1st of all, sorry for such a long reply, but this is my routine with my mean boy, and it does work in my case, so here it is in detail.
My Rocky, a large Barred Rock, is very aggressive, he will come after anyone, even me, he spurred me once, pretty badly, got me in the shin and it swelled up, hurt for about a year. I just could not give up on him, though. He is not only a gorgeous Roo, but he is a wonderful protector of the hens, and whatever food, treat or bug he comes across, he calls his hens to eat and enjoy, and rarely eats those treats for himself. When they are free ranging, he is the ultimate protector, and I appreciate and respect that. I know out of my 3 Roo's, he would be the one to fight off a hawk.
So, here my Rocky Roo Routine...I have to say "Hi Rocky" in a cheerful voice, he actually talks back his own way in response, and I get an idea of his mood, he does have different tones when he clucks at me. Then I say "come here Rocky" in a nice tone and quickly grab him, and tuck him in like I am holding a football about to run for the goal and be tackled, so I hold him securely but not too tight, just so he can't kick or squirm away. I've learned to pick him up a certain way, it is fast, but it works, I reach out with both arms, kind of scoop him up so my hands will be at the top of his thighs, my fingers can feel the front part of his chest body but my thumbs are towards the back of him pointing downward but then curling around his upper thighs. I then lift him up to tuck him under my left arm, so if I were to walk forward carrying him this way, he'd be looking at where we've been, not where we're going. When I'm lifting him up and his feet no longer touch the ground, the right hand will then have hold of his legs so he can't kick. (I guess I will have to make you all a video if I can get my dad to use a smartphone while I pick up Rocky...yeah, right!) So once I have the Rock tucked secure close to my body and under my left arm, I can then hold his feet with the left hand and keep my right arm/hand free to do whatever, or I can sit down and have him on my lap, still holding him and his legs. If I want to just hold him, check him over or just treat him like a big baby and pet him, sometimes I can even rub him all over and he makes sweet sounds, my way of trying to soothe the savage beast.
Often, I just need to get something done on his turf, without him in my way, so I will carry him, talk nice and pet him, then take him where I can put him temporarily (I have a holding pen). Most times I will just grab him, tuck him under my arm and do chores with one hand. He is a character, he goes from ninja kick-ass mode to a big feathered mush, once I have a good hold of him. A few times he wasn't in the mood for this, reached around and bit me, but he only got a beak full of my grey chicken chore hoodie you see in my avatar pic, so he doesn't try to bite me so much now.
Important hints:
Never have bare skin visible, certainly not legs, wear jeans and long sleeves
Never get between him and his girls
Never turn you back on this Roo
Never run from him or he will think he is the dominant one; better to be the chaser instead of the chasee, when he comes at you, you go towards him to get him and pick him up, this move catches aggressive Roo's off guard every time
Never pick up his hens unless you've already secured him somewhere else 1st
Here is the most important part...although he seems to have given up or turned docile while being held, the moment that bird is free, know that he'll turn into a spur-clicking, ninja-jumping bad-ass, out to get ya.
Prior to letting the bad boy go, either have a broom handy or situate yourself near the closest exit and toss a big hand full of meal worms away from you and the exit, so he and his girls will run the other way, and focus on the worms. When you do let him go, face him away from you and sort of gently push him towards his girls and/or mealworms, away from you
Next important step, never assume the mealworm ploy worked, don't take your eyes off of him
Do not turn around to walk away, just back away, a rooster cannot resist spurring a leg that is walking away.
Oh yes, aside from grabbing him up, all other movements, walking, chores, etc. are done in normal, to slower than normal, speed.
Never rush, never walk fast, never run, and never turn your back on him.
I know it seems like a lot of trouble, but I can do this whole scenario in a few minutes, scooping him up then one handed cleaning, giving more feed and fresh water, all while carrying my brat around, and yes he is mean, he will attack and draw blood, kicking and/or pecking/biting. They expect you to run from them, not come towards them to pick them up, so believe me when I say that works, you just have to follow through and not hesitate in fear, so if you've already hesitated or run from him, you can still turn it around, if you can just follow through with picking him up. The times Rocky did spur or bite me, I never made a sound, no ouch, nothing, I gave no reaction. If you run away, yell or use loud, angry or fearful tones in your voice, you lose. My boy only hears me say cheerful "Hello" or "Good morning Rocky", cheerful "Come here", or a low tone, calm "Stop that" and it really catches him off guard that he doesn't upset me.
You just get used to it. Never get between him and his hens, never take your eyes off of him if you and he are in the same space, if he can get to you, just assume he will and be prepared by being one step ahead. I have literally caught my Roo airborne as he intended to ninja kick me...the look on his face when I reached for him instead of running from him, and caught him mid air then quickly tucked him under my arm before he could respond...that's priceless, and it has become sort of a game we play now.
If I simply do not have time for any of this, I have one last thing that works, I carry a broom, and if he comes towards me I say in a low tone, sternly..."Stop that" and if I have to say it a few times I will, and it seems to work, he will turn stop in mid step, think about it, then around and peck at feed or act like he is too busy for me. Sure a few times he acted busy, then changed his mind, ran around the feeder full speed at me, and all I had to do was sweep him away with the broom, not hard and not real fast, just enough to gently push him away with the broom and again say in that same low, calm tone, "Stop that". He will be 4 years old in May, so either he's calming down a bit or just knows the routine now. As mean as he can be, I still love that brat and he is wonderful to his hens.
Sorry this was so long, hope it might help you
We all have different priorities though.
