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I will try that too. But do you do this every dusk? If you skip doing it, how soon do you believe the rooster will turn back to being mean? 2-5 days?
Edit to add: do you keep your roosters in the same coop?
See i used to scare the hell out of my rooster when he was attacking me, showing who is the boss with several ways (also turning him upside down, keeping his back on the ground as i was holding his feet with one hand and his head down to the ground with the other. He DOES relax for a couple of days and doesnt attack me, but then he slowly turns back to the devil he really is. I dont know what i hate more tho, the rooster when he attacks me, or myself when i try to make him respect me. He DOES respect me, i think he gets confused sometimes and cant resist to attack me
After seeing me fail to teach him to be good rooster, yesterday i made something else. Again he attacked my foot right after opening the coop for them to free range, well, i just woke up rooster, no coffee yet, i havent even visit the toilet yet to let you free range first, and you disrespectful bird want to eat me?
No way!
I grabbed him by the tail as he was escaping MY attack, then the neck, then the legs and walla here is an upside down rooster, after a while i turn him in the normal position under my right arm and kept his head down with the other hand. (somebody told me about this in PM) Well. I felt something sticky on my hand that was drying quickly and didnt like what i thought it was. BLOOD. Again
His blood. He attacks me with so much force, he gets hurt!!! His comb was bleeding again. He has wounds that dont heal very quick and if he keeps attacking me he always has 3-5 wounds
Then i remembered reading here in BYC, that isolating the rooster for few days, makes him tame and calm, and he is scared to loose his flock again because of some silly attack. I cannot really do this, but what i did was to put him in the brooder cardboard box that i still keep stored for future hatches, close the box completely and put more boxes and stuff on it so he cant get out. I was angry at him and kicked the box saying "hey shutup" every time he crowed
i left him there 6 hours, he was crowing and if i was near, i was responding with kick and shutup
When i opened the box, he was very scared, i grabbed him and throw him on "the dinosaur" (top hen) and she pecked him
then i followed him around the yard to test him, nothing! He was calm
No more attacks, yet, but if he does it again, i will put him in the dark cardboard box, this time for longer.
I dont like punishing him tho, it takes away all the peace and calmness the flock gives me and makes me feel like a 5 year old that likes to kill cats, or something. Not to mention that the hens hate me if i mess with the rooster and then they are all scared of me like i am a beast and stay away from me. He is a columbian leghorn and if i am not wrong leghorns are mean. I cannot really punish him every few days when he attacks me.
Sometimes i grab him and pet him, speaking to him like to a dog, taking him around the yard, or taking him to parts of the yard he cant access and doesnt know, he seems so calm at these times. I can see that he knows who feeds them and who takes care of them. They stay away from everyone but me. I think that if i was always in the mood to pet them, he would never attack me, but i am not. I mean pet the chickens? Alright i love them, i dont mind the mess they do, i dont mind their smell (smell is my fault, i never cleaned the run yet) i do pet them to check them for mites and lice, but its not my everyday sport. (if i want to check the dinosaur for mites, the rooster attack is all mine! always!)
lovinglife, thanks for your tip, if he finally gets converted to a respectful rooster, its all because BYC friendly community.
I hope i dont get you all bored with my very long posts, do i? Sometimes i type and i type and never stop.
as you have already found out!! LOVE MY CHICKENS!
