Do roo's "learn" to be aggressive towards people as they mature??

[NellaBean]

I've had some really nasty roosters. And some really nice roosters. My jersey giant rooster took almost a year to get really aggressive. Just the hormones kicking in I guess......he was mostly fine before that. Couple nips here and there that I dealt with immediately. At 3-4 months, they are too young to tell for sure.

I do not keep aggressive roosters around. Except I have one snotty little bantam cochin (mottled)....he will bite your ankles or your hands if you don't grab him quick enough. He is hilarious though. He spends more time bothering the girls and other roosters than people and isn't really a problem. He is so feathered he can barely shuffle around, so is not much of a threat. Standard roosters are big enough to do damage, so they have to be nice or get the boot. I don't cuddle them or anything...I ignore them. As long as they stay out of my business, i stay out of theirs. It seems to work well. If they dance at me or drop a wing or anything, they get booted out of the way. My current batch is no problem at all.....2 big roosters, 3 bantam cochin boys and a bunch of teenagers.

 

[KCNC06]

I think I've always assumed that all roosters are mean because of one that we had when I was little. It was the only chicken we ever had, for some reason the fish store near us had a box of chicks that they were selling before Easter. That never made much sense to me thinking back. Anyway, we got one little chick who turned out to be a rooster. He crowed all day long. One day (one of his last days with us) my youngest sister (probably about 5 yrs old at the time) went running across the backyard screaming because the rooster was attacking her. He was latched onto the backs of her calves, flapping his wings to keep up with her as she was running.

The little bantam cochin doesn't worry me too much because he's so small, though it's bothering me a little already that he's attempting to mount the female "chicks" already. (I realized last night that Shuttle - this bantam cochin - is actually 4 months old, so the older "chicks" are actually 5 months old now...not really "chicks" anymore...I think it's kind of like the baby of the family always being called the baby even if he's 40.) When my mom had her roosters her poor hens just looked ragged. The two Rhode Island Red roos worry me a little because I know that they'll get bigger and have the potential to do a bit more damage. Right now they're so pretty and it's adorable watching them protect the flock.

 

[PortageGirl]

I have thankfully been super lucky with my roosters, or maybe (as I like to think actually) it’s a combination of luck, and my nature. I’ve had really good roosters, most being quite friendly though a bit standoffish, one being a total lovable pet, one being somewhat aggressive, but never attacking, just sort of nervous about me and acting like he was thinking about it. That one would threaten strangers frequently, so I always had to watch him if anyone else was around. It is possible that this has something to do with the fact that I’ve always free ranged my chickens and they could always take the flock away from “danger” as they perceived it too.

One of the best articles I’ve read supports the idea that some of my luck is related to my nature. It talked about your rooster wanting to fight off other roosters to protect his position, and things that endanger his flock. I am neither a rooster, nor a predator that he needs to fight. (well, I might be a predator but he shouldn’t realize that in a day to day sense)

I am not a rooster, I am not interested in fighting him, I am neither dominant, like another rooster might be, nor subservient like his hens would be, and I will not be chased away like a predator might be.

I bring good things to eat, I am kind to the whole flock including him, and I do not threaten them. I don’t challenge him, I don’t kick him or any of the hens out of the way and since I know I am not a rooster, I don’t need to fight him. If he “challenges” me with his little dance and ruffled feathers, I act like a person, not a rooster. I am not willing to fight him (kick or whatever) and just get out of his way so he can dismiss me. If he seems intent on carrying on some kind of fight, I give him, or even the whole flock a little scratch. Another rooster, (if that’s the way he sees you) wouldn’t give them feed! You must not be a rooster! A predator wouldn’t feed them! No need to attack! Or maybe the scratch just distracts him, and that’s ok too!

I don’t know why but some people seem to need to confront an aggressive rooster. I just don’t think I’m a rooster, so I can chuckle at him and give him some feed. At the risk of insulting some people, I just don’t have enough testosterone in my system to make me want to accept the challenge of a two foot tall bird.

Though women (or any parents) with children are justifiably worried about THEIR littles, depending on their ages, teaching the kids to either stay away from them or stay calm and distract them with a little feed seems a better option than teaching them to kick them or running from them. Either of those options to me say, they are either trying to be dominant (which roosters won't tolerate) or subservient (which means the rooster is the boss) or they are a predator to be chased away! (which is also the roosters job!)

I spent my childhood around many chickens including roosters and don’t have a single horror story, so I guess my point of view may be skewed from those with bad experiences.

 

[CallyB57]

I have been unable to 'BOND' with my roosters (with one exception) without creating a problem for myself. Any rooster that I cuddled, carried around, doted on when it was sick, etc. turned on me. For some reason, I think the rooster that I was bonding with came to believe I was his 'hen' or some other such weird thinking on his part. Recently, I have accidentally reared another rooster, an EE, which I have never paid one bit of attention to, except to admire his beautiful plumage as he stood off in the distance. He has never one time showed a tad of aggression toward me, and basically just ignores me as I ignore him. I will never again dote on, or try to tame a rooster or get close to one by constant holding, petting, etc. The EE rooster has that 'look' in his eye. He looks aggressive, but does not act aggressive, unless he is romancing the hens. If he ever attacks me, even one time, he's gone. I kept a rooster that attacked me daily (kept him for over a year) - could not go into the pen unarmed - could not turn my back on him, fought him off constantly with a stick or broom

, and eventually my x-husband slaughtered him. I cried like a baby over that mean old rooster because he was one that I coddled when he was just a little chick - I truly loved that bird, but he was soooooooo aggressive. I have learned my lessons with roosters, as all BYC'ers eventually do. Experience will teach you all the lessons you need to know about roosters, and it's the best way to learn. The less roosters you have, the better off you are, but I believe roosters have a right to live and have a good life. If you have them and they aren't aggressive toward people, give them a good life if you can afford it. So many are slaughtered as chicks - doesn't seem fair - so I try to take good care of the ones I have if they don't give me a lot of heartache. Good luck on raising your rooster(s).