How Do You Handle A Nasty Rooster?

[centrarchid]

I don't think it's a simple matter of being mean for fun or dominance. It's a valid question, we all have our own way of dealing with it. Those roosters all have different personalities too, and one method obviously doesn't work for all of them

I would rather have a wary rooster running in the yard than a mean one kept in a cage.

Properly managed you do not have mean ones in cages either.

 

[igorsMistress]

Properly managed you do not have mean ones in cages either.

Agree with you 100%.

Not trying to be nasty myself. I don't agree with abandonment. I vote to keep him and figure out how to make it work, eat if it's just no use.

 

[aldarita]

Please don't do that. The chicken dies a less than ideal death just because you don't feel like culling him. I've had people abandon chickens near my property---IMO it's a cowardly thing to do, once you take on the responsibility of owning chickens you need to either kill it yourself or give them to someone else that knows what they're taking. Just saying.

 

[aldarita]

I think it is our responsibility as animal keepers to do the best for them. If somebody cannot or is unable to take care of an aggressive rooster, he or she should rehome it with the understanding of his aggression to the new owners or cull it to eat it, but never turn it free on an empty field, I believe it is inhumane to do so.
Some people think that an aggressive rooster is that way by choice when it is on his genes and has no fault of his own to be that way. He is just doing what he is supposed to do, the fact that we don't like it or it is dangerous to keep him around is something to consider when we make a decision to add roosters to our flock. We all need to have a plan B when this happens and it needs to be dealt responsibly

 

[lazy gardener]

I seriously hope that the poster who talked of letting a problem roo go in a field was joking. Such abandonment of all kinds of animals happens all too often, and is a cowardly, immature thing to do. Folks who abandon any animal should not be allowed to keep them.

Here's a post written by Beekissed re: rooster management.

I'm going to give you a clue on "rooster speak"....holding him down doesn't mean anything to him. If you'll watch how roosters interact between dominant ones and subordinate ones, there is rarely any, if ever, holding a bird down for a long time when there is an altercation. There is very quick flogging, gripping by the back of the head and flinging him away or getting him down and giving some savage pecking to the back of the head or neck. No holding him down and nothing else. That's a rooster on a hen maneuver, not rooster on rooster.

Because your rooster is attacking you, you are the subordinate in this picture. You are getting dominated by your bird simply because you are walking where a subordinate isn't supposed to be walking when a dominant is in the area. What you never see is a dominant rooster getting attacked by a subordinate rooster unless there is going to be a definite shift in power, at which time the sub will challenge the dom and win...or lose. So far you are losing and not even challenging.

If you want to win this battle, you must go on the offensive, not the defensive. He who attacks first, and is still claiming the area when the other guy leaves it, is the winner. Some people never have to go on the offensive because their movements in the coop are so decisive that they move and act like a dominant and a 2 ft. rooster is smart enough to recognize a dominant attitude and behavior...which is likely why he's never attacked your husband. Most men move more decisively than do women and children and they rarely step around a bird, but walk through them.

Carrying him around also doesn't mean anything to him...it just doesn't translate at all. His environment is that coop and run floor and that's where you need to speak to him, in a language he understands. Because they are quick on their feet and can evade you, you need a training tool like a long, limber, supple rod of some kind...cutting a nice switch from a shrub or tree that will lengthen your reach by 5 ft. really helps in this. Don't use a rake or broom because they are too clumsy and stiff and can put the hurts on the guy when you don't really mean to.

When you enter your coop, walk with decisive movements and walk directly towards your rooster. Move him away from the feeder and the rest of the flock and keep a slow, determined pressure on him until he leaves the coop. The stick will help you guide him. Then...wait patiently while he gets his bird mind around what just happened. He will try to come back in the coop...let him. When he gets a good bit into that coop, take your switch and give him a good smack on the fluffy feathers under his tail if you can aim it well. If you cannot, just smack the floor near him very hard and fast until he hops and runs and keep at it until he leaves the coop once again. Repeat this process until he is too wary to come back in the coop.

Feed your hens. When he tries to come to the feeder, you "attack" him with the switch...smack the wall by the pop door just as he tries to enter. If he makes it inside, pursue him with the stick either smacking the floor or tapping him on the back or the head until he leaves in a hurry. Make him stay outside while you sit there and enjoy watching your hens eat. Use the stick to keep him from the flock..just him. Don't worry about the hens running and getting excited when this is happening...they will get over it. This is for the future of your flock and your management of it.

When the hens have had a good tucker....leave the coop and let him come back in. Go out later and walk through that flock and use your legs to scatter birds if they get in your way...top roosters do not step to one side for any other bird in the flock. You shouldn't either. Take your stick and startle him with a smack on the floor next to him when he is least expecting it...make that bird jump and RUN. Make him so nervous around you that he is always looking over his shoulder and trying to get out of your way. THAT'S how he needs to be from now on in your lives together. Forget about pets or cuddles...this is a language and behavior he understands. You can hand feed him and such later...right now you need to establish that when you move, he moves...away. When you turn your back, he doesn't move towards you...ever.

Then test him...take your stick along, move around in the coop, bend over with your back turned to him, feed, water, etc....but keep one eye on that rooster. If he even makes one tiny step in your direction or in your "zone", go on the attack and run him clear on out of the coop. Then keep him out while everyone else is eating.

