Is it my fault the rooster doesn't like me?

[needageekette]

I am currently uploading a video to youtube - hopefully it will shed some light on what I am doing wrong. I will post a link when it is available.

Thanks everyone!

 

[Free Feather]

Very interested to see his behavior.

 

[Kikiriki]

(Please pardon any strange wording; I have a head cold and my brain is muddled.)
Roosters aren't the only ones who exhibit aggressive behavior; when I first starting raising chickens at the age of eight, our Production Red pullet made attacking me her life's goal. Kicking, throwing, and handling her more often didn't work - if anything, it encouraged her. She finally stopped after I hit her with a broom.

You need to prove that you're the boss. Give him a good hard kick or a swat; not enough to break anything, but to enforce your position as flock leader. Worst that can happen is that he doesn't change.

I agree a show of power is needed. It seems that the OP is probably reluctant to "enforce" her position. We back yarders seem to want our chickens to like us, so we contribute to bad behavior by not correcting it. I used a hose on one hen who was going after another that had injured herself. (Panic reaction from me...I was filling their water at the time.) The hosed hen left the other alone after that, but 6 months later she still avoids me unless I have treats. Even then she hangs back. In the end, yes, there are consequences to the things we do, so be prepared to live with it.

I would rather have a standoffish chicken than a bully chicken, personally.

 

[needageekette]

Not sure how much you can tell from the video because I am the one with the camera. After this video, I had to take something to my brother in the back yard and he jumped at my head twice from behind. I dropped what I had in my hands and tried to grab him to hold him like a football but I just couldn't get my hands on him. I think it just made him worse. At least now since I started posting this - my husband seems to be listening to me.

 

[cafrhe]

Does he drop his wing/wings when he stomps after you? He might think you are 'one of the girls' and wants to mate you???

Looking at him tho, I get the feeling he is feeling you out to see if he can be dominant over you. I see that your husband sort of naturally cuts him off or makes him move out of his (husbands) way. I have a young roo who is very interested in me. He had been following me around a lot. I actually never let him get as close to me as you are letting your guy get to you. I walk him back to a distance I am comfortable with (10ish feet). If he moves towards me when I back off or walk away, I make sure to keep moving him off until he gets the message. You have to be persistent until he gets the message. I have done all the 'calm' stuff many on here suggest. So far so good. He is big, young and very protective of his girls and has only come after me 2x minor times. Both were in 1 day where I had handled some of the girls and they got upset. Granted I was less calm when he engaged me--I made him move off much more quickly.

I would never let my roo come up to me and peck me...If he came too close, I would stand up and move him off. At this point I have no intention of grabbing and holding my boy if he attacks me...He is big! but I guess if it came to that, I'd rather give carrying him around a try before he goes to freezer camp. So far he has warned us of several hawks, so I do like him!

 

[needageekette]

I haven't seen him drop his wing but he does a lot of his antics when I have my head turned. I asked my husband to watch him and see if he does. How do I keep him from following close behind me? It isn't easy walking backwards.

 

[JoJo214]

Ah, your rooster plight brings back memories and some not so favorable. I had a Rhode Island Red rooster (1 of 3) who also had it in for me. However, unlike you I actually got spurred when in the chicken run. I took a broom to him (basically chasing him). From that point on we were both wary adversaries, I always made sure the broom was with me and he remembered. Not sure if it was me he recognized as the Alpha or the broom.

 

[cafrhe]

Essentially you wear him out like a bratty 2 year old (no you cant have a cookie, No you cant have a cookie, no you cant have a cookie even if you cry, Nope not even if you scream...No you cant have one even if you are cute, nope not even a few minutes later, no you cant have one even if you fall down at my feet and beg etc etc etc)

He advances, you turn around and walk towards him until he backs away, then walk away again. If he darts to the side still facing you, turn and try to get him to yield by walking away from you or at least moving sideways. You want him to yield, not think the 2 of you are positioning for a fight or dancing. I will walk right up to him deliberately with eye contact. I dont rush at him or make sudden moves. You dont want to scare him, just show him that you have the power to make him do something. I have no intention of stepping on him, but he needs to move away. And he cant just dart back at you when you turn away...again, at first, you need to be persistent in teaching him that you do have eyes in the back of your head and he cant stalk you. He cant follow you, it's just a rule. Just keep turning back around and walking him away. It did look to me like he would move away from you, but you didnt walk towards him much in the video, so I am not sure.

 

[Free Feather]

I had one do this; I did not raise him. He was killed by a fox a few days after he started.

 

[azygous]

Cafrhe's right. You have to plan on having a nice on-going battle with Lester. It will wear you out, but that's what you need to do to him - wear him out, outlast him.

The video was very helpful. You aren't exactly showing fear, but you aren't exactly sure of yourself, either. Lester is like most roosters who lack the self confidence to do much more than attack you from behind, and make no mistake, he's attacking you when he runs up behind you and stomps his feet. And he is always alert for an opening to jump on your back. When he does that, he's won a round. Don't let him do that! Don't turn your back on the little coward!

But, it's now time for the worm to turn. You need to practice so you can be ready to swoop down on him with your hands and scoop him up. It's a matter of timing. Try to judge when he'll be close enough and be already starting your move. Roosters are at their most vulnerable (easiest to catch) when they're coming in to flog you. It's sort of like playing catch. In fact, you can brush up your rooster catching skills by playing catch the ball with your husband. You basically, in a single motion, swing your hands down as if to catch a baseball grounder just as Lester runs in.

Most of my roosters were sweetie pies, but my first one, a SLW named Stan, was a challenge. Every single day of his life, which lasted less than two years, we had boxing matches and he would get carried around. Finally, I wore him down and he became docile and sweet, and even let me pick him up and snuggle him. He actually enjoyed it. But those hormones kept him on his toes for the first 18 months, he he just wouldn't give up.

When a cockerel behaves like Lester does, it means he doesn't trust you to deal with the flock. He thinks he has to do all the work because you don't seem to know what you're doing. You need to practice your body language because roosters are expert at reading it. In law enforcement, which I was in before I retired, we called it "command presence". You need to practice acting like you know where you're going, what you're doing, and who you are at all times. If you do it right, people will come up to you in the grocery store and ask you where stuff is because you look and act like you know where everything is.

That's exactly what Lester is looking for from you. If you can learn to give him that, he will learn to trust you and start ignoring you as he does your husband. It requires not only the right state of mind, but careful, precise, decisive actions. Command presence.