Help, my rooster attacks!

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Experience has to count for something? Even if I didn't go to college for biology! What I posted was my own experience with my Daddies flock and breeding experiments that I was a big part of working with also.

Yes, it does count for something, for sure. In this case, I believe what you're seeing is stronger genes; in the lab you can physically see that both parents contribute 50:50 each excluding mitochondrial dna (mtDNA) which in most species including humans comes exclusively from the mother.

Another thing to consider is that a rooster tends to have many more offspring than a hen, so you will of course see a rooster's genes through the flock more than any hen's.

I personally believe aggression to humans to be an inherited ancestral miasma --- something like a blueprint of behaviour as well as the stimuli patterns that will trigger that behaviour --- which is dominant to a very large degree. Behaviour becomes encoded genetically as well, but the parent's mindset blueprint/miasma seems to pass on stronger than any genetic instinctive patterns do, except those needed for basic survival, like getting out of the hot sun, drinking, eating etc; the behaviour they show with eachother and humans is more variable and changes swiftly in the wrong environment, and breeds in or out quicker than basic instinct.

White is rarely a dominant gene, it's often bred out faster than many other genes. What breeds you were crossing would have a massive impact, as well as their genetic purity which nobody can be sure of --- I've had all sorts of purebreds from devoted breeders that showed some impurity. Granted they may have sold me mixed birds, but in a lot of these cases I think they themselves were sold non-pures under a purebred label at some point.

To the thread poster: glad to hear you have found a nicer rooster. While personally I think it's a shame you're wasting hen's life time on that violent one, it is your choice, and if you're keeping them for eggs only, why not, makes as much sense as keeping him in the first place I guess. Best wishes to you and your flock.
 
We had same issue with our roos.with one we picked him up and carried him around in front of the hens. Then while holding him we pushed his head down.not enough to hurt him but enough it wasn't comfortable for him.
Every time he tried to lift his head' we pushed it back down.after several times of this he kept his head down. At that point we let him down and he kind of squawked and walked off. No issues with him since.
The other roo.....not so good...
He wouldn't Accept it and one evening my 13yr old went to the coop to check on an injury the other too had gotten' and he attacked her' knocking her glasses off and breaking them and scratching her face.
That was it....dh took him out that night.
With some it works' others it doesn't.
 
I had a Sillkie Roo that chased my 2 year old and ripped holes in his shirt. Then he charged me while I was holding my 10 month old baby. a week or so later he charged my 4 year old son. We were all afraid of him and I dont want to be afraid in my own yard. So hubby killed him and we ate him for dinner. I dont think it was mean of me. I think he had a great life, he saw the sun, ate bugs and grass, got to run and fly, mate his hens. I cant say that about the chicken I bought at the store and is currently sitting in my freezer right now. Now I have a BCM roo that is stepping up and so far he is a sweet little guy. he is young but I have a young flock. I hope he stays sweet! I also have 2 little bantam cochin roos that are sweet as pie.

But as soon as I see any aggression I will cull cause I want my birds to free range but I dont want to be scared to let my kids outside with the chickens at the same time.
 
I'm sorry and some might be offended but I say he belongs in the crock pot!
SO many perfectly friendly roosters who also do a great job of protecting their flock are killed and eaten all the time since you really only need one or two roosters. I say it just isnt fair that an aggressive rooster is allowed to be the one to live. Also maybe there is a chance his aggressiveness will be passed on down to his chicks!
 
SO many perfectly friendly roosters who also do a great job of protecting their flock are killed and eaten all the time since you really only need one or two roosters. I say it just isnt fair that an aggressive rooster is allowed to be the one to live. Also maybe there is a chance his aggressiveness will be passed on down to his chicks

True, I often say that. About how many roosters you 'need' though, I need many, since I have a large amount of people to feed who want both eggs and meat. I grow chicks out more or less all year round, and they all freerange with the whole flock of all ages, breeds, both genders, etc because it's necessary for me with my setup and intent.

People say a rooster 'needs' a certain amount of hens, but he doesn't, from my experience. People keep a lone pet rooster without issues, often. But if a rooster needs a hen, all he really needs is one. Any more is just a bonus, often a bonus he isn't interested in; even if a rooster has a huge flock of girls all to himself, there is almost always just one favorite hen which he may mate exclusively with, but usually mates with far more than with any of the others. Some hens often don't even get a chance to mate.

A rooster's job is to find food for his laying girlfriend, protect her, help make a nest, and help raise the chicks. This is natural and once he starts getting 10 girls to himself he can't support them all which I think may contribute to some stress-driven violence from him, and over time he loses the complete rooster's instinct, and he will breed sons who are also no good for anything more than mating and being eaten. A rooster can't support more than three hens or so, realistically, unless all his job consists of is mating, in which case he's not 'supporting' them.

People talk about a flock of hens 'supporting' a rooster, and I don't believe that's right, though I accept it is just the way it had to be for intensive production, which I also blame for a lot of issues both present and looming in future. We need to learn a new way to farm; it can't go back to olden days but current intensive commercial farming is far from perfect too.

