Good rooster turned bad

[Mrs. K]

I agree with Shadrach, if you train before aggression, much better results. If you have a large flock, a large amount of space, and roosters in a multi-generational flock you have much better luck. Often times people with a great deal experience on here fail to take in account the difference between a flock of 30-50 multi-generational birds verses a flock of 5-10 flock mates.

If it is truly a backyard space, if the children are young, if it is a small coop/run you need to cull the rooster. It will not get dependably better. You will not be able to trust him.

Mrs K

 

[getaclue]

Again, give it a try. I personally have used this method successfully, and know many others on here that have had great success with it.

Something I might add. The ones that it's been most successful with, are people that are very hands on with their flocks. I don't just go out, fill water buckets, and feeders, gather eggs, then exit. At least once a week, I pick up several of my chickens in each group, both hens, and rooster(s). I check them for weight, width, fullness of breast, I check their crops, vents, and carefully examine their feathers, especially a few places down near the shafts for mite/lice activity. I keep spurs, and toenails trimmed. It doesn't matter that for the most part, it's not needed. What matters is that if/when anything develops, I can usually catch it quickly. All my chickens are used to me, or my daughter handling them.

Pull a chair into the coop, and toss out some crickets once in awhile, and watch the fun. Enjoy your flock. Learn their personalities. I have a rooster that loves for me to rub around his ears, and waddles. He just relaxes, and sinks into it. HOWEVER, he doesn't want his hens to see it. I have to run them out. I have another that, like his hens, will jump in my lap, but he doesn't want to he held.

These are the same roosters that for a short time, when they were cockerels, tried getting aggressive. They turned out just fine, with training, and once they got past that hormonal stage.

 

[Mrs. K]

Getaclue - how many birds do you have? How big of space do you use? And how many generations of birds do you have? How old is your daughter?

Mrs K

 

[slordaz]

I have a jerk of a maturing cockrel, his name ended up getting changed to asshole lol. but following Beekissed article and changing a few things he's finally decided do not challenge me or anybody entering the yard and became a modle boy, consistency though is needed because with raging teenage hormones they ain't the smartest cookie in the jar. On thing to never do is run or act scared around them, have son and DH take a stick with them and push him outta the way, if need be chasing them around gets em some exercise and that you are boss, he is not allowed near the feed , crowing or mating when I am out there and it's really got him calmed down, besides using chicken Jail where he is caged for the day due to bad behaviors, he's behaving better round people now and the hens that belong to Main Rooster.

A lot depends on age of children and if they can follow through, if not you would be better to send him to freezer camp, I will not tolerate an aggressive rooster with my hens or humans

 

[Shadrach]

Again, give it a try. I personally have used this method successfully, and know many others on here that have had great success with it.

Something I might add. The ones that it's been most successful with, are people that are very hands on with their flocks. I don't just go out, fill water buckets, and feeders, gather eggs, then exit. At least once a week, I pick up several of my chickens in each group, both hens, and rooster(s). I check them for weight, width, fullness of breast, I check their crops, vents, and carefully examine their feathers, especially a few places down near the shafts for mite/lice activity. I keep spurs, and toenails trimmed. It doesn't matter that for the most part, it's not needed. What matters is that if/when anything develops, I can usually catch it quickly. All my chickens are used to me, or my daughter handling them.

Pull a chair into the coop, and toss out some crickets once in awhile, and watch the fun. Enjoy your flock. Learn their personalities. I have a rooster that loves for me to rub around his ears, and waddles. He just relaxes, and sinks into it. HOWEVER, he doesn't want his hens to see it. I have to run them out. I have another that, like his hens, will jump in my lap, but he doesn't want to he held.

These are the same roosters that for a short time, when they were cockerels, tried getting aggressive. They turned out just fine, with training, and once they got past that hormonal stage.

I don't disagree with anything you've written, except the method.
The point is, not just one person is involved with the chickens in the OP's post and this makes all the difference. I don't know how old the children are but it doesn't seem reasonable to expect them to be successful with Beekissed's method.
Training a cockerel/rooster requires some dedication and most kids just want to play and cuddle and collect eggs.
The circumstances and chicken keeping arrangements of the person in question need to have some bearing on the advice given. You're advice might be fine for a flock kept by one person but that doesn't seem to be the case here and isn't the case for many backyard chicken keepers. Most backyard chicken keepers want pretty eggs, friendly flocks and what seems often to be important, the involvement of their children.
Rooster and cockerels are dangerous. It's not that they are deliberately aggressive towards humans, they're just aggressive creatures by nature.

 

[getaclue]

Currently, I'm down to 25 birds. My main coop/run is 40 x 24. The coop section is divided into 5 sections, connecting into 3 large runs. I can open, or close the doors to increase, or decrease the coop size as needed, and I can rotate flocks every other day in the runs, if needed. I have an additional 24 x 24 coop/run divided into 4 sections, which can be further subdivided for extra single roosters, starter pens for youngsters, isolation, etc. Each section has running water, and electricity. The way I sectioned it, and the multitude of doors, gives me plenty of size options.

I've got 4 generations.

