First time with backyard chickens, a few questions...

[MamaLisa1976]

We got our first 5 chicks this past March. We have 1 rooster and 4 hens. We kept them inside the house in a makeshift "coop" until my husband finished building them a nice coop outside, with roost and nests for the hens. They are about 4 months old now and we are excited to see that first egg when it happens. They are free range, and along with their store bought chicken feed, we feed them a lot of scraps - grapes/strawberries/blueberries that are starting to go bad, corn, bread & crackers, pretty much anything. My 6 yr old daughter has them eating birdseed out of her hand.

About a month or 2 ago, we noticed the rooster taking interest in my husband's toes. He seemed to look at them funny when he'd be outside in his sandals, and then he started running at him trying to peck. We laughed at first, telling him his toes look like delicious morsels to them (lol) but then he started getting a little more aggressive, hopping up and fluttering and pecking his feet. Well now he's started in on me. I went out to feed them some stale bread and he just would not go to where I was throwing the food out, where all the hens were. He hung out by me, so I tossed a piece down next to him. He looked at it and didn't take interest. I thought that was weird. I ran out of bread and started to head back in and that's when he ran at me and started attacking my legs & feet. I shooed him away, kicking a small sour cream tub of water my girls had out there at him, and he paused for a second but came back for more. He's attacked me 2 or 3 more times since then. In the morning he will come right up to our back sliding glass door and crow and crow and crow, I figured he wants food. I don't feed him every time, but usually when I do he doesn't seem to want food. He won't go for whatever I throw out. This morning he came up and just paced and paced really quickly all along the door, pecking at it. After about an hour of that he perched up on the kitchen window and did the same. We don't understand where this aggressive behavior is coming from. I'm afraid he will attack my daughters next. He's never drawn blood but he did bruise the top of my foot pecking at it.

My question is, how do we stop this aggressive behavior, and why is he acting like this? Does he think he's the "king" of our house now? We should submit to HIM? What are some body language things I should look for and what does it mean?

Thank you for any and all input,
Lisa

 

[aquagolda]

first off I see a BIG mistake but I have egg and show birds so my rule is no bread and no rice its bad for their crop if you decide to show your chickens don't feed them bread or rice but if there just egg birds then don't feed a lot its bad for their health.

 

[gritsar]

What you are seeing is aggressive behavior and has nothing to do with food. The crowing is not wanting food, it's a challenge to what he perceives to be other roosters - you and your husband. He can go after your children and children are in the most danger of losing an eye or getting a nasty scar on their face, due to their lower stature. Please keep your children away from this rooster until the problem is resolved. Even something as simple as the child picking up a hen can result in the rooster attacking.

You can do a search here on the forum for rooster reform, but if that fails that rooster needs to go bye bye, IMHO. Too many good roosters looking for homes to put up with a snotty one.

 

[aquagolda]

well I have had two roosters in the past time and all they did was attack just like your they were fine until they grew older yes he thinks he is the kind of the house and wants to protect his family since hes already attacking and wont go away with food I suggest build a coop that you can give him food or water that's totally separate from the hens and it might calm him down or just give him away since he is waiting to attack you on your porch he think of you as a threat to the hens so for me I would get rid of him. you can keep him with your hens BUT you cant let him free range you need to have coop where if you go and collect the eggs you can make a wall to keep out the rooster while you safely collect the eggs or give food or water.
hope all is going to help you and good luck with that rooster of yours -aqua

 

[aart]

What you are seeing is aggressive behavior and has nothing to do with food. The crowing is not wanting food, it's a challenge to what he perceives to be other roosters - you and your husband. He can go after your children and children are in the most danger of losing an eye or getting a nasty scar on their face, due to their lower stature. Please keep your children away from this rooster until the problem is resolved. Even something as simple as the child picking up a hen can result in the rooster attacking.

You can do a search here on the forum for rooster reform, but if that fails that rooster needs to go bye bye, IMHO. Too many good roosters looking for homes to put up with a snotty one.

Ditto^^^

 

[JackE]

Yeah, he's challenging you. In his mind he wants to be top dog of his domain. Actually, offering him food, you are submitting to him, and reinforcing, in his mind, that he is BOSS. I had a rooster that started all that nonsense with us. I read, on this forum, about showing the rooster who is really the boss. That involved, pinning him to the ground, when he comes at you. Picking him up and carrying him around like a football, with him facing backwards. And walking him back. That's one of the neatest ones. He comes at you, you face him and walk right at him, give him a light boot with your foot, if he doesn't give ground. Keep walking at him, he'll grumble, dance around a bit, but you keep walking at him, until, he turns away from you and retreats.

I did all this stuff, and it seems to have worked, as far as he and I were concerned. But, my wife and daughter could not get that respect. He would go at them. It's gets kinda rediculous, when you have to keep looking over your shoulder, in your own backyard. He ended up in freezer camp. A rooster can be kinda dangerous, especially to younger kids. If it were me, and I had a six year old, that rooster would go. He scratches her up, or worse. That can take all the fun out of raising chickens.

 

[AmericanMom]

It is often said here that the worst thing a chicken owner can do is make friends with their roosters, it never fails, folks post on here how there once sweet rooster who they had hand fed and held since day one turns on them...
My rules.. Never ever handle or hand feed any of my chickens (unless ill and needing care) When I walk out to the chicken run, I walk with purpose, its MY yard, the animals are there to SERVE a purpose, they live or die by my wish, I have put down a young rooster for giving me the stink eye ( beautiful Buff Orpington). I do not allow pecking or aggressive behavior in any animal I own, We learned the hard way, Had a rooster over 10 years ago that would attack me every time I turned my back.. Was pretty naïve and thought that's just the way roosters are, put up with it until the day he almost took my eye out.. I now have 3 rooster ( one of which is a Blue Orpington and weighs almost 9 pounds!) and 42 Hens and 10 chicks.. When I go out they move out of my way, I have to date never been challenged by them and would cull them if I were. I do not want to pass that human aggressive gene onto the next generation of chicks..

