on "rooster speak"....holding him down doesn't mean anything to him. If you'll watch how roosters interact between dominant ones and subordinate ones, there is rarely any, if ever, holding a bird down for a long time when there is an altercation. There is very quick flogging, gripping by the back of the head and flinging him away or getting him down and giving some savage pecking to the back of the head or neck. No holding him down and nothing else. That's a rooster on a hen maneuver, not rooster on rooster.
Because your rooster is attacking you, you are the subordinate in this picture. You are getting dominated by your bird simply because you are walking where a subordinate isn't supposed to be walking when a dominant is in the area. What you never see is a dominant rooster getting attacked by a subordinate rooster unless there is going to be a definite shift in power, at which time the sub will challenge the dom and win...or lose. So far you are losing and not even challenging.
If you want to win this battle, you must go on the offensive, not the defensive. He who attacks first, and is still claiming the area when the other guy leaves it, is the winner. Some people never have to go on the offensive because their movements in the coop are so decisive that they move and act like a dominant and a 2 ft. rooster is smart enough to recognize a dominant attitude and behavior...which is likely why he's never attacked your husband. Most men move more decisively than do women and children and they rarely step around a bird, but walk through them.
Carrying him around also doesn't mean anything to him...it just doesn't translate at all. His environment is that coop and run floor and that's where you need to speak to him, in a language he understands. Because they are quick on their feet and can evade you, you need a training tool like a long, limber, supple rod of some kind...cutting a nice switch from a shrub or tree that will lengthen your reach by 5 ft. really helps in this. Don't use a rake or broom because they are too clumsy and stiff and can put the hurts on the guy when you don't really mean to.
When you enter your coop, walk with decisive movements and walk directly towards your rooster. Move him away from the feeder and the rest of the flock and keep a slow, determined pressure on him until he leaves the coop. The stick will help you guide him. Then...wait patiently while he gets his bird mind around what just happened. He will try to come back in the coop...let him. When he gets a good bit into that coop, take your switch and give him a good smack on the fluffy feathers under his tail if you can aim it well. If you cannot, just smack the floor near him very hard and fast until he hops and runs and keep at it until he leaves the coop once again. Repeat this process until he is too wary to come back in the coop.
Feed your hens. When he tries to come to the feeder, you "attack" him with the switch...smack the wall by the pop door just as he tries to enter. If he makes it inside, pursue him with the stick either smacking the floor or tapping him on the back or the head until he leaves in a hurry. Make him stay outside while you sit there and enjoy watching your hens eat. Use the stick to keep him from the flock..just him. Don't worry about the hens running and getting excited when this is happening...they will get over it. This is for the future of your flock and your management of it.
When the hens have had a good tucker....leave the coop and let him come back in. Go out later and walk through that flock and use your legs to scatter birds if they get in your way...top roosters do not step to one side for any other bird in the flock. You shouldn't either. Take your stick and startle him with a smack on the floor next to him when he is least expecting it...make that bird jump and RUN. Make him so nervous around you that he is always looking over his shoulder and trying to get out of your way. THAT'S how he needs to be from now on in your lives together. Forget about pets or cuddles...this is a language and behavior he understands. You can hand feed him and such later...right now you need to establish that when you move, he moves...away. When you turn your back, he doesn't move towards you...ever.
Then test him...take your stick along, move around in the coop, bend over with your back turned to him, feed, water, etc....but keep one eye on that rooster. If he even makes one tiny step in your direction or in your "zone", go on the attack and run him clear on out of the coop. Then keep him out while everyone else is eating.
THAT'S how a dominant rooster treats a subordinate. They don't let them crow, mate or even eat in their space. If the subordinate knows his place and watches over his shoulder a lot, he may get to come and eat while the other rooster is at the feeder...but he doesn't ever relax if he knows what is good for him. At any given time the dominant will run him off of that feed and he knows it, so he eats with one eye toward the door. If he feels the need to crow, it's not usually where the dom can reach him...maybe across the yard.
If your rooster crows while you are there, move towards him and keep on the pressure until he stops. He doesn't get to crow while you are there. He can crow later...not while you are there.
It all sounds time consuming but it really isn't...shouldn't take more than minutes for each lesson and you can learn a lot as you go along. And it can be fun if you venture into it with the right attitude....this is rooster training that really works if you do it correctly. This can work on strange roosters, multiple roosters and even old roosters...they can all learn. You rule the coop...now act like it. Carrying is for babies...you have a full grown rooster on your hands, not a baby.[/COLOR]
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As a relative newbie to chicken keeping this makes sense to me. I have spent hours sitting and watching my birds and seen both cruelty and respect in the way they go about establishing their pecking order. I will say at this point, with no apologies, that my 18 chickens are loved pets, not for the table and not for culling unless they are ill or totally uncontrollable. I have my largest rooster, Pingu, in a coop and run with 9 hens whom, despite being rather exuberant in his mating seems to perform his rooster duties well but he also tries to protect them from me. I've always handled my birds and his aggression towards me had somewhat tempered the experience. I want him to be a good rooster but I also want him to respect me. I have put some of the above into practice and it seems to be working so far. I feel a bit mean doing it though.

