How to deal with an over-protective rooster

[sewchick]

Quote:

 

[GJE]

Quote:

I agree with this to carry him around for a while letting him know that you are in control of him but you might want to have on some long sleeves! Carry him around like 15 minutes or so and pet him and then put him down, if he walks away calmly, then that was a good session but if he acts "cocky" REPEAT it again and show him he's not the boss! Hopefully, he will get it the FIRST time, but you might have to do it a few times. It sounds like your dad likes him and would want to keep him so maybe he will realize that you don't want to hurt him or any of the girls and will be a good rooster for protection!
BUT......I read a while back that holding a rooster upside down by the legs can be harmful because of the position of their spinal cord could press on the lungs (or something like that) I usually put my hands on their shoulders from behind them and slightly press them down to make them still and then slide my hand and lower arm through their legs (from the front) and hold them up against my stomach w/ my other hand on top (the one between his legs supports him).

Good Luck! Hope it all works out!

You and one other person have sensible decent replies. Everyone seems to forget that Roosters are breathing living beings and will act and react a certain way to certain things.

 

[SE_Gardener]

I handled my prized breeding rooster as a chick trying to reinforce I'm his friend and favorite food lady. But once I put him in a breeding pen, he seemed to take ownership of the hens. He does not like me handling "his" girls. It makes examinations and mite dusting difficult if he sees me doing that. If a hen sneaks into an adjacent pen when I walk through, I pick the hen up and place her back into her pen. The rooster will attempt to either bite me or jump up on my hands. Clearly breeding has created an over protective rooster. My strategy is to stand up to him and limit any instances where he can see that I've picked up one of his girls. So when a hen escapes their pen, I'll pick her up and take her out of the pen and then place her inside the coop where he can't see me put her down. Not sure if that will work but I don't want to destroy him and I don't believe he's a mean rooster, just overly protective to his girls. I think his raging hormones being just under a year old is the issue. As the hormones calm down with a little time, I believe things will change. But I make sure if he comes at me, I stand my ground and don't let him win. I walk toward him until he runs into his coop.

 

[Shadrach]

Our family has a Golden Campine rooster. We were supposed to get a hen of the same breed but the hatchery made a mistake. Just recenty he started attacking me and my brother. We have tried to bait him with treats, swing poles at him and sqiurt him in the face with water but nothing seems to phase him. My dad loves this rooster. Unfortunatly (for the rooster) the next step is putting him on the chooping block. Is there anything else to try before ''poor'' Adam the Rooster meets the hatchet?????????

This article may help you understand what's going on with your male chicken.
You don't give his age but I suspect he may be a cockerel (under one year old).

https://www.backyardchickens.com/articles/understanding-your-rooster.75056/

 

[Geena]

With all my coops and runs I have designed a way to separate the rooster from the hens for when I need to catch/pick them up. I figure there's no need to get the boys riled up or suspicious of me unnecessarily. Most roosters don't like it much when you handle their girls, some tolerate it, some don't. Personally I wouldn't cull a rooster for just that, if he doesn't show aggression at any other time. The best way I've found is to let the rooster out the pop door in the morning and then immediately close it behind him. The roosters are almost always the first to come out. Then I can go in the coop and do whatever I need to do with the girls without worrying him or worrying about him.