How to RAISE a good rooster.

[Mimi13]

They're very good boys. I'll even give you a full refund for every eyeball they remove.

 

[Mimi13]

I'm planning on making some films to document aggressive behaviours and responses to human interaction. I just need to find a mean rooster first. I've asked around a bit but nobody has one for sale.

Oh, if only, I would have loved to give you mine! He was a great specimen.

 

[BantyChooks]

Oh, if only, I would have loved to give you mine! He was a great specimen.

I know, huh?? I'm sure there are dozens of people that would gladly hand me their mean rooster for free, but I didn't want to post a formal ad at the feed store as asking for a mean rooster sounds really suspicious and could possibly attract shadier types of people. I'm sure someone I know will come across one eventually.

 

[Amer]

There really isn’t no amount of time you can spend working with a rooster, or no method you can use to raise a rooster to be right, aggressiveness is within its genetics, being a good care taker of his girls comes with good genetics and lots of times older flock members help tasing younger roosters.There are many people who rehabilitate roosters,though.Raising over at least 12 males and only ever having one be aggressive, but being that I didn’t raise it,they all have been extremely friendly, and do their duties well.
But I also watch for the little things.I catch any and all behavior directed towards me whether it’s aggressive or not.If it is,I usually shew the rooster with my hands, or step through it moving it out my way, but this is when the bird is extremely young,2 to 3 months.

This is exactly what I do, I basically ignore them I guess. I don't hold any of my chickens as chicks really and I'm tripping over them daily when I go to feed them. They get as friendly as I care for them to be without anything extra. I have 5 roosters and they all just move out of my way and go about their business, and I go about mine.

This isn't to say that historically in my life I've never had a mean rooster, but there haven't been many.

I agree, most of it is from genetics. D'Anvers that I didn't handle ever went aggressive at an early age. I just bred from the nicer ones.
No matter how much these new d'Anvers cluck and crow in front of me, they never dance at the cage or attack when I open it. Instead, they give me the proper distance required to grab a hen and coddle it.
I've also noticed that breeder stock are much gentler than hatchery stock.
But yes, there is ways to stop any aggressive behaviors early. If I see a rooster mount a hen in front of me, I chase him off, because that means I am showing myself as dominant. My dominant rooster knows not to mount a hen in front of me and does it discreetly. My d'Anvers never learn.
Any rooster that for some reason is looking at me funny, I know to put him in his place, and watch him. Most of these suspicious fowls are later turned to dinners, as I have a large selection to choose from for proper breeders. Aggressiveness, or passive aggressiveness if you will, is never an acceptable trait in quality fowl.
I've also noticed as they get older, they only get better. For me and my lead rooster, a burly Buckeye with huge spurs that could do some damage it is acceptable for me to pet or pick up the chicken, and he just sighs and lets me.
My chickens also fear the net.
With the current methods, over the last couple years no new roosters have bothered me. BlackJack the d'Anvers, however, will live out his days as the tiny terror of the flock, because he's too cute to get rid of.
If for some reason resisting to pick up a rooster is just too much, get a bantam. They won't abstain from attacking you, but at least you can't get hurt.

 

[Amer]

I know, huh?? I'm sure there are dozens of people that would gladly hand me their mean rooster for free, but I didn't want to post a formal ad at the feed store as asking for a mean rooster sounds really suspicious and could possibly attract shadier types of people. I'm sure someone I know will come across one eventually. View attachment 1766849

When I was a kid, a family who was supposed to get only hens gave my family a Wyandotte rooster.
He was terrifying. Keep looking. You will find one.

 

[Mimi13]

Just this morning I was sitting in the run (on a stool) holding one of my hens. The two boys I’m working with now came up to me curiously. One even lightly picked a couple of pieces of pine shavings off my jeans. They both mosied on off just like they came up. There have been other times when they walked up to me that I clapped my hands or bumped them on the hiney to move on. I hope I’m doing things correctly.

Since starting keeping chickens a little over three years ago, most things that I’ve had questions about have been answered over time, by just observing each time I get new chicks in. And yes, I am learning a bit about these darned old cockerels too, but just not fast enough, gosh darn it.

 

[Glitterchicks]

They're very good boys. I'll even give you a full refund for every eyeball they remove.

 

[Goatcrazychickengirl]

I totally agree with the "hands off approach" but if you are really trying to have a buddy rooster, the easiest way to do this is to get them as chicks and hold them for at least a while EVERY DAY. They will imprint on you and be very sweet and friendly their whole lives. I've done this multiple times, but if your roo is nor Longer a chick I could offer some other methods. I usually 2-5 roos at a time and none have any issues

 

[Ra_]

My roosters are usually pretty cool but occasionally when I'm about to distribute treats and the hens are all getting excited, a young roo might give me a little bite on the leg.
I will immediately pick him up and coo at him and pet him and stroke him.
It's all love but it also sends the message that I completely dominate him.

 

[FeatheredFriends&Horses2]

Thank you for the replies! Unfortunately, I thought the more you handle them as chicks the better they behave themselves when they grow up. So I've been holding him and petting him a lot, carrying him around and stuff like that. I guess that's got to stop now. I've heard that if they peck your arm as chicks, you need to train them not to do it right away. (Never happened to me, but he did it to my mom once). How would you do so, or does it really not matter that much?

I handle my rooster fairly often, he's not very fond of being held or petted, but he never tries to hurt me. When he was young, he pecked me a couple of times, and the advice I received was to completely ignore it or pick him up. If you retaliate in any way, they see you as being someone they can fight...if you don't do anything, they think you're invincible and won't bother to try it anymore! How well behaved a rooster is also really depends a lot on the breed and his personality.