THAT'S how a dominant rooster treats a subordinate. They don't let them crow, mate or even eat in their space. If the subordinate knows his place and watches over his shoulder a lot, he may get to come and eat while the other rooster is at the feeder...but he doesn't ever relax if he knows what is good for him. At any given time the dominant will run him off of that feed and he knows it, so he eats with one eye toward the door. If he feels the need to crow, it's not usually where the dom can reach him...maybe across the yard.

If your rooster crows while you are there, move towards him and keep on the pressure until he stops. He doesn't get to crow while you are there. He can crow later...not while you are there.

It all sounds time consuming but it really isn't...shouldn't take more than minutes for each lesson and you can learn a lot as you go along. And it can be fun if you venture into it with the right attitude....this is rooster training that really works if you do it correctly. This can work on strange roosters, multiple roosters and even old roosters...they can all learn. You rule the coop...now act like it. Carrying is for babies...you have a full grown rooster on your hands, not a baby.

 

[Then I Will]

I seriously hope that the poster who talked of letting a problem roo go in a field was joking. Such abandonment of all kinds of animals happens all too often, and is a cowardly, immature thing to do. Folks who abandon any animal should not be allowed to keep them..

I like a lot of what you say in your entire post! I have used this switch method and rarely ever had my roosters bothering me. They would actually go after my dad, because he challenged them. I just wanted to point out to anyone who reads your post, that if the switch method is not done properly, the rooster will learn that he can be dominant because you forgot your stick, lost your stick, or your stick is out of reach. So the other 50% of this lies in your movements and dominant behavior.

I also wouldn't recommend treating a rooster this way just because he is a rooster. Some aren't aggressive. Some roos are fine being under the flock keeper and won't attack you. However, they may take a first shot at small children and strangers.

I would only recommend switching a rooster like this when he has tried attacking his flock keeper or anyone else. That way, when children/family come around later, he may consider that they have the potential to act as crazy as "mom" did earlier when she stood around with that switch in hand.

Really valuable info here and I would like to see more aggressive rooster threads with helpful info like this. Also threads in which killing and abandonment are not mentioned. I understand that dispatching a rooster is a valid choice - but may be done too quickly sometimes because people think that an attack rooster is ruined for life.

Roosters are Testosterone fueled feather balls, who just do what their instincts and hormones tell them to do.

I vote for removing the cock's spurs and clipping its wings if it is confined to a run. They are aware when they can't get lift and don't have spurs to fight with. If this is combined with you asserting your dominance around him (with or without the switch), you will be able to do it more bravely- because the "bull has been de-horned" and he will know it.

 

[Rob Tof]

How do you all handle a nasty rooster? I know you can't kick them or chase them because they take it as a challenge, but I was just wondering what you all do

Dinner! I hear Rooster tastes like chicken.

 

[lazy gardener]

I like a lot of what you say in your entire post! I have used this switch method and rarely ever had my roosters bothering me. They would actually go after my dad, because he challenged them. I just wanted to point out to anyone who reads your post, that if the switch method is not done properly, the rooster will learn that he can be dominant because you forgot your stick, lost your stick, or your stick is out of reach. So the other 50% of this lies in your movements and dominant behavior.

I also wouldn't recommend treating a rooster this way just because he is a rooster. Some aren't aggressive. Some roos are fine being under the flock keeper and won't attack you. However, they may take a first shot at small children and strangers.

I would only recommend switching a rooster like this when he has tried attacking his flock keeper or anyone else. That way, when children/family come around later, he may consider that they have the potential to act as crazy as "mom" did earlier when she stood around with that switch in hand.

Really valuable info here and I would like to see more aggressive rooster threads with helpful info like this. Also threads in which killing and abandonment are not mentioned. I understand that dispatching a rooster is a valid choice - but may be done too quickly sometimes because people think that an attack rooster is ruined for life.

Roosters are Testosterone fueled feather balls, who just do what their instincts and hormones tell them to do.

I vote for removing the cock's spurs and clipping its wings if it is confined to a run. They are aware when they can't get lift and don't have spurs to fight with. If this is combined with you asserting your dominance around him (with or without the switch), you will be able to do it more bravely- because the "bull has been de-horned" and he will know it.

This method can be used with any chicken that does not respect the human. At no point is the animal hit with the switch to the point of causing pain or injury. Most cockerels will immediately run away when pursued by the flock keeper. The flock master uses his switch to guide his birds. I suggest training the cockerel BEFORE he attacks. Start the training when he is starting his pre-aggressive behavior: following you, giving you the stink eye, tidbitting in your general direction, dropping a wing in front of you. If you train early, you will never get to the point where you have to train vigorously.

When I was integrating my pullets into the main flock, I used a switch to herd them when putting them into the coop for the night. I simply walked slowly along behind them, tapping the ground, and telling them "go to bed." By giving them the space they needed, they were not rushed, they mostly stayed together in a group, and they could be herded into the run, where the next step was for them to make the next logical choice to go into the coop. The use of the switch can be as gentle or as intimidating as it needs to be. But, it is a tool, an extension of the flock master's hand, much as the rod and staff are an extension of the shepherd's hand when he manages his flock. He does not hit, he guides.

 

[BantyChooks]

Start the training when he is starting his pre-aggressive behavior: following you, giving you the stink eye, tidbitting in your general direction, dropping a wing in front of you. If you train early, you will never get to the point where you have to train vigorously.

Agreed. Prevention is the best cure.

 

[KaylorFarms]

I heard that if you pin your rooster to the ground and hold him there, he'll leave you alone