Just a few questions though, is there an advisable hen to rooster ratio? Could the situation be made worse if I introduce one of my batchelor roosters to the flock?

 

[malkered]

Whoops! Wrong pic!

 

[Sydney Acres]

A 1:9 ratio is wonderful, both for quality of life and for fertility. There is some variability among breeds, and between management styles, as to what the "ideal" ratio is, but 1:9 will work for almost all breeds and management techniques. It's not something that is written in stone, however, and many roosters can maintain fertility in 15 hens, and many people maintain breeding pairs/trio/quads, etc without problems. It all depends on the individual birds and the management style. The concept of an "ideal" ratio applies more to commercial production, where it is economically important to maximize fertility by having enough roosters, but also important to minimize feed costs by not having too many roosters. Achieving that perfect balance is rarely essential in backyard flocks. For non-commercial flocks, it's more about reasonable fertility rates coupled with quality of life for the birds, and adequate protection for free ranging hens.

A second rooster will definitely upset the social order. There will likely be some fights for dominance. The fights may be brief and minor, or they may be nearly continuous and very bloody. I have seen some subordinate roosters that starve to death if the dominant rooster won't let a subordinate eat, and I have seen some dominant roosters just outright kill an "intruder." On the other hand, some roosters become friends, work together to protect the flock, and rarely fight. It all depends on the individuals and the management style. Close supervision is always required when introducing a new rooster. It is easier to introduce a very young cockerel than an older cockerel or mature rooster. I typically put my young boys into the bachelor pasture or into an established flock when they are 12-14 weeks old. Not yet old enough to be a threat, but old enough to run away when the dominant rooster demands respect. As long as the dominant rooster remains healthy, the young boys typically accept the pecking order, as it is reinforced regularly. If you find that the roosters don't accept each other and you have the room, it might be easier to split the hens between the roosters in separate pens than to ask the two roosters to share the larger harem. If you find that the hens are being overbred, then you can either add more hens, remove the second rooster and rejoin the hens together, or get breeding saddles to protect the hens from injury.

 

[malkered]

A 1:9 ratio is wonderful, both for quality of life and for fertility.  There is some variability among breeds, and between management styles, as to what the "ideal" ratio is, but 1:9 will work for almost all breeds and management techniques.  It's not something that is written in stone, however, and many roosters can maintain fertility in 15 hens, and many people maintain breeding pairs/trio/quads, etc without problems.  It all depends on the individual birds and the management style.  The concept of an "ideal" ratio applies more to commercial production, where it is economically important to maximize fertility by having enough roosters, but also important to minimize feed costs by not having too many roosters.  Achieving that perfect balance is rarely essential in backyard flocks.  For non-commercial flocks, it's more about reasonable fertility rates coupled with quality of life for the birds, and adequate protection for free ranging hens.

