How should I fight a rooster?

[Highlander]

Do you absolutely need to have roos? If they are scaring you to the extent of making you cry and taking into account the fact that you have children, I'm just wondering if it would not be easier on you to get rid of the roos altogether and stick with the girls.

 

[twentynine]

Wail on him with a straw broom. ,ever turn your back and bend over in front of'em.
Can't believe ya'll shot a good rooster. All he needed was a tune up.

 

[Kev]

#1. This might be hard but you need not to be scared of chickens. Consciously or subconsciously, you may give signals to a rooster that he will read as 'I am getting weak' and if inclined, he may decide to give a challenge and see how it goes. Little things like backing away or flinching/jerking backwards from a rooster.. they really pick up on that as naturally roosters pay REAL close attention to other roosters as part of their 'social ladder climbing'.

Unfortunately as you found out, stamping and screaming does not work.. and in fact does aggravate an attack, even by a rooster who only was doing an half hearted attempt.. such drama and backing off will seriously boost his courage.

Next time, just stand your ground and be still. Stare at him. If he charges.. be brave and simply grab whatever part of him you are able to grab.. either hold him upside down or whatever.. OR fling him away. The idea is to completely "shock" him and he will not like it.. that is exactly why all those tactics recommended work- they "interrupt" the rooster's instincts.. he don't know what the heck is going on.. he expected a proper fight and instead, he went 'whoosh' up in the sky! What was that?!

It is important to do this IMMEDIATELY, in real time.. not a minute later after you fetched the husband to chase him around etc. They do not have logic for cause and effect.. they only understand immediate reactions.

You already saw some of the warning signs.. it's the angling the tail towards you and "lowering" his wings.. plus pecking at the ground.. this is him 'thinking about it'.. once you see it, it becomes easy to recognize. Watch roosters reacting to introduced roosters to see this behavior.

Do NOT test a rooster to see if he will flog.. that is kind of like teasing/provoking them and some otherwise "okay" roosters can be incited into giving it a go.

Aggression also has a genetic basis. It also exists in a contiuum from practically nil to "so aggressive a repeated whacking with a shovel does not deter".. it is not black and white. Part of why often some people will disagree on this or that regarding roosters who attack. But this also means, roosters on milder end of the aggression scale can be "cured" completely by just once or twice or whatever "distruption tactic" you decide to use, whether it be picking him up or grabbing and flinging him away. However, rooster on the middle or higher may need several "treatments".. or a treatment may seem to work.. only he acts up again some time later.. repeat the cycle.. that is the hard part, will just have to wait and see if a particular rooster is permanently cured or is one of those that keeps trying again every month or so. Usually, a rooster that tries to attack again after seeming to be cured will keep trying it again eventually so maybe for you those roosters might be best culled with something like "3 strikes and you are out" like someone else on here, they only get ONE chance here.. it's a hobby so I don't need to or want to tolerate stupid roosters... Not scaring you, just giving a heads up so you are more informed..

What I do here is simply walk in a straight line.. seems silly.. but the idea is the chickens have to MOVE for ME. I ain't side stepping around them. This also seems to have the effect of regarding me as "dominant" and don't even try anything with me. Dominant birds in both sexes often will deliberately force a lesser bird to move away.. so you forcing them to move when you walk should have the same effect.

Again, try not to be scared.. just enjoy the day, and think yourself lucky to HAVE chickens.. not everybody who wants to can.. if you see the warning signs or a rooster flogs you.. just tell your husband to cull it if you get scared again(which is totally OK) so you do not have to worry about him again (or for the kids too). Culling a rooster is a perfectly valid option, make no mistake about that. There are plenty of roosters plus they are absolutely not necessary unless you intend to breed.

Good luck, try to be brave but also remember it is okay you got scared and also if it turns out you can't handle roosters going after you.. in that case culling is perfectly fine option.

 

[PortageGirl]

Good reading here:

https://www.backyardchickens.com/web/viewblog.php?id=2588-Roo_behavior

He may have spurs and a beak, but you can always have dinner.

 

[wildorchid053]

we have / had an awful roo.. he is named earl and i have called my husband several times to .. save me.. so hubby started grabbing him.. we got bit alot.. so we flipped him upside down and carried him .. then would flip him back up and pet him for a while not letting him get away.. it took about 2 weeks of holding him and petting him.. he still does his dance around me i am part of his flock and if another roo starts to dance around me he scares them away.. i can now pet him with no worries and go in and collect the eggs.. he is first down the ramp when i open the pop door. and he waits till i rub his chest then moves on to let others out.. then he runs back up and stands there till i rub his chest again.. he is the sweetest thing now.. but i thought for sure we would have to get rid of him.. by the way he is named earl.. after the dixie chicks song. "earl has to die" man did i hate that roo! good thing he is a changed roo.

 

[Jenski]

Please do not keep roosters. Just keep hens.

 

[Clay In Iowa]

Your first problem is (and you admitted it) you are afraid of food

... they are just chickens. Deal with aggressive behavior with aggression. It's what chickens know and it's how they deal with each other. The real problem is you've already let him win and now he thinks he rules over you.

I have one really stupid rooster that thinks/thought he can take me. The second... the very instant he makes an aggressive more in my direction I NAIL his butt. I either kick him in the head, run at him or if he's unlucky smack him with a walking stick. Then he gets worn out.. I do what any other head rooster would to to an upstart.. I chase him smacking his butt every time I get close enough, till he collapses gasping for air.... My attitude is HE WILL NOT WIN period. The second he does you are his subordinate and he will bully you. After about 3 weeks he leaves me alone. I had another that just didn't get it even after 2 months...... He was tasty.

 

[cluckychick]

The exact samething happened to me the other day with our SLW roo. We've raised him from a baby so when he attacked I was shocked. I walked in the pen not thinking anything as he'd never tried to flog anyone before and got about to the coop door on the other side of the run and felt a big thump on the back of my legs. I turned around and there was Ozzy all ready to come at me again and all I had on were my clogs as well. I had an egg basket in my hand but sure didn't want to throw that at him. I started screaming for DH who came in and hit him with a stick.

Now my son spends about 15-30 min. every evening torturing him (Ozzy thinks it's torture). He holds him and if Ozzy gets fidgety he flips him over on his back for a few minutes. We all pet him and let him know were the boss. I don't enter the pen without my trusty walking stick anymore but I've yet to have to use it either. He gives me wide berth when I go in.

An old farmer told me I should of used him like a football and punted his butt across the pen. He said he would of gotten the message.

 

[Big George]

Okay here goes... put some good sized sticks or 2 x 2s around the yard when the roo charges you or gives you that look pick up the stick and hit him in the head as hard as you can. Usually only takes a few good hits to regain control. If you get lucky and hit him too hard invite everyone he was attacked over for sunday dinner. A mean rooster I will not tolerate.
Good luck,
Oh and if needed I've got a great old time recipe flat dumplings they used to call pot pie.

 

[NatalieB]

I have a bantam GLW roo who flogs me all the time! I kick him across the yard and he still continues to come back for more (not in a row!) He is always checking me out with that sideways glance wondering if I have let down my guard. My husband didn't believe it until he witnessed it himself. The roosters name is pecky.....I cant wait until we have pecky stew, but my husband loves him to death. He never goes after him! Go figure.......