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

[GhettoRoo]

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.

Ohh. What is third rooster? RIR? RIR is way younger than Leghorn? are they all youngsters? How old are they? (Im just very interested in breed roosters hierarchy)
Btw, what colour clothes u have? From stories about rooster attack, my grandmother had a rooster, who run on red colours, my mother had a red bag, and rooster run after till drop the bag on ground and roo stops on bag.
P.S, cafhre told right thing to do.
P.S.S so dont like naked necked chickens. Thought I dont ever take some.

 

[centrarchid]

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.  

A lot could be garnered from the video. Lester clearly considered you to be the person of interest although so did the hens. I am guessing the current arrangement is a consequence of birds learning that you are the primary care giver (person with the feed bucket). It is clear Lester is displaying a threat of aggression which is evident even with sound on my computer muted. Lester is orienting himself at a 45 degree angle with his back stretched parallel ground and his tail nearly so to you and frequently showing "cotton". It is also clear that you and Lester are going back and forth relative to each other like a couple of roosters engaging in skirmishes where one moving to or away from the other results in a compensatory manner. When he moves to you from behind you promptly turn around and even back away. When you changed directions, more often or not you either moved away from him or towards him. Now compare this to how your husband moves about without Lester or hens following him. To the chickens, your husband was boring when you were around. They actually seemed to be treating you as a flock leader while your husband was the bumbling giant that was easy to avoid versus your dance with them. Lester appears to be gearing up for challenging your for flock leadership.


My suggestion is you invest effort in getting Lester and flock in general to cease regarding you as a member of the flock. This will not involve you hiding or kicking Lester's butt. Are you willing to give such a go?

 

[needageekette]

Thank you Centrarchid,
I am defiantly willing to give it a go. I am looking forward to your suggestions. Yes, I am the one that mostly feeds and waters them and also gives them treats. When they see me they get really excited. The naked neck rooster seems to like me and sometimes he gets in between Lester and I and pecks Lester. "Jack" the naked neck rooster is the beta for sure.

 

[cafrhe]

Quote:
I noticed that too, and it is very similar to how things operate around here too. The hens always run at us when we go outside--especially me and my daughter. We do all their care including bringing out the scrap bucket. And the girls were mature before we got the rooster--Some still squat for us.

Our roo originally was suspicious of us and kept his distance. He did quickly realize that we brought things to his girls, so now he leads them up to us. He is a fairly solicitous rooster (of his girls) and I get the impression that he is 'finding' food for them. While I have been concerned about his attention to me (he was kind of stalking me and seemed to be sizing me up), I think being deliberate about walking him off has changed the dynamic between us. So while he still runs up (with the hens) when we come out, I dont feel like it is a threat on his part.

On the other hand, I know he will be more aggressive if he thinks we are messing with the girls.

 

[centrarchid]

First, let us try to uncouple there interest in you as a source of food.


Starting tomorrow refrain from use of treats. This will be a short-term measure. Then get out you feeding equipment like you usually do and go out as if to feed birds. Put everything down then walk away for a minute or two. The walk back and stand by equipment. Repeat a couple of times, then apply feed and walk straight away with equipment. Try to make a point to go out with birds every chance you get carrying feeding equipment but usually without any actual feed. You are trying to make so they do not associate you so strongly with feed thus reducing their level of excitement with respect to you. They will see you but no longer associate you so strongly with food source. This will likely need to be repeated over several days. Another trick can involve simply taking feed out before birds come off roost. You can put feed out after birds go to roost but then you increase vermin and varmint concerns.

Later treat usage can resume with possible modifications as to how applied. I do understand the thrill of having your charges run excitedly to you when you come out but that is part of cause of current relationship.. We may need to make so they get excited only when you give a specific signal.


Once hens loose interest in you, then we can re-evaluate Lester's approach to you. Odds are hens will loose interest in you and then so will Lester. If he does not then next step will be to reset his thoughts about you as competition.

 

[needageekette]

I will start tomorrow - I will keep you posted

 

[needageekette]

Here is my update

Hasn't seemed to help by having my husband handle the feeding and treats. Lester jumps me every chance he gets. I asked my husband to watch my back while I spread some Diatomaceous Earth in the chickens favorite dust bath spots and as I bent over he spurred me on my backside with his spur nubs. Caught me off guard because I thought my husband had my back (so much for counting on that again). Didn't hurt but scared the crap out of me - would have been a different story if he had spurs. I was surprised how hard he hit me. I had a jacket on in 70 degree weather for protection but my pants material was really thin (didn't plan that well)

Instead of whacking him over his head with the very heavy metal scoop I had in my hand, I asked my husband to please help me grab him to hold him as I have heard that may help. I am sure the neighbors got a kick out of watching us run around the yard until the rooster wore us out.

Right now I am the only one Lester dislikes. Is it possible he blames me for the loss of his favorite hen - he never left her side since they were chicks- especially after she had trouble walking? When she first got sick - we thought she had a leg injury so I got her and kept her inside in a cage on my desk in my office so I could watch her and allow her leg to heal. After a week and still no improvement and the other leg starting to get weak, we took her to an avian vet. Even though she was supposedly inoculated, she had Merricks Disease - we had to have her put down. I really got attached to her and she to me. She would jump into my arms and hug me with her neck and purr. Anyway, is it possible he remembers and blames me?

 

[centrarchid]

He is likely past simply the feed bucket aggression stage. While wearing jeans, spend more time out there with him yourself. With the way I think my approach works, chasing him around is extremely counter productive with respect to rooster's aggressive behavior but is likely good for your cardiovascular system. Try not to chase.

The memory about loss of a particular individual likely does not stick. The circumstances of that loss can if they were distressing (involved lots of alarm calls). The puriring after jumping into your can indicate being close is good but do not touch.

 

[CrazyTalk]

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.

No, it's not.

The worst that can happen is he gets worse. I've never seen the "keep hitting the rooster till he stops coming at you" thing actually work - it almost always leads to the rooster escalating the behavior.

Right now hes coming at you because of some sort of behavioral cue - the escalation will be him coming at you all the time.

 

[needageekette]

The crazy thing is I have 3 other roosters that are the same age and have been with me since they were chicks and they don't try to attack me. They and the head hen try to stop him. I haven't hit him - just try to walk him away from me. He got after me today when I had the hose in my hand - he got sprayed and man he hated that.