A second rooster will definitely upset the social order.  There will likely be some fights for dominance.  The fights may be brief and minor, or they may be nearly continuous and very bloody.  I have seen some subordinate roosters that starve to death if the dominant rooster won't let a subordinate eat, and I have seen some dominant roosters just outright kill an "intruder."  On the other hand, some roosters become friends, work together to protect the flock, and rarely fight.  It all depends on the individuals and the management style.  Close supervision is always required when introducing a new rooster.  It is easier to introduce a very young cockerel than an older cockerel or mature rooster.  I typically put my young boys into the bachelor pasture or into an established flock when they are 12-14 weeks old.  Not yet old enough to be a threat, but old enough to run away when the dominant rooster demands respect.  As long as the dominant rooster remains healthy, the young boys typically accept the pecking order, as it is reinforced regularly.  If you find that the roosters don't accept each other and you have the room, it might be easier to split the hens between the roosters in separate pens than to ask the two roosters to share the larger harem.  If you find that the hens are being overbred, then you can either add more hens, remove the second rooster and rejoin the hens together, or get breeding saddles to protect the hens from injury.

Pingu is 25 weeks, roughly the same age as 7 of his hens, the other two hens are 2 years and 9 months respectively.

The batchelor roosters are 22 weeks and 20 weeks respectively so possibly too close in age to Pingu for an introduction.

I think Pingu is a bit too rough with the girls as several have small bald patches on their heads where he's been holding on.

I have two younger hens, around 20 weeks who I am contemplating introducing to Pingu's flock although they are still quite small. They are in with 4 bantams at present.

I am also intending to take in 3 rescue hens at Easter which would bring the rooster to hen ratio to 1:14 is this too many?

I'm not overly concerned about fertility as I haven't been intending to hatch any more LF eggs due to the difficulty in rehoming roosters and my unpreparedness to cull.

Would I be better starting a second smaller flock with the two batchelor roosters who have lived together all their lives?

 

[Ra_]

I used to tame large, wild parrots, back when pet birds were imported instead of being bred here, so there is no chicken that can get more than a chuckle out of me. I raise Serama so they're not much of a challenge for anyone but when one of them shows aggression, I feel he's only doing a good job protecting his ladies.

Bossy roosters calm down eventually if you just overpower them and hold them captive whenever they act tough.
Our brains are much larger than that of a chicken so it doesn't take a lot of thought to figure out how to outsmart them.
Herd them into a corner. If you still can't grab them, you can throw a towel over them first.
Hold them around the legs with one hand and hold them by the neck with your other hand if they try to bite.

They turn into nice, friendly birds. I don't think they have evil genes or anything, I think they're just good devoted husbands.

 

[Fentress]

Pingu is 25 weeks, roughly the same age as 7 of his hens, the other two hens are 2 years and 9 months respectively.

The batchelor roosters are 22 weeks and 20 weeks respectively so possibly too close in age to Pingu for an introduction.

I think Pingu is a bit too rough with the girls as several have small bald patches on their heads where he's been holding on.

I have two younger hens, around 20 weeks who I am contemplating introducing to Pingu's flock although they are still quite small. They are in with 4 bantams at present.

I am also intending to take in 3 rescue hens at Easter which would bring the rooster to hen ratio to 1:14 is this too many?

I'm not overly concerned about fertility as I haven't been intending to hatch any more LF eggs due to the difficulty in rehoming roosters and my unpreparedness to cull.

Would I be better starting a second smaller flock with the two batchelor roosters who have lived together all their lives?

Some males get along, some do not. Even under the best of scenarios there will be tension, that usually gets worse with time. When males don't get along, the females suffer and can be treated roughly, mainly by the subordinate who tries to dive bomb a female for a quickie while the dominant male is not looking or too far away to intervene.

Please don't take this the wrong way, but you should learn how to put down a bird, even if you don't eat it. It is an essential part of animal husbandry and needs to be done, at times, for various reasons. Do it in a loving way. Sit down in a chair, hold them upside down between your legs, stretch the neck with one hand and slit the throat, just under the chin and slightly to the side, with the other hand. When you hit the artery you will know, a good flow of blood quickly ensues. Hold them tight until they are gone. There are some good utube videos on this. Think about it and good luck.