How to tame roosters.

[Poultrylord]

Please tell me I want to know how to tame them.

 

[Egghead_Jr]

There are ways to keep a cockerel from getting too aggressive. I've done it and also dealt with never turning my back on a rooster and all that. It's expected for cockerels when reaching sexual maturity and cock birds in heat of spring breeding to be feisty but that all gets old pretty quick. Once you experience a good rooster you'll never deal with the others again. They are out there so just keep cycling the bad ones to the crock pot to make them tender until you get a good one.

 

[Beekissed]

Please tell me I want to know how to tame them.

Just work with their nature and try to understand what that is, exactly. If you are wanting to know how to have a rooster that doesn't attack humans, it's a very simple thing. You treat the rooster like what he is....a 2 ft. bird. He's not an ogre or a potential meany, he's just a very simple animal with a very simple task...he owns a flock of hens and all that this implies. He acts on instinct only and doesn't plot against the humans, waiting to attack each time their back is turned, though it may seem that way...he's just doing his job as a male animal protecting his mating interests and he hasn't been taught the difference between a threat to the hens and a threat to himself. By the time you are done, he should be very aware that you are more of a threat to him than you are to his mates.

One instinct he possesses in spades and that is an instinctive fear of predators, creatures that are bigger and can kill him easily. You are one of these and you need to treat him as such. You are in control of his existence and you need to act like that...walk with confidence around him, walk towards him, move him around at your will and at any given time. Go out at night and take him off the roost, turn him on his back and examine his body, touch him all over, etc. any time you wish. When he walks too near you, reach down and touch him, make him move off. You own him, you are the food bringer, the largest predator in his world...the only roosters that challenge such a thing are those that have not been taught those facts. Most will learn it rather quickly....I've never known a single rooster that didn't learn it quickly and most with just a minimal amount of training.

Tame them? Why would you want to? Teach him and you won't have to tame him.

 

[centrarchid]

Please tell me I want to know how to tame them.

You need to define what you mean by taming. Previous responses focus on aggression issues. For me taming also considers having rooster relaxed around you so he is not flighty when you move about or even handle him. My roosters and hens in general are tame enough that I can place my hand under their breast so they can step up on hand where they can then be carried about without attempting to jump off because motivated by fear. I have a lot of roosters and frequent handling is part of their keep, especially with those I use for work. Taming also involves some level of training where rooster gives a positive response to your action. The procedures I use are well vetted as done repeatedly each year with cohorts of chickens.

Flighty mature birds are simply exposed to my presence repeatedly each day over several days where they see me moving about slowly. They are often given small amounts of feed when I approach, although not every time I approach. As a result, they become habituated to my presence and movement. It usually does not take more than a couple of days before bird becomes tame enough to allow touching it. Most of the time these birds during the taming process are confined in relatively small pens at about waist height for me. It can also be done with birds in larger pens or even free-range.


Starting with chicks is easier and can be greatly facilitated by mother hen if she is tame and trained herself. This is currently my default starting point.


Regardless of starting point, you need to be slow and deliberate around the birds. Avoid staring directly at them during early stages with flighty birds.


What is your intended purpose once bird is tamed? That impacts your approach. Also need to make certain you are not talking training which is generally easy to do.