help with a mean roost

[Francischick]

I put my young chickens in my coop with my other chickens and one mean rooster. I left the young one in their cages till they got use to each other. The little onesmust have poked its head out of the cage and I think it was that rooster literally sliced it from its sholderblade area to the tip top of its head. You could see the muscles and tendons in its neck that was 2 days ago and the little thing is doing fine. That rooster has attacked my and sliced my leg in 2 placed and attacked my sister and cut her as well. When do you say enough is enough and ring the dinner bell on him.

 

[chooks4life]

I would have rung the dinner bell on him immediately. Same-day cull! Roosters kill and main toddlers, children, and older people rather too frequently. If he attacked a chick beyond a gentle disciplinarian peck, I'd cull. If he attacked me in any way whatsoever, I'd cull. In the wild Jungle Fowl, the ancestors of chooks, are devoted family members.

It is unnatural for them to attack a chick or human like that. Domestic Jungle Fowl/chooks are intelligent enough to know what is a threat and what's not. The hand that feeds is not a threat. I cull hens and roosters alike for baby-bullying. They tend to show their preference or predilection for beating up on babies at a young age, before six weeks. I've only had one rooster attack me out of the hundreds I've raised, and I didn't breed that one myself. He went for the face without warning or provoking, twice; just flew at me from the ground, I automatically slapped him away defending my eyes, and he was straight back the next instant.

It's normal for them to gently peck an errant baby, but if they are actually hurting it, that's a severe warning sign. A breeding rooster's not worth anything if he's damaging or destroying chicks. I always ran many roosters with the flock and never had any jealousy issues. It could be that he wasn't raised with a normal family flock situation so he doesn't recognize chicks, though? How he and his recent ancestors were bred and kept has a lot to do with it. Though I do think that if he's attacked people, you should cull as a rule, because otherwise you are potentially breeding the sort of chook that kills babies. I don't know how common that is where you live but in Australia a lot of folks keep savage roosters and toddler killings aren't really uncommon. They just think he's protecting the flock. From what? Grain?

 

[chooks4life]

I'll just add that you can also spot future baby-killers early on among sheep, goats, cattle, cats, dogs, etc.... They get bent on bullying babies when they themselves are still the equivalent of adolescents.

 

[Francischick]

Thanks alot I hate it now I know what I have to do. Fried chicken anyone?

 

[horsegal714]

I know it's hard but it has to be done before he permanently injures someone. If you can't do it, put him in a cage until you find someone that can. Good luck!

 

[rekkas peeps]

we had to cull my husband rooster whom he wanted for so long earlier this month. he had attacked my son and then went after me (which he never did as i was always the alpha dominant in the flock). it was hard bc he had wanted a jersey giant for so long. but he made a great chicken parm!