How to tame an unruly roo?

[Mrs. K]

I had hens for years with out a roo. If you have a hen go broody, count 21 days, and slip live day old chicks under her. You can get all pullets, so no future roo problem or at least greatly reduced chance.

Or order fertilized eggs, on this website there are always eggs for sale.

With young children, their whole chicken experience can be ruined with a rooster, wait till the children are bigger, to get a rooster. You all will be happier.

MrsK

 

[azygous]

I totally agree with the comments regarding roosters and small children. The children could be severely injured. That's your first priority.

Keeping a roo is complicated. Most roosters take their job as hen protectors seriously. Yours is no doubt feeling overwhelmed trying to protect the original hens, and now the new hens have made his job even bigger. He also has to try to figure out who he can trust around his hens. This is a confusing prospect for him.

The way he sees you is different from the way he sees your small children. With work, you can get him to trust you and the other adults in the household, but he will never trust small kids. They represent a threat to the hens in his eyes. They'll always be at risk of injury from him.

If it were me, I'd re-home him, and hold off on any future roos until the children have gotten taller.

 

[Zigmont]

I had a roo that got out of line and attacked me several times. I read all the advice on how to work with him, tried the pin him down and carry him around thing and all he did was get worse. He would see me from clear across the barnyard and come running for me. I'd stand my ground to give him time to back off and no dice, he'd fly at me. It finally came down to my husband having to watch my back as I cleaned horse stalls in the barn, he started seeking out opportunities to attack me, then the barn help.

Not sure which was more humane, that I'd have culled him or that the dogs did it for me. He attacked me in the dog yard one day and that was his last mistake. I had 2 Polish roos and they were never a problem. All the same age, hand raised at the same time and I had 50 hens, so it wasn't for lack of breeding opportunities. I now have no roos and it's a happier place. With small kids, I'd have sent him to Freezer Camp the first time he went after someone.

That's very funny because I too used to have a roo that would charge across the paddocks to attack me too! No matter what I did, he would stalk and attack and i too needed guarding to clean stalls. He actually wrung his own neck on a rake I was holding in front of me with one hand while I cleaned the coop. He charged me and spun the rake and down he went. I wailed, and cried and then our farm was so calm and nice!

 

[Dette]

Ok, so I tried some suggestions, about pouncing on him and pinning him...it didn't work out so well...I think he just got angrier. I pinned him several times, and let him up after a minute or two, but he kept coming back at me, so I picked him up and put him under my arm, and he did his level best to peck my eyes out, lol! I don't think he liked me much after that...I appreciate every ones input, and I agree, my children's safety and enjoyment of our chicken experience is too important to mess with Mr. Elvis. I am restricting my kiddos access until we can process him. I will probably pull some eggs as well, hoping they are fertile.

Thanks so much everyone!

 

[speckledhen]

Temperament is heritable, meaning easygoing roosters usually sire easygoing sons, though nothing is 100%, since situations are different in each rooster's life.

NO rooster should ever attack the humans who feed and water the flock, even in defense of his hens. That's a stupid rooster. We keep only non-human aggressive (and more intelligent) roosters, like the big blue guy in my avatar. I've only ever heard of one of his sons being even slightly aggressive-he passes on his calm temperament to his progeny.

The trick is to start out with a rooster who simply never starts flogging people in the first place. If he does, cull him. Then, get another one, preferably from a line bred for good temperament. If that doesn't work, cull and try again. There are too many great roosters in the world to put up with a mean one. Life's too short.

Toddlers and small children do not belong around a rooster guarding hens-their movements are sudden, jerky and they are loud. Small kids can make roosters jumpy and touchy, even normally calm roosters. Kids screaming and yelling put my own sweet roosters on alert, even if the kids aren't on my property.

 

[Zigmont]

Ok, so I tried some suggestions, about pouncing on him and pinning him...it didn't work out so well...I think he just got angrier. I pinned him several times, and let him up after a minute or two, but he kept coming back at me, so I picked him up and put him under my arm, and he did his level best to peck my eyes out, lol! I don't think he liked me much after that...I appreciate every ones input, and I agree, my children's safety and enjoyment of our chicken experience is too important to mess with Mr. Elvis. I am restricting my kiddos access until we can process him. I will probably pull some eggs as well, hoping they are fertile.

Thanks so much everyone!

I am so sorry Dette! I would never want anyone to get hurt because of my suggestion. Sounds like he has to go.