Do roosters suddenly turn aggressive at a certain age?

[gg706]

Some will, but most will not.

A lot depends of the genetics. He may go through a showing off stage when his hormones kick in. I have many roosters and NON are aggressive at all to humans. In fact they are actually easier to pick up and handle than most of my hens as they are less afraid.

However, I have some 5 week old chicks and one of the young roos in there is going to be a problem I think. Even as a very young chick we will peck and bite my fingers when I try to pick him up. All the other ones just act normally. Its strange as he is the very smallest and lightest one, and he was sick and runty when first hatched (I thought he would die).

None of my chicks are mean to me. But I do have one that I have already identified as a definete roo...he pecks the other chickens when they get excited and run or fly getting their "yammies" out. Unfortunatly for him he will be first in line come harvest day.

 

[carmelia]

I have had 2 Barred Rock Roos and both of them have turned mean. I raised the first one and
at the beginning he was very gentle. He liked being around me; then he became a horrible boy. He protected his hens well but I couldn't trust him around my grand children or even me if I turned my back on him. The first one became chicken and dumplings. I am waiting for some of my babies to get a little older before I have another butchering feast. The second one "Brewster" may be going. I would like to know what the odds of getting 2 bad ones in a row. Everyone talks about the nice Roos they have. I want one too!

 

[BusyBlonde]

I have two BR roosters. T-Rex, the 'head' rooster, is more aggressive than Butch. Mine are not pets, and we don't have children living here, so I have no problem dealing with him. Because I will 'help' the hen find worms and give them treats, he may feel that I'm challenging him. He has tried to attack me a couple times, but I ended up chasing him around the coup and showing him I was boss.

Butch is my favorite rooster. They came from the same place (I bought them as week-old chicks from a breeder), and he is much gentler with me. He will eat out of my hand, and comes when I call for him. He is not a pet, I do not pick him up or pet him, but he is not aggresive.

Both rosters are good with the girls (I have 23 hens), very protective, find them treats, and for the most part are gentlemanly. They have both improved with age (gotten past the 9-10 month old testosterone-fueled adolesence), and I would be hard-pressed to get rid of either. I would not trust either of them around an unattended child; their nature is to be protective of the hens, and a child might be perceived as a threat.

My definition of 'mean' would be a rooster that attacked constantly, unprovoked, that made me uncomfortable entering the run/coop. I wouldn't keep one like that. I hope yours stay nice, but I still wouldn't trust children around them.

 

[mike001]

Thanks for all the replies!

Are there any behavioral hints at 5 or 6 weeks that can shed light on what sort of rooster he will be?

 

[CorinneP]

Roosters want to strut their stuff they are greedy and want the best food .. they show off for the hens will fight with each other .. The more they are used to being handled the more likely they will continue to be friendly .. But in the End if you get an aggressive Roo .. you have to show them who the boss is .. I know this sounds insane .. But Hang them upside down for a minute by their feet give them a talking too I am NOT saying HURT Them .. You are actually showing them You are in Charge and can take control .. I strongly suggest you look around first for Trail cams, Video takers ..people with phones LOL ! But I swear it works .. As Much as I Love Chickens lets be honest how much do you think their small heads can contain .. They learn fast who Feeds them , where the Hens are and Who is in charge ... So If you get a Roo That's charging you or your children pecking at your feet .. Grab him take both of his legs and fully hang him upside down ( This actually calms them and doesn't hurt them ) Give them your best you are in trouble and I am not putting up with this Lecture !! I know I know but I swear it Works !

 

[mike001]

You know I've been reading the "got flogged by a rooster" thread and now I'm thinking it won't be so bad if he tries to be aggressive. In fact it might be fun! You want a piece of me?? lol

 

[wife2abirdman]

Growing up my family had two roosters, the first was well.. eaten because he didn't play well with others. He jumped on my back and my parents didn't like that much. The second was a light Brahma rooster and while he wasn't your best friend he wasn't aggressive either, he only charged my a couple of times but I think it was only when we first got him. We had that rooster for a good 10 yrs if not more. Since then, between my husband and I we have had our fair share of roosters most being respectful. There are some that have waaaay to much testosterone though. My feeling towards roosters is don't get too attached, but then that is just me. We haven't had any chickens in a while since we live in town but we just got some chicks and some were straight run. It would be nice to have a rooster again but I don't think my neighbors would appreciate a 4 am wake up call! Trust me an aggressive rooster isn't fun, once I came in from feeding time with a couple of bleeding gouge marks and I don't put up with that, he was yummy! I think the time frame for aggressiveness is 1yr- 3yrs but that is total opinion though, kind of like terrible twos for a toddler. Some mature early, some late. But I think as long as they are taught to respect others early on a lot of them only challenge you a little but by 3 they calm down and have their boundaries straight. I think also the signs start with just pecking at you and maybe running behind you as you leave, people think it's affection that they don't want you to leave, I think it's a challenge for them. Also I have only ever had free range chickens never had a pen till now so I don't know if smaller areas change a roosters attitude.

 

[kopeck]

My rooster was a big sissy for the longest time. I would even go so far as to say he was shy, used to hang out in the coop while everyone else was out side. He seemed to like people, got very close and never showed any signs of being aggressive.

Then all of a sudden he started to feel his oats. Almost all of it was directed at my wife. I thought she was nuts, telling me that he would come out and attack her feet. He got worse and worse with her. I would be out side with him and everything was fine then she would step out side and he would run right over to her. I would get in the middle and we would go a few rounds and he would back off.

I just got tired of it and he on his way to a new home this weekend. I have two young children and while he never went after them I just felt I couldn't trust him.

I'm hoping to get a good Delaware boy out of what I'm hatching. Once I've picked one I'm going to try and make friends although I think it has more to do with how they're wired then what you do with them.

K

 

[mike001]

You should read the "got flogged by a rooster today" thread before getting rid of the poor guy. You can fix him! He's just going through a hormonal period. The guy there (and others) report fixing their roosters in just one day.

There is also a thread about a little girl whose rooster attacked her and she grabbed him and gave him a bubble bath in front of his hens and he never bothered her again. The link is in the thread above, which you can find with google.

 

[cravenchx]

Roosters want to strut their stuff they are greedy and want the best food .. they show off for the hens will fight with each other .. The more they are used to being handled the more likely they will continue to be friendly .. But in the End if you get an aggressive Roo .. you have to show them who the boss is .. I know this sounds insane .. But Hang them upside down for a minute by their feet give them a talking too I am NOT saying HURT Them .. You are actually showing them You are in Charge and can take control .. I strongly suggest you look around first for Trail cams, Video takers ..people with phones LOL ! But I swear it works .. As Much as I Love Chickens lets be honest how much do you think their small heads can contain .. They learn fast who Feeds them , where the Hens are and Who is in charge ... So If you get a Roo That's charging you or your children pecking at your feet .. Grab him take both of his legs and fully hang him upside down ( This actually calms them and doesn't hurt them ) Give them your best you are in trouble and I am not putting up with this Lecture !! I know I know but I swear it Works !

This does work. Mad Max for one reason or another attacked my DH, by the time I got out there DH had
blood running down his arms, just some scratches, and he was holding Max in his arms with his head
down. Max was still trying to fight. I advised DH to hang him upside down, which he did. Worked like
a charm. Max is very protective of his 13 ladies, and if we go in the coop now he will vocally let us know
we are not too welcome, unless we have treats, but he is doing his job.