Once they start attacking they very rarely ever stop.

 

[gritsar]

It is often said here that the worst thing a chicken owner can do is make friends with their roosters, it never fails, folks post on here how there once sweet rooster who they had hand fed and held since day one turns on them...
My rules.. Never ever handle or hand feed any of my chickens (unless ill and needing care) When I walk out to the chicken run, I walk with purpose, its MY yard, the animals are there to SERVE a purpose, they live or die by my wish, I have put down a young rooster for giving me the stink eye ( beautiful Buff Orpington). I do not allow pecking or aggressive behavior in any animal I own, We learned the hard way, Had a rooster over 10 years ago that would attack me every time I turned my back.. Was pretty naïve and thought that's just the way roosters are, put up with it until the day he almost took my eye out.. I now have 3 rooster ( one of which is a Blue Orpington and weighs almost 9 pounds!) and 42 Hens and 10 chicks.. When I go out they move out of my way, I have to date never been challenged by them and would cull them if I were. I do not want to pass that human aggressive gene onto the next generation of chicks..

Once they start attacking they very rarely ever stop.

Wow! To each his own, but the whole reason I have chickens and the breeds I carefully chose was to have pet therapy and cuddlebugs. I teach my roosters from a young age that they are to steer clear of humans, but my hens? I don't have a single hen that I can't walk up to and pick up anytime I want. My roosters know that my husband and I are the bosses, we are allowed to pick up hens, and the roosters can just build a bridge and get over it. My oldest hen, the flock matriach Bella, is now half blind and arthritic. She stands at the door to wait for a help down to the ground, stands at the door again at bedtime to be picked up and placed on a roost.

I have had every breed of rooster from LF brahmas to turkens to my current ones - serama, dominique, salmon faverolle, sebright and cochin. A turken roo gave me trouble and went bye bye, but he was the exception rather than the rule. The ages I have right now are an adult, two chicks and two juveniles. The adult roo steers clear of us, the chicks are learning to steer clear and the two juveniles are no trouble at all. The one juvenile is a bantam cochin and good luck keeping a cochin from jumping on you - to get loved on.

Best rooster I ever had was a 12 lb. LF brahma named Thor (Thor is famous on BYC). Thor was not at all human aggressive and yes, could be picked up anytime I wanted. When he developed a bad leg issue and no cure was to be had, my husband put him down. DH (a former commercial chicken farmer) said it hurt him bad to put Thor down, made worse by the fact that Thor stood right there and let him do it.

Again, to each his own, but if my chickens weren't pets I wouldn't have them.

Thor:


The juveniles that have claimed my husband as their best buddy (the white frizzle is a cockerel):

 

[AmericanMom]

Wow! To each his own, but the whole reason I have chickens and the breeds I carefully chose was to have pet therapy and cuddlebugs. I teach my roosters from a young age that they are to steer clear of humans, but my hens? I don't have a single hen that I can't walk up to and pick up anytime I want. My roosters know that my husband and I are the bosses, we are allowed to pick up hens, and the roosters can just build a bridge and get over it. My oldest hen, the flock matriach Bella, is now half blind and arthritic. She stands at the door to wait for a help down to the ground, stands at the door again at bedtime to be picked up and placed on a roost.

I have had every breed of rooster from LF brahmas to turkens to my current ones - serama, dominique, salmon faverolle, sebright and cochin. A turken roo gave me trouble and went bye bye, but he was the exception rather than the rule. The ages I have right now are an adult, two chicks and two juveniles. The adult roo steers clear of us, the chicks are learning to steer clear and the two juveniles are no trouble at all. The one juvenile is a bantam cochin and good luck keeping a cochin from jumping on you - to get loved on.

Best rooster I ever had was a 12 lb. LF brahma named Thor (Thor is famous on BYC). Thor was not at all human aggressive and yes, could be picked up anytime I wanted. When he developed a bad leg issue and no cure was to be had, my husband put him down. DH (a former commercial chicken farmer) said it hurt him bad to put Thor down, made worse by the fact that Thor stood right there and let him do it.

Again, to each his own, but if my chickens weren't pets I wouldn't have them.

Thor:


The juveniles that have claimed my husband as their best buddy (the white frizzle is a cockerel):

I understand that everyone has different ideas and needs when it comes to their flocks and animals.. I don't need pet theory and as far as cuddle bugs, that's why I have Grandchildren

A question was asked and I am always honest with what I do and how I have raised my animals.. What's that old saying, different strokes for different folks?

You have some very beautiful birds btw...

 

[gritsar]

I understand that everyone has different ideas and needs when it comes to their flocks and animals.. I don't need pet theory and as far as cuddle bugs, that's why I have Grandchildren

A question was asked and I am always honest with what I do and how I have raised my animals.. What's that old saying, different strokes for different folks?

You have some very beautiful birds btw...

Ah yes, those humanoid things.

Never been real fond of them, sorry. I do appreciate honesty though.

Thanks for the compliment on the birds. Looking forward to having some blue bredas soon. I'm told their personality is a cross between a brahma and a cochin....more snuggles for me.