The hens have to fend for themselves and their chicks without the father's help, which is a trait that we have bred in there; normal does not equal natural. I believe these good husband/father traits benefit all birds involved so I work on breeding this instinct back into them. It does NOT come linked to inherent violence to humans or other roosters, in fact the more instinctive my roos get, the less violent they are. All the hens are happy, all the roos are happy, it's win-win for me. And for the little kids who can roam the yard, marvel at chook's family interaction, and not be hurt.

But as soon as I see any aggression I will cull cause I want my birds to free range but I dont want to be scared to let my kids outside with the chickens at the same time.

Good on you, too many people allow their kids to be terrorized or harmed in their own backyards.
 
Ok, I'm trying to figure out if there is something I can to about my 6 month old RIR Rooster. He wakes up grouchy most days. I sing/talk to him through the coop prior to opening the door. Sometimes he comes out and eats grass, sometimes he threatens me and comes after me--I let him attack my foot (wearing good shoes). Lately, he has been hitting my 5 year old with his wing. This caused him to cry today and yesterday. My son usually tries to give the chickens meal worms, and often, once the rooster realized we come with treats, he stops his aggressive behavior.

My impression from the rooster is that he is trainable. Any tips? If I come at him (with hands out) as if to pick him up, he backs off.
 
Quote: Some chickens have spurs and claws in their wings. One of my roosters had a spur two and a bit inches long under each wing, and most of my hens have cat sized and shaped claws, and they use them too. When a chicken bashes with its wing, it is trying to stab or claw. Some only have the tiniest nib of a spur, some have nothing, some have a claw, some have two claws per wing, some have spurs, some have spurs and double claws on each wing.
Quote: That's how you encourage and solidify aggressive traits into a male who will pass them on --- let him attack without consequences. It reinforces the idea that you are a helpless victim to bully. There's every chance he inherited this trait anyway, so you will be battling not only one bird but generations of that mentality, in all likelihood. And if you 'cure' it in him, his offspring will still include some which have the same mentality. It can rear its head without warning and your child is a likely victim. Roosters kill children fairly regularly in Australia.

I have tried retraining roosters but your best, safest bet, especially since there is a child at risk, is to cull him. There are better roosters who will never offer you violence which are worthy of being bred. He's not. Anyway, this is of course my opinion, but best wishes with your flock and if you find something that works I'm sure everyone would like to know. Many people have tried retraining violent roosters with only a very, very low and anecdotal success reported --- they'll record he stopped for a week or a month, and you won't hear how long it lasted after that, despite promises to follow up.

It's a very strong trait and highly heritable, and your child is unlikely to benefit from any respect you wring out of that rooster regarding yourself. Any training you do with him you can expect to have to do with his offspring. If you're one of those who likes a behavioral challenge like that then all the best. Caging him is not an answer, though; lots of folks do that, but even if he never gets to attack you again he is still experiencing the impulse to do it, and his offspring will as well.

Best wishes.
 
claws on their wings?
What breed was that?
pterodactyl?
ep.gif

I dont think ive ever heard such a thing....
 
It's been scientifically documented, and you can find a tiny bit of info on it if you search for it, but overall it does appear fairly rare. There have been a couple of threads on this forum about it. I believe I've somehow exacerbated those genetic traits in my birds without deliberately breeding for them. I was selecting for hardiness, friendliness, dual purpose ability, maternal ability, and good conformation, from an extremely varied genetic base of mongrels --- everything from silkies to commercial breeds to heritage breeds all mixed together in mongrels which I then obtained from backyard breeders and continued on with. My best estimation is that this group covers over 50 breeds, minimum.

This trait just cropped up in the results, which began to tend towards an embellished, fancy sort of silver dorking or welsummer style birds in appearance, without me selecting for those colors. (No good cow is a bad color, or so the old farmers used to say). These patterns began to show despite none of the ancestors I owned having had them. I think it represents a movement back towards the wild type, but they retained their productiveness, so I have no complaints. ;)

I hope to get a good camera and put up some photos, but at the moment my flock's being cared for on another property as I'm between houses. Hopefully soon, though... I am currently in suburbia. But here is a little info I found on it a while ago:
Quote: Best wishes.
 
Ok, I'm trying to figure out if there is something I can to about my 6 month old RIR Rooster. He wakes up grouchy most days. I sing/talk to him through the coop prior to opening the door. Sometimes he comes out and eats grass, sometimes he threatens me and comes after me--I let him attack my foot (wearing good shoes). Lately, he has been hitting my 5 year old with his wing. This caused him to cry today and yesterday. My son usually tries to give the chickens meal worms, and often, once the rooster realized we come with treats, he stops his aggressive behavior.

My impression from the rooster is that he is trainable. Any tips? If I come at him (with hands out) as if to pick him up, he backs off.

Sorry, my impression is the bird is attacking your child! Not to mention you, but you can defend yourself and your child can't. Why on earth keep an animal that attacks your child? Why are you letting him attack your child?
 
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