Do Roosters ever learn their lesson??

[Drk_Wlf]

I have a Black Australorp roo and I love him to bits! he is not supper friendly or anything but he has never attacked us (even though my hubby seems scared of him cause apparently the roo was giving him the "eye" and was about to attack

). As for if they learn or not... I would say no. My RR hen that is from an older batch wants nothing to do with him and will attack him if he tries to "assume the possition" but he trys time and time again.

 

[chkn]

I've had the best luck with RIR's. I did one time have to grab my RIR by the neck and give him a little shake and that broke him of his habit. Most mean roosters though won't take a hint and the more you do the more they go at you.

 

[shareverwonder]

I have a 7 month old white leghorn roo. He's beautiful but now he is getting mean. I have been trying to show him who's boss by picking him up every night and holding him. I did that for a week and he seemed pretty calm, but now this week he wont have any part of me and everytime I walk out the door, he comes running and tries to attack me.
It is getting a little annoying. Don't know what to do. I don't think they ever learn either.

 

[The Tinman]

It could be your roo is jealous. Try to feed him treats first. When I bring treats I always make sure the roo get his first. He is going to peck the girls anyway to establish he is boss with them. My roo is so friendly, If I am sitting he will come over and sit on my lap. He comes when I call him and he will walk with me to the mail box to get the mail. I have a Jersey Giant roo he is only 4 months old and he is huge. When he crows it is loud. He is super friendly but he looks mean.

 

[Katy]

I suppose some do, but I think those are few and far between. They don't get a second chance here.....if they attack they are done.

My kids are all grown, but I have small grandkids that aren't allowed in the pens with my birds. Even tho none of the roos I have have ever even hinted at attacking me I wouldn't trust them with the kids. The first attack on a child could do great damage and I'm not going to risk it.

Personally I think the threads giving lessons on how to tame a mean rooster do more harm than good. Just because they may calm down for a while does not mean they are changed forever and I think give people a false sense of security.

There are too many good roosters out there to put up with a nasty one.

 

[suzettex5]

Just based on my own experience with quite a few roo's- I would say that your guy is not too far gone to re-train. However, you need to really ask yourself, "Do I REALLY have the time and energy to devote to making this animal understand what is acceptable behavior?" It really does require a BIG commitment from you to really change his behavior. I could go into all the details of what has worked for me, and you have done the research on what others have done, but you said none of it has worked. The thing is, you have to KEEP doing it, and doing the RIGHT thing for YOUR particular roo. If you are willing to spend an hour or more a day for weeks or months, you could probably have a good roo. But also remember, roo's dont live forever and the time spent may be time wasted.

Unless he is some super-roo with amazing lines you cant be without, you really only have a few options in my opinion- Keep him locked up 24/7, Eat him, re-home him, or spend the time working on him. Really though, there are LOTS of decent roos out there if youre willing to be patient and look for one. Or try raising one yourself and be real sure your kids spend time everyday holding him (that may help, but sometimes it doesnt) the holding and petting needs to be a long-term thing though, which goes back to my point of needing to be really dedicated to taming your roo.

Me? I just let my roos be roos and ignore them for the most part. The one that got uppity with my son is loooong gone, and my new guy grew up here and keeps to himself no matter what we do. Our kids handle all our chooks when they are young on a daily basis, then they stick to holding the juvies or the more docile hens, but the roos never care if we mess with 'their' hens.

Maybe you need to find a BIG but very docile roo who can put your naughty roo in line? I know my big guys keep my younger roos from acting out with almost no fighting. IDK, but I hope you can find the right solution that works for your flock and family.

 

[bobbi-j]

Quote:
Agreed. I wouldn't wait for the third time.

 

[sourland]

Do not trust him around your child. It's not worth the risk. One flogging to the face-just imagine the irreparable damage a spur or toenail might cause. Get rid of him!

 

[Knock Kneed Hen]

Quote:
I'll hold onto him for you. How old are your hens? This guy is really good to the hens. He never gets rough with them which I really like. I don't mind holding him knowing he'd be going to a good home. Let me know if you're serious. That would be awesome!!!

I wanted to add that I won't let the kids into the coop/run until I find a home for him. I'm not against him being dinner, but I can't do it.

I have a friend that said he'd love to try processing a chicken, but I don't want someone learning on my bird. I raised him from 3 days old and we held him every day. I'm not particularly attached to him, but I'd want his last moments to be good and I'd want someone that knows what they're doing. The funny thing is, when I picked him up from a local woman (who got them from a hatchery) I almost put him back because I thought the spot on the head looked different from the others. Drats! I should have listened to my intuition.

 

[Lbrad7]

I have raised chickens for over 30 years and I can tell you this with a great deal of certainly...if you have small children around an aggressive roo it will ALWAYS go for them.The best way to break an aggressive roo is to introduce him to a good beer can chicken recipe! (I recomend the Neely's from the Food Network) You had better put his tail in the freezer before he hurts one of them and believe me, they can do a great deal of damage to a small child! Young children are so low to the ground their face is right in the birds targeting range.

Aggressive roos will never change when kids are involved. I have broken a few (with a few attitude adjustments) but they will never allow a 4 year old to dominate them. They may run while you are around but they will sneak up and hit your child when they are off guard. Please don't take the chance.

Good luck to you...