How to stop a rooster.

[oregonkat]

I have had 4 BCM roosters now and have loved three of them. The fourth was aggressive with one of my hens but super to all the others, so I couldn't figure that one out. They are great in my opinion. Each of the good roo's has been good to his hens, calm and sweet and for the most part gentle in the mating process. They have a reputation for being quite docile so it surprised me to read that you have had only negative reviews of them.

 

[Laodicia]

@RoostersAreAwesome maybe your input here?

 

[speckledhen]

Thanks for the nice person who posted the link to my video on roosters and kids. The truth is that it begins with genetics and intelligence, and of course, intelligence can be partly genetic. Temperament is a trait that can be selected for and I do. Every male that I know of that came out of my late Delaware rooster, Isaac, even bred with my Stukel Barred Rock hens, down to my own Atlas now, and Atlas's sons and grandsons, has been easygoing and very intelligent. Same with my Blue Orpington rooster, Suede, very easy to manage sons.

You choose the best, cull the rest, same as with other desired traits.The smarter males know who brings food and water and will not attack that person. That's stupidity.

At ten weeks old, a male has no hormones making him be a butthead, not yet. He may test boundaries and nip/bite, but if he is not naturally prone to aggression, I find that a little "aversion therapy" works very well to stop that behavior. Grab him up, clamp his beak shut with your fingers, give it a little shake with a firm/loud "NO!" in his ear. I did that with Isaac, sweetest rooster on the planet when he was about 14 weeks old and casually nipped me twice when I reached for the feeder one day. He was horrified, never did it again his entire 6 years 7 mos of life. But, the breeder did select for temperament, make no mistake about that.

All this being said, a rooster has a job to do and you can't be picking him up to pet him when he's on duty. Like bobbi-j said, he needs space to do his job. He should not be distracted from that. His job is not to be your pet, it's to be the flock leader and protector.

I find that if a rooster has a genetic predisposition to human aggression, it does not matter whether you handle him or you avoid him, that trait will show itself. Conversely, if he is not prone to it, you can pet him and handle him all you like and he won't attack you. I've done it both ways and still, no attacking males from the Atlas line.

Rooster behavior is not something anyone can guarantee. Methods for changing behavior are also never guaranteed. You're talking about an animal with a nut-size brain. Situations can change behavior in a formerly friendly adult rooster-I've seen that, once here and at a friend's place. But, if you choose males from a line bred for temperament, you will more likely get a male that will be a joy to be around. Again, nothing is 100% guaranteed with a rooster.

 

[speckledhen]

Other videos. I actually have three on rooster behavior. These are my own observations from having many roosters of several breeds over the years, both hatchery and heritage lines. Just something to think about.