Human-aggressive rooster

[ella&clara]

Hi,
I got a bantam rooster last spring accidentally in a batch of chicks. Sadly, he's the only one who survived out of the batch, and all my other hens are standard-sized. I don't see much if any mating happening. I had a baby last October, and was quite ill and then had a c-section, so I haven't been able to devote as much time as I might have to dealing with him. Last fall he flew at my older children, scaring them but not harming them (but now they won't enter the chicken pen at all). In the past couple of weeks, he's attacked my legs, drawing blood a couple of times, and today he put two painful puncture wounds in my legs. I have tried, although not as consistently as I should, I know, to pick him up and carry him around to make him submit. I simply cannot devote 30 minutes or whatever a day to carrying around a rooster with an infant in the house. I would try to rehome him, but isn't that just putting my problem off onto someone else? And I certainly wouldn't want him to get into a situation where someone might put him in with another rooster to fight him. He doesn't protect the flock, or isn't able to--predators have gotten several hens and he's been tucked away and sleeping--I assume, because they were killed inside the henhouse and he was just fine. He does show them food, and seems to be kind to them, but he's mean to me...and I'm afraid of what could happen with a toddler running around. Are their any other options besides killing him, humanely? I don't want to be a bad chicken owner, and I have nursed ill birds along and done all the best things I know to do for them. They have plenty of room and rotating pasture surrounded by electronet. I had another rooster who was a bit rougher with the hens, but he never bothered me (and died protecting the flock).
Please help.

 

[rIrs roost]

I know people will say that I'm wrong but in my experience I'd cull him. I do have one that I'm still testing him out. He spured my a couple times until I took a board to him. I'm still watching him but I can tell by his actions that I'll probably end up culling him. With a toddler around I'd definitely cull him

 

[Folly's place]

He needs to be culled, and I mean killed, before he does more damage. ASAP. He could blind your toddler! Mary

 

[rIrs roost]

He needs to be culled, and I mean killed, before he does more damage.  ASAP.  He could blind your toddler!  Mary

X2

 

[ella&clara]

Thank you for your responses. I really hate to do it, I know it's not his fault. I would say I'd put him in a stew pot, but, realistically, there's not much meat on him. We've raised meat birds and my children already said we can't eat him because we'll know which one he is. The prospective toddler is still an infant and safe...wanting to figure it out before he gets mobile. And it's not helping his fate any that my spur puncture marks are really hurting, red, etc. I do definitely try to be a responsible chicken and pet owner and not get rid of a creature just because it's difficult, but dangerous like this is another matter.

 

[ella&clara]

Rip mr rooster. We waited until dark and were fast. Any ideas on avoiding this problem in the future or is it mostly luck?

 

[Liz C]

I have the same problem with my Mr Mcooo so you know he was a sweetie once with a name like that. I have 6 hens and like to let them free range in small groups so he keeps them all home. I have decided for sure he doesn't like my pajamas with flying pigs on them so I wear blue jeans when I let him out of the coop with a few hens in the morning . He has turned around and come at me in the morning just trying to let him out. ...I usually try to stand now and toss bread to get him and his hens to go into the day pen and then I get the others one by one.
I was calling them all in one night with my grand daughter(14) and the hens were all trucking in their hen house and he came out of nowhere like an eagle in flight and tore into the back of her leg...not good
Same deal we could kill him , boney old guy too, but right now like you I am opting for maybe just a work around. No flying pig pjs and he is absolutely confined when my grandkids are around(or neighbors) . I could walk him across the street to my Amish neighbors who see him as a narly rooster rather than Mr Mccooo but for now me to Mr Mcoo gets a stay of execution.

 

[rIrs roost]

Totally agree. I don't put up with mean roos much. I'll try to correct them once but if it doesn't straighten up, in the pot He goes. Mine is on thin ice right now. And in my experience, I've tried all the things like ignoring them, showing him who's boss, not handling them as chick etc: and in the end, culling seems to be the only way . I've tried everything and nothing works. This time he got me pretty good so I let him have it with a board. As long as he runs away from me we're fine. But he's started coming towards me a little and acting like he's up to something. If he tries again , it's bye bye Henry.

 

[dekel18042]

I have the same problem with my Mr Mcooo so you know he was a sweetie once with a name like that. I have 6 hens and like to let them free range in small groups so he keeps them all home. I have decided for sure he doesn't like my pajamas with flying pigs on them so I wear blue jeans when I let him out of the coop with a few hens in the morning . He has turned around and come at me in the morning just trying to let him out. ...I usually try to stand now and toss bread to get him and his hens to go into the day pen and then I get the others one by one.
I was calling them all in one night with my grand daughter(14) and the hens were all trucking in their hen house and he came out of nowhere like an eagle in flight and tore into the back of her leg...not good
Same deal we could kill him , boney old guy too, but right now like you I am opting for maybe just a work around. No flying pig pjs and he is absolutely confined when my grandkids are around(or neighbors) . I could walk him across the street to my Amish neighbors who see him as a narly rooster rather than Mr Mccooo but for now me to Mr Mcoo gets a stay of execution.

If an "attitude adjustment" doesn't work, and sometimes it does, I will cull for human aggression. With so many nice roosters being culled because there aren't enough homes for them I see no reason to keep a mean or dangerous rooster who could injure someone.
On the other and, I will make a bachelor pad with the nice cockerels and if anyone is looking for a flock rooster they may get a home. Most people in our area keep flocks and thankfully sometimes a nice rooster is needed.
I've found the best tempered roosters are ones who are raised within a flock that contains chickens of different ages as well as a rooster or two and they come up through the ranks so to speak.
Sometimes throwing a bratty young cockerel who is with others his own age in with mature hens or with mature roosters will do the trick. They're no longer top bird so to speak and it can help.

 

[Folly's place]

The fighting bird people, and the fighting dog people, awful as it is, have culled for generations to maintain aggression where they want it, while eliminating individuals who are human aggressive. Asil cockrels will try to kill each other, but are generally human friendly. Looks like these are different traits genetically. That means that culling human aggressive cockrels pays off, and keeping/ breeding them is a bad idea. Some breeds of chickens will produce a higher % of polite cockrels, but it is still very individual. I raise more cockrels than I plan to keep, so I can select the best one(s) and move the rest on. Bad boys go in the freezer! Mary