I got a 2 yr old polish/silkie rooster a little over a week ago. 3 day ago I let him out to range with the girls. That night while collecting eggs and locking up, he attacked me. No matter how many times I kicked him away and yelled no, he kept coming back. I finally made it out of the coop to grab the broom and went back in and gave him a good swat. The next day, he went after me in the run, but I had the broom ready, and as before kept coming back. My husband went in the coop last night and was also attacked by him. I told him to bring the broom, but he didn't. He gave him a good kick too. So now hubby says, rooster has to go. We have small children (3&1) and I disclosed this to the woman I got him from. I wrote her an email and she said, rooster attacked her husband once and doesn't want him back......well thanks for disclosing this before. So I told her, "take him back or we cull him". I will not forward an aggressive rooster on to someone else. I am right?
You are more than right. They certainly should have made you aware (whether you'd told them you had children at home or not) that the rooster had displayed aggressive tendancies. Sadly, you will probably have to do the deed yourself - I don't see her taking him back. And on a side note - I chose an older rooster (2 years old) intentionally because I wanted one that was known to be gentle to hens and good around people. The roosters milled around us, and the lady just reached down and scooped one up. THAT told me a lot. He's been here a year, and he's a wonderful rooster. So don't give up on getting a good rooster - just know what to look for next time.
First of all, you should have kept him quarantined for a month or more to be reasonably sure he didn't have any diseases to pass to your girls. In that time, he would have gotten to know you a bit more, however, if he had already been human aggressive at his old home and has started up at yours, it is the way he is. No rooster should ever be around toddlers without a barrier. They are like a stallion or bull in a smaller package-kids make jerky movements that make roosters, even sweet ones, nervous. I'd cull the rooster and start over; this time, quarantine. Hopefully, this guy was healthy and didn't pass on anything. Before you get another bird, this thread may be helpful: https://www.backyardchickens.com/forum/viewtopic.php?id=12751
I would cull personally. No mean roosters are allowed on my place. But if they are an important breeder (like my lav bantam ameraucana roo) that I just cant do without I will pick them up and carry them while I do all the morning and evening feeding. After a few weeks of this treatment I have found that most roosters will steer clear of people in fear that they are going to get picked up. I also think that it was wrong of that woman to sell you that rooster knowing full well that you had small children.
I agree with speckled hen but I would be worried about my children being around even a good rooster at a young age. You just never know what animals might do are better than that what your child might do. Guess, I'm being over protective but why put your child in a possible bad situation.
Quote:x 2, the size of the rooster brain, does not lend for a lot a logic, and add hormones to that, you are trusting your most valuable gift, your children to that. I have a rooster now, but while I have children that visit, I do not let them free range when they are here, and I don't let my kids get the eggs or go to the chicken house without me. Part of the fun of having chickens is getting the eggs for children, a good rooster can become a bad rooster in an instant. MrsK
Even with sweet, even-tempered, normally calm roosters like my Isaac and Suede, I don't allow children to run around with them out on range or go into the pens or coops with them. I can tell they are very nervous around children and could perceive them as a threat. A toddler is the right height for a flogging rooster to take out the child's eyes and it takes only once. In addition to all that, I feel that it's also not fair to my good roosters to put them in a position to feel they must attack a human when they normally wouldn't dream of it.
We tolerated our roos for a long while before selling them. I became paranoid and never went to the backyard without a bamboo stick in my hand to ward them off. Then we sold them... I was very happy after that.
