Has anyone ever actually succeeded in retraining an aggressive rooster?

[appps]

Just thought I'd update.
This week we had two lunges towards hands with food and once he came up and lunged at my son from behind when he was walking out of the pen.

Ed got held in the football hold for those transgressions and hubby caught him for my son to hold after he went him.

He hasn't misbehaved the last couple of days but I have been flat out and not held him for the last two so on my must do list tomorrow.

 

[TheWeaver]

Thank you! Really appreciate your help!!
Just thought Id share my Rooster too so you can see who we are talking about

Hoho! That is one seriously cute rooster. I don't think I'd be able to just stick him in the pot either!

Such an interesting thread, as I'm just getting into chickens. Totally keeping an eye on this one

 

[azygous]

Doesn't Ed look kind of like he's wearing a Halloween costume? Pretty flashy little dude! He kind of reminds me of Muammar Gaddafi.

This training process is going to take months. You or someone has to handle him every single day! Even a couple days without being touched will affect the training, and Ed will think he's moved up to alpha. As long as he's handled regularly, that alpha instinct can be controlled. But you need to be consistent!

 

[appps]

I was worried missing days was going to be a problem. Just not been home much. Will just have to make the time somehow won't I.

Do you always have to keep it up? As in does it ever become instilled enough they stop trying to knock you out of top spot and be happy to leave you as alpha without being held? I kind of dread it each day because its so hard to catch him.

And I'll have to get a new photo. I love the way his comb has grown in with his little top knot. Hes Very cool looking dude these days lol

 

[azygous]

Yes. The day will come when Ed will decide you're his BFF. My first roo, SLW Stan, was a scrapper who insisted on daily boxing matches until he was almost two years old. Then one day he liked to be held and kissed on the head, and he didn't want to fight any longer.

My present rooster Penrod wasn't trust worthy until after a year and a half of training. I have no fear of him suddenly becoming aggressive now.

It'll happen, but you're fighting against instinct and habit, both yours and the rooster's. Try to convince yourself to look forward to your sessions with Ed as a time to be close and affectionate. You'll come to enjoy it, and he will, too, in time.

And if he's aggressive toward your kids, it's important that Ed gets held by them right away to counter that aggressive episode. He must not be left alone to reinforce that's okay behavior, when it's not.

 

[appps]

Thanks. Just did ten minutes chasing and finally caught him. He sits pretty good when you hold him now. He originally tried to get loose all the time. Now I just have to say "hey" when he tries to squirm and he settles.

I just dread the catching though. Only place I can get him I'm bent down and I'm a bit worried I'm going to accidentally get a face full of claws while he is trying to get away. Nearly did today but luckily he sort of stopped mid jump and ended up on the perch.

 

[azygous]

There's got to be a better way to handle Ed when he behaves aggressively than chasing him to catch him. I'm going to see if Ky can come back and offer some advice.

 

[appps]

There's got to be a better way to handle Ed when he behaves aggressively than chasing him to catch him. I'm going to see if Ky can come back and offer some advice.

Honestly every single time we want to hold him it involves ten minutes chasing. It tends to make the hens wary of us too.

I'm going to try and make a little corral for him on the weekend so we can herd him somewhere then close the escape and pick him up.

 

[Michael Apple]

I remember a big rooster we had when I was around 8 years old. This rooster came up to my waist. Ah, the late seventies. Anyway, this rooster intimidated me. He tore my jeans a number of times. When I'd walk up our long driveway coming home from school, he'd see me and come running to get me. I used to hop on the fence and walk along it so he couldn't spur me. It was my job to feed the flock and lock them up at night sometimes. I went from running out of the yard as fast as I could after getting the feed down, to being able to catch him and calm him down. I began by keeping a large cardboard box near the gate. When he came at me I'd toss the box over him, drop the feed in the troughs, then remove the box and run like hell. He got wise to that game and would act cool so I'd leave the box out the gate, until I was coming out with feed and make a run for me. One day I just caught him when he jumped at me. He made an awful low growling screech at first, but noticed how calm he became once I held him. Being a small kid at the time, I just got over the fear of that big (probably 12 lb.) rooster. He began to understand that if he attacked me, I'd catch him and began to leave me be after awhile. I do that today. Though the good size Cuckoo Maran rooster I have is gentle as can be. Poor guy is old and stiff now. He won't be around much longer. I had a Dominique rooster who'd stalk my girlfriend, get close enough and attack her. She was paranoid of him though I'd laugh and keep telling her,"Just pick him up!" She never wanted to, so she'd avoid him, and he'd happily play his thug game with her. Hah! Lots of stories folks could tell about their roosters I'm sure. They crack me up.

 

[OlyChickenGuy]

I agree with the comment that not everyone can be present in handling animals properly. If you've read my blog, you've read my rant about domestication and how that means we have an obligation to be constantly present in our animals lives, but some people simply cannot comprehend that. However, with your family, do press it that it takes a village. EVERYONE has to be on board to make a happy, healthy family, and our animals - pets or not - ARE our family, and we need to spend time with and be consistent with ALL OF THEM. Cesar Millan, the dog whisperer, has stated multiple times when a family is dealing with a problem dog, but only one person is willing to be receptive to him, that he can't do ANYTHING until the whole family comes together. EVERYONE must be consistent, and above all else being consistent and patience is what's important.

Also, will there be a day you won't have to worry about him suddenly becoming aggressive? I will only answer that as "possibly". You need to constantly be a part of your animals lives, and you CAN make it so that they're happy, healthy, and non-aggressive, and chances are they'll stay that way. HOWEVER, if you stop being alpha, and you stop asserting yourself, that animal is going to be left with a huge hole in their social hierarchy that, to them, MUST be filled. Animals don't understand passive social order like we humans like to play, they only understand dominant and submissive, leader and follower, so you must always make that known. However, once that's clearly instilled in their minds, it IS much, much easier to maintain.

That being said, the chasing is a difficult thing to curb. I still have to chase down some of my roosters, but I use my whole body, and sometimes a hockey stick, to "herd" them into a corner. I can pretty consistently get them into a corner of the fence, or between a couple trees then scoop them up from there. Once I have them cornered, I make sure they can't get away, but then I descend on them SLOWLY AND CALMLY, wrap my hands around their wings, and gently pick them up so that the process of being picked up isn't one of unhappiness and fear. Unfortunately, with chickens being prey animals, unlike dogs and cats, it's a little more difficult to train them to come to you, but you can always make the actual event of BEING picked up one of pleasantness.

That being said, I think making a corral to herd him into is a great idea. Make sure it has a wide opening, because chickens can easily sense enclosed areas and doorways, and perhaps even make a funnel up to the entrance. I've had a lot of luck using funnels as opposed to obvious doorways. Chickens also like to stay near edges of things, like the edge of a fence, the trunk of a tree ( I can't tell you how many times I've chased a chicken round and round a tree in the middle of an open area ), or the wall of a building, so try making your corral in a way that it incorporates something he already likes to run near.