help with rooster

[Joellen71]

ok, I had a very bad experience with a barred rock rooster...he was psycho and would constantly try to attack us. We were scared to go in the backyard. We eventually got rid of him, and the backyard was peaceful again.

Well, one of the Americana chicks we got from the feed store turned out to be a rooster. He is about 9 or 10 weeks old. He already started crowing. He so far is a sweetheart. He follows me around, wanting to be picked up. He cuddles in my lap, loving the attention when I pet him.

The problem is, he bites me when I don't pick him up fast enough. I didn't understand why he was doing it at first, but I figured out if I put my hand down but don't grab him right away, he tries to climb on my hand, and uses his beak to pull himself up. once I figured that out, I was ok with it. But it seems like he's getting more aggressive about it. He actually broke the top layer of skin on my hand today. I'm starting to worry that he's going to turn mean, like the last rooster did.

I don't want to discourage him from wanting to be picked up, but I don't want him to get too aggressive either. Or is it inevitable?

Are there any adult roosters that remain affectionate? Or do they all get kinda mean?

Any advice?

 

[Bonz]

Seem like a pretty docile rooster, you must remember a chickens beak is used like we use our hands. And just like a young child who holds on to tight or gives you a unintentional pinch, they just don't know any better. If he was being aggressive he would use the powerful legs along with the beak. Some times my rooster will nail me if a hen gets upset when I pick her up, he's just being protective. They start chasing you around the yard that's being aggressive. I think he sees you as part of the flock and enjoys you handling him, remember in a roosters mind he's the almighty of the flock and if he does not get what he wants he's going to use every trick in the book to get it. He's figured out every time he nips you he gets picked up and doted on, he's gotten what he's wanted.

 

[Joellen71]

Hi,

Thank you for answering. I know he's not really trying to hurt me...I'm just skittish because of the awful nightmare from the last rooster. He would race across the yard to attack us when we walked out the back door. He would slam into our legs really hard. Made me a nervous wreck!

I'm just trying to prevent him from becoming aggressive. The last one seemed normal, then one day he just flipped out. He was never really cuddly though.

 

[enola]

He is telling you he wants picked up, and you better pick him up NOW....

This is the first sign of aggression that you have noticed. When he pecks you, you need to force him to move away from you.

Does he do the courting dance at your feet sometimes? Does he breed the hens when you are in the coop?

If you want to continue to interact with him, you have to make it clear that handling him will be on YOUR terms not HIS terms.

I wish I could offer advice, but, I am not the cuddling type. All of my roosters are taught to move away from me and are only allowed in my space when they are docile.

 

[Folly's place]

x2! Make him move away from you and respect your space. He's starting to think very bad thoughts, and things won't go well unless you re able to modify his behavior soon. No rooster that lives here gets to peck at me , much less chase or spur at me, no matter what I'm doing. As far as pecking/ biting, he knows exactly what he's doing, and it's got to stop! "Cuddly" isn't what's happening here, IMO. I think you might be misinterpreting behaviors that lead up to the all- out attack mode in male chickens. Mary

 

[Kev]

, he tries to climb on my hand, and uses his beak to pull himself up. once I figured that out, I was ok with it. But it seems like he's getting more aggressive about it. He actually broke the top layer of skin on my hand today. I'm starting to worry that he's going to turn mean, like the last rooster did.

It sounds like he is showing early signs of breeding behavior with you. To mate, roosters grab a hen and then climb on. He's grabbing and trying to get ON you. Chickens do not use their beaks like parrots do. So.... yeah.

Suspect the cuddling and petting is unintentionally making him feel 'too good' if you know what I mean. Does he sometimes tremble or tense up or lift his tail like a cat does when being petted? That's him getting 'stimulated in that way'

Once cockerels find out about mating, they usually become obsessed with it and to be honest, it is not uncommon for them to accidentally injure pullets because at best, chicken mating is rough so a hyped up and inexperienced cockerel is going to make a mess of things.

Unfortunately I think this boy is headed well into this direction and agree with others this needs to stop now for any chance of peaceful cohabitation once he's more mature. No more cuddling, petting, letting him bite etc.

 

[enola]

There is not anything wrong with her holding and handling the rooster. The rooster just needs to know it is on HER terms. He should never be picked up when he pecks.

To the OP, now would be a good time to arm yourself with a squirt bottle felled with water. When he pecks you, squirt him right in the face. If he crows while you are around him. Squirt him. If he 'dances' at you another squirt. Breeding a hen when you are around gets him another squirt. If you start correcting/training him now, you might make an excellent flock rooster out of him.

 

[Kev]

There is not anything wrong with her holding and handling the rooster. The rooster just needs to know it is on HER terms. He should never be picked up when he pecks.

Was that directed at me?

You are basically right, but to collect semen, the rooster is petted before collection happens. This is why I asked about certain behaviors happening as he is being petted/cuddled.

In other words, maybe this is a nice boy that is starting to feel his hormones and getting the certain kinds of petting confused with breeding behavior and as result is applying those bites and demands to be picked up(for petting) as if the OP is a hen. In this case, it is best to stop the kind of petting that is "setting him off in that way" and have him learn to direct it towards the pullets only.

 

[enola]

My statement was not directed to anyone in particular. And I said 'hold and handle' not pet. And artificial insemination has nothing to do with helping the OP train her rooster.

 

[Joellen71]

ok, now I'm confused. He has shown no other signs of aggression towards me at all. When I pet him he closes his eyes and acts like he wants to go to sleep, like a lot of the hens do. It doesn't seem like he's stimulated in that way.

I want to be able to continue picking him up, but I don't want him to think I'm his hen either.