I think he broke his toe...

[DobieLover]

Silkie?

Salmon Faverolles.
I took this picture right after "the incident". I zoomed in on the toe and it is fine here so I'm now sure he did it when he flew onto the gate and jumped off to get out of the pen.

 

[Shadrach]

I don’t know how much work you want to put into the rooster DobbiLover.
It sounds like you can see him coming and that’s a good start. Most people who have rooster troubles like this don’t seem to have recognized the signs that the rooster may want to fight.
Beekissed’s article is good but it has one drawback and that is you probably need a stick and once you’ve gone down that route you may always want the stick and this becomes a nuisance.
For a rooster to put up an effective fight, it needs to be able to jump, it can’t flog you while its feet are on the ground. A clever fighting rooster won’t let the opponent make the jump, it keeps moving forward often in short quick jumps, striking at the opponents head with his beak.
This is essentially what Beekissed’s method relies on, making the rooster back up and eventually turn to keep its balance. Once a rooster has turned he’s pretty much lost the fight.
I wave my hands as if I’m throwing a large beach ball. This movement is the closest you can get to another roosters wing movements when fighting. So it’s walk forward at a speed that means he doesn’t have time to make the jump and wave your arms from behind you to about horizontal.
This is what you need to aim for. You need to make him turn. Once you’ve made him turn you chase him; mostly they’ll run at this point.
Sometimes it takes a few ‘fights’ for the rooster to realise he’s not making any progress.
If you can see him coming and you are quick a sharp tap on the top of his head with your forefinger before he launches an attack works wonders in my experience. You need to be quick. most young cockerels I have teething problems with, the head tap is all that’s necessary. You do need to be able to see him coming though.
Another important point that often gets overlooked is the right clothing.
For a large rooster that needs training I wear chainsaw trousers. I don’t have to worry then if I get it wrong a couple of times. Loose heavy cotton trousers work well as do butchers aprons. Loose is the important thing here. It’s very hard to punch a hanging blanket effectively.
Good luck.

 

[Folly's place]

I've developed a different plan for this. I'm slow, and clumsy, and have no interest in being a 'better fighter'. Cockerels or adult cockbirds who ignore their flock responsibilities, and stalk and attack the giants who bring food aren't worth it, in my opinion. They get invited to dinner instead.
I watch the youngsters, and make a point of walking 'through' the flock, especially the cockerels, often. I notice any that seem to have 'bad thoughts' directed my way, and walk through them more often. I don't wait to be flogged to eliminate such idiots1
Human aggression is an inherited behavior, so it has no place here. There are so many polite useful cock birds, why keep one who's plotting your demise?
Mary

 

[ShannonR]

I agree with previous posters. Forget about the toe, worry about that attitude!

 

[BantammChick]

If your rooster continues to act that way you should probably re-home of him. It is OK to teach a rooster not to attack you, just be careful not to hurt him...

 

[DobieLover]

I don’t know how much work you want to put into the rooster DobbiLover.
It sounds like you can see him coming and that’s a good start. Most people who have rooster troubles like this don’t seem to have recognized the signs that the rooster may want to fight.
Beekissed’s article is good but it has one drawback and that is you probably need a stick and once you’ve gone down that route you may always want the stick and this becomes a nuisance.
For a rooster to put up an effective fight, it needs to be able to jump, it can’t flog you while its feet are on the ground. A clever fighting rooster won’t let the opponent make the jump, it keeps moving forward often in short quick jumps, striking at the opponents head with his beak.
This is essentially what Beekissed’s method relies on, making the rooster back up and eventually turn to keep its balance. Once a rooster has turned he’s pretty much lost the fight.
I wave my hands as if I’m throwing a large beach ball. This movement is the closest you can get to another roosters wing movements when fighting. So it’s walk forward at a speed that means he doesn’t have time to make the jump and wave your arms from behind you to about horizontal.
This is what you need to aim for. You need to make him turn. Once you’ve made him turn you chase him; mostly they’ll run at this point.
Sometimes it takes a few ‘fights’ for the rooster to realise he’s not making any progress.
If you can see him coming and you are quick a sharp tap on the top of his head with your forefinger before he launches an attack works wonders in my experience. You need to be quick. most young cockerels I have teething problems with, the head tap is all that’s necessary. You do need to be able to see him coming though.
Another important point that often gets overlooked is the right clothing.
For a large rooster that needs training I wear chainsaw trousers. I don’t have to worry then if I get it wrong a couple of times. Loose heavy cotton trousers work well as do butchers aprons. Loose is the important thing here. It’s very hard to punch a hanging blanket effectively.
Good luck.

He has only jumped at me on two occasions. This one and once before when we had the flock out ranging. I was driving some screws in a 2x4 and he heard the chatter of the power driver and didn't like it. Both times I went after him. I did not have my arms back but he was running away. Yesterday, he actually tried to run through a 2x4 wire fence that I have some pullets isolated in he was so desperate to get away from me.

I'm not giving up on this guy yet as he is great in every other way. He has yet to hurt me and I'm not the least afraid of him. I walk through him all the time and he steps aside.

 

[DobieLover]

I've developed a different plan for this. I'm slow, and clumsy, and have no interest in being a 'better fighter'. Cockerels or adult cockbirds who ignore their flock responsibilities, and stalk and attack the giants who bring food aren't worth it, in my opinion. They get invited to dinner instead.
I watch the youngsters, and make a point of walking 'through' the flock, especially the cockerels, often. I notice any that seem to have 'bad thoughts' directed my way, and walk through them more often. I don't wait to be flogged to eliminate such idiots1
Human aggression is an inherited behavior, so it has no place here. There are so many polite useful cock birds, why keep one who's plotting your demise?
Mary

I don't really think that he is stalking me.
If he was truly human aggressive, I think he would have gone after the septic technician that was working in his pen last week or the people who visited 2 weeks ago to pick up feed from me. He just got between these new people and his girls or had to mingle when the girls came up to visit the new people. But he just watched. No fake tid-bitting to work his way close for an attack.
He came after me when I was holding the drill that was making the chattering noise. He came after me when I was very close and low with my arms held out to take his picture. Justified or not, he felt those things were threats and they warranted his defense.
He stays with his girls and watches me when I'm working with the chickens/coop. He comes for any of his girls that have just laid an egg and she calls out because she doesn't know where the flock went. He watches for and alerts at predators, usually a hawk flying over. He will sit out in the rain to watch for threats while the girls take shelter under a large favorite shrub when they don't want to go back to the sheltered run. He has broken up scuffles between the girls and has on more than one occasion rounded up stragglers to herd them to the coop at the end of the day.
I think he has a good chance of coming to his senses and working out his misplaced aggression towards my actions. He has a lot of strong points. But if he gets any worse, I will re-evaluate.

 

[sourland]

Hopefully this was a learning experience for him. There should be no guilt on your part. Do not allow him free range when children are around. It sounds as if he is an opportunist who knows when he might get away with being aggressive. Just keep an eye on him and have a plan 'B' if his attitude worsens.

 

[DobieLover]

If your rooster continues to act that way you should probably re-home of him. It is OK to teach a rooster not to attack you, just be careful not to hurt him...

Unfortunately, if he continues to act that way, no one will want him for anything other than their freezer. Either he'll grow out of this or he will get worse. If he gets worse, I'm afraid it will likely be freezer camp for him.