How common are aggressive roosters?

[GopherGirl88]

I’ve had four roosters and three of them have been aggressive - and I mean jumping up and attacking me with their beaks and spurs. We have about 12-15 hens, usually, and keep one rooster to protect and take care of them. Our first rooster (a cream legbar) we raised from a chick, he became aggressive at nine months old and we had to get rid of him. The second rooster (a cream legbar) we hatched out was great, but he died unexpectedly. The third rooster (half cream legbar half bantam cochin) that we hatched out became aggressive around seven months and we got rid of him. I next got a two year old silkie thinking such a docile breed would not be a problem. He was fine for the first two months we had him, but has now started attacking us. Have I just had a run of bad luck, or is this typical of roosters? I handle our hens quite a lot and they are very docile and come running to me for treats when I call them.

 

[All4Eggz]

Where have you gotten those roosters from?

I’d say, generally, aggressive roosters are not that common.

We’ve had maybe 30 roosters total throughout the years and only one had been aggressive to humans.

 

[Ridgerunner]

For me human aggressive roosters are rare. It's hard to put a number on it, maybe 10% at most. That can be a lot of years without problems.

You can get a lot of different opinions on what causes a cockerel or roster to become human aggressive. Some people handle their boys a lot and don't have problems, others do. Some don't handle their boys at all and don't have problems, others do. I'm not going to tell you that you have to do this or can't do that because they work for some people and don't work for others.

With your track record it could just be coincidence. Some just seem hatched with a bad attitude, like some are hatched boys and others are hatched girls. Odds are odds. But it could be something you are doing that encourages them. I do believe they can tell when someone is afraid of them and are more likely to attack.

You want them to be protective of their flock but you don't want them to attack you when you are handling their girls. I handle my hens in front of him if I need to but I try to not flaunt that. If I'm looking at each individual, I do him first and toss him out in the run where he can't see me handling his girls in the coop. Still I do handle hem in front of him sometimes.

In my opinion the only reason you need a rooster is if you want fertile eggs. Anything else is personal preference. I include "protection" as a personal preference because many people have an all girl flock and do great. The only suggestion I can give you that I feel will work is to not have a boy. See how that works for you.

 

[HiEverybirdy]

Sorry you're having that issue. Such a bummer! I always think a mean rooster is my fault. Though stressful conditions can contribute, too. Roosters may get angry if they see their hens being startled a lot, like if kids or dogs or other predators are around too much.

Our first rooster turned out so mean. I sought out a ton of articles about what drives roosters (like flock protection and promoting their gene pool), took what resonated for me, and made changes to my behavior. In particular, I've had to resist the strong urge to coddle roosters the way I do our hens. It turns out spoiling roosters is a good way to get them to see you as a subject in need of protection and control. Staying more aloof with them was a good first step in my case.

There are also different approaches to reacting when they start to test you (the occasional flog or bite has been common with our boys from 8-12 months), whether you ignore it, tap the ground with a stick, etc.

It's not unlike dog training; it's just as much about training ourselves. And there's never a one-size-fits-all. Like @Ridgerunner says, some people can handle roosters all they want with no problems. I haven't quite learned that magic touch, but we haven't had another mean rooster since I began paying attention to how I relate to them. In fact, our previously mildly cranky 2-year-old completely stopped testing us by 18 months and turned into a lap rooster.

If I were you, I'd seek out articles here on BYC by Shadrach for a primer on rooster behavior. Shadrach is great at referring to helpful articles by other users...there's one in particular about rooster raising I can't put my finger on right now, but you're sure to run across plenty of good articles if you peruse BYC.

 

[JedJackson]

People are afraid of roosters for a reason. Aggressive ones are not uncommon. In my opinion, the way the rooster is raised has a lot to do with whether he will become aggressive or not. Coddling a young rooster and making him tame so he doesn't fear people seems like the thing to do, but this is exactly what should not be done. You want a rooster that is not terrified of people but one that keeps a healthy distance from them. It's a mistake to try to make one a pet. By the time de-aggression tactics are needed it is usually way too late, and they only get worse.

 

[Mrs. K]

I don't know, but the more I think on it, and the longer I have chickens (over 16 years) the more I think it is the luck of the draw, some circumstance, and tolerance of behavior.

I think you do better raising up birds under a multi generational flock. I think that people that tend to have great roosters have:

• have huge amount of space, not minimum, roosters take more room than hens
• have established flocks of several years
• do not make pets of their chickens
• A sharp knife, do not have any problem with removing cockerels that are not turning out

Just this spring, I brought in 12 straight run chicks, 7 are cockerels. I have kept them with the flock until a couple of days ago. I left one of them in the flock to see. He is a piece of eye candy. He is a pure bred rooster. And he fit my plans.

But to be honest, they are going on 3.5 months, and I am still watching. Out of the 6 that went to the bachelor pad, I am going to hesitantly recommend 2-3 to a friend that is buying chickens from me. I am going to give her the option to bring him back if he gets out of line.

Currently I have a mutt rooster, that was raised up under 4 older hens, and he is probably my top behaving rooster in all the years of keeping roosters. I call him Bye, because I never intended to keep him, but he is so darn nice to me and the hens, he got the bye.

I have all of the bullets - I have years of experience, and even for me it is a bit of a crap shoot. Rooster are very unpredictable. I really do not think anyone should feel guilty about a rooster's behavior unless they have trained roosters to fight. If you have given them safety, good food and water, and space, there is nothing to feel guilty for.

Look around your community for a rooster like Bye, one that is so darn nice, he got to live. One that is raised up in a multi-generational flock. Or just don't have a rooster, a hen only is a pleasant flock to have.

Mrs K