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Treat them like a male animal that can inflict harm. Never assume that , since you have fed him and held him since he was a chick, that he will not harm you. It is best to treat roosters with a level of respect and keep him knowing you are boss roo or a potential predator.
Don't let him eat while you are there, don't let him breed while you are there, don't let him get too comfortable around you. Some roos don't need too much of this type of training, some do.
If you want a pet, get a dog or cat. If you want a flock master who is every vigilant, treat him like one.
Some folks can get by with petting and coddling a roo and never have a moment of trouble...but most of the posts on here complaining about aggressive roos start out "he was so sweet when he was little and would let me hold him and pet him" or " I have always fed him treats out of my hand, but now...."
These are roos that see you as a subordinate in the flock, or view you as no physical threat but something that is around his hens and must be banished.
Try to be neither and you should have a good roo experience. I've never had to cull a roo for excessive aggressiveness towards humans after schooling one to know that I rule the roost and not he.
A good roo calls out a warning when threats appear around the flock. A good roo attempts to protect his hens...even from you. A good roo knows that you are bigger, stronger, more aggressive and must be avoided for safety reasons. A good roo is not overly aggressive with hens and does not bully youngsters.
They crow...this cannot be changed. You do not need one in order for the hens to lay eggs.
That's about it....
Well put, should be tacked up on every brooder/coop where there is a rooster as well as made required reading for all newbies!!
I don't want to highjack this thread, but you make a lot of sense and I'm just curious if I'm going about it right with my roo. He's 4 months old today. About a week ago he pecked at me and I forced him down into a squat on the ground. The day after, while one of the pullets was in my lap, he jumped up and nipped me on the nose. I pushed him off my lap and he stumbled and fell over. When he crows in the morning, I go in and pick him up and walk around. Then I sit down with him and pet him until he's "calm." Before they go in the coop at night, all three sit in my lap (like they have since they were born). He doesn't mind that the girls are up with him, but during the day he doesn't like the girls to come up. When they do, he jumps us and does this funny side step stretching/glaring thing. If he gets too close, I push him off. I'm keeping a close eye on him because I really like him, but I don't want to be afraid of him or worry about him around others. Anything else I should be doing?
My husband says she is confused.