 

[aart]

If this was a single keeper the article form Beekissed may have possibilities. But this seems to be a case of family involvement and the safety of the children needs to be the priority, not the training of the cockerel.

That is key, one person may be able to 'handle' the cock/erel...but every person needs to 'have the touch'.
Kind of like training dogs...the more people involved, the more complicated it gets.

 

[getaclue]

As to never letting kids into the coop. That depends on several factors. First it depends on the child, their age, and whether they're flighty, or steady in their movement in the coop. Next, after you get the rooster under control, if needed, and they get past that hormonal stage, and calm down good, try taking a kid in with you, and watch the rooster's behavior.

My older grandchild has, and can go into my coops with me, but gets easily distracted, and is herky jerky with their motions . I would never trust the older one alone, without my supervision. On the other hand, my 3 year old grandchild, has been following me into my coops since the age of 2, and began by staying right behind me, following me close for over a year. The youngest has learned the routines, so is steady in all their movement. In that time, the roosters have grown so accustomed to the child being in there with me, they don't pay any mind. Make no mistake, I'm right there watching every move, and ready to take action, but when the youngest gets a bit older, I don't see any major problems. Yes, after the chores, the youngest likes to pet a chicken. Of course I help, and we catch one to pet. Sometimes we'll catch a rooster, sometimes a hen. As I said, mine are used to hands on activity, so it's not a major ordeal, and they pretty much go about their business.

 

[Mrs. K]

You have considerable experience, both with chickens and with roosters. The OP, not so much, and you have considerable space, and a lot of birds. The chicken society in your set up is different than in a much smaller, more tightly confined group of birds.

I don't think you can read experience. You get it with time. Starting with a hen flock is not a bad idea. Keeping an aggressive bird when you don't have much experience with chickens is not a good idea.

My own grandchildren go into my coop with a rooster. I caution them and talk to them, and I have a good rooster. It was questionable for a time, but he did get past it. I have also had the other.

I had a rooster who fluffed up, crowed repeatedly, jumped up on the roost to get taller than my niece. Got braver and braver.... and all of a sudden, I thought, "What am I doing? Risking my niece, and her love for my hobby over a two-bit bird?" Perhaps it is because years ago, a child was killed down the street from a vicious dog. But I don't tolerate aggression towards me or mine.

Mrs K

 

[getaclue]

There is an alternate method, posted by another member. Enjoy.



Okay so here is the story....

we have an EE roo who is a little over a year old. His name is Deville and he is my DD's boy. We have 28 girls of various breeds and one is especially loud...Ruby, our red cochin hen.

So, Ruby is a screamer...she screams just to scream at you. She screams to be picked up, she screams being picked up, she screams being held and she screams being put down, so you get the picture.

A few months ago, DD picks Ruby up who of course screams bloody murder. Deville charges DD. Well it startled DD that her baby was charging her, she screamed and ran. Well that did it. Mr. Deville got the idea he could chase her and flap his wings on her legs (never used his feet at all) whenever she went into the run. So, she tried various methods to stop the behavior.

she tried grabbing him and carrying him around like a baby to humiliate him in front of his women. She tried pancaking him flat to the ground and holding him there in front of his women. His behavior got a bit better in that he stopped openinly charging her and he would wait for her to turn her back and try the sneak attack. Deville did this to no one else, only DD. So, here is what when happened when she broke him of it.

She goes into the run and is playing with the girls and Deville charged her when she went to leave. She came to the house carrying the large metal feeder pan we use for water in their run, she puts a big squeeze of my dishwashing liquid in it and turns to go to the run. She grabs the hose, squirts the water in there and gets it all bubbly and waits. I have this wonderful hand conditioning lavender scented dishwashing liquid which is now a huge bubble bath in the chicken run.

She turns to walk into the coop and Deville charges her. I heard her yell "Oh no you don't", she grabs him and chucks him into the bubbles. She proceeds to give him a bubble bath. I meanwhile am about to wet myself laughing and watching this fiasco. The rooster is having a fit trying to get away, she is giving him a bubble bath and the girls are all walking in circles around the scene and I swear my ducks were laughing! So, the scene continues with this bath, the entire time my DD is talking to her misbehaving rooster...

"You will behave yourself or I will make the girls ashamed to have you around buddy"

rooster: raaaaaaaaaaawwwwwkkkkkkkkkkkk

"Shut it! You will behave yourself and stop this nonsense"

rooster: *splash splash* raaaaaaaaaaaaaawwwwwwwwwwwkkkkk

"I said SHUT IT"

Then she began hosing him down to rinse him off! Meanwhile...I have nearly completely lost my mind laughing and watching this.

she let's him go, wet, in shock and the girls were all backing away from him as my DD rinsed out the little bubble bath and turned to leave. Mr. Deville turned away from her...not even thinking about charging her.

It has been a couple of weeks and no further attacks have occurred. She tells him constantly "You so much as think about it and it will be another girly bubble bath for you and next time you get the blow dry treatment!"


So, keep this tactic in mind if you have rowdy roo...a girly bubble bath could cure yours too.


I am sorry I was laughing too hard to go get the camera and even begin to try to hold it steady for pictures of this bath. LOL