Is my rooster angry? help please

[Jacob42]

My rooster gets his feathers all ruffled up then stops his feet at us if he did not get let out of the coop early or if a stranger comes over. He seems to be doing it even more lately. Does this mean he is angry with us? Sometimes he will either step on our feet or peck at our feet. He kinda pushes his way past and goes on but then follows us every where. If anyone has any idea why he does this we would appriciate it, also some advice to get him to stop would be great, even tho it is funny it is a new behavior for him.

 

[rachiegirl]

It seems funny, but it isn't. This sounds like dominance behavior and will only escalate unless you put a stop to it now! It starts out with pecking your shoes or bumping into your leg. As he gets older and more confident and spurs...someone will get hurt. Kids are especially vulnerable, their small size makes them easy targets for bullying and abuse and aren't as capable to defend themselves.
Their are several methods to try, but the first piece of advise is do not walk away from him first. This is a sign of submission and the aggression will only continue. Try picking up the offender and carry him around for a while when he behaves in any way that seems aggressive (this goes for anyone he shows aggression to). Chasing him down or a good boot can also work. I believe there are some good threads on here about rooster aggression problems that may have more/better ideas.
The main thing you want to think about is what you will do with him if he remains aggressive. You shouldn't have to live in fear of your chickens...they can do some serious damage! Hopefully you can straighten him out with some of the tips from this site, but a lot of times it does not work. Are you willing to keep and deal with an aggressive bird? Freezer camp? Re-homing (being very clear up front with whomever you are giving him too that he is aggressive)? These are some questions you need to consider.
Sorry, don't mean to scare you but I have been dealing with some of this myself and been reading plenty about it one here!! I hope this helps and it all works out for you! Good luck!

Here is a link for dealing with roosters from Rooster-Red...

https://www.backyardchickens.com/web/viewblog.php?id=2588-Roo_behavior

 

[Jacob42]

He is a white created polish and he hates to be picked up but I make it a point to give all my chickens a hug daily even him. The only problem I have is that if he does that to my 5 year old the boy wont pick him up, he barely touches any of them, but will it help if someone else picks him up? He is actually afraid of most stuff and does not let people touch him, he is very nice and protective of the hens and even acts like a gaurd dog around here. He does not show a lot of agggresive behavior, he just gets upset if he is locked up too much.

 

[Lollipop]

Watch the kid carefully. Most roos that behave badly will attack a kid first. Carefull with the boys eyes when handling the roo......Pop

 

[Jacob42]

I know they can get aggressive but he just seems so weak and such a scaredy cat. If you act like your gonna touch him he runs away.

 

[Judy]

Quote:
He feels the urge to assert his dominance, as his hormones come into play, but cannot maintain this when you reach for him. You need to understand why he is doing what he is doing.

https://www.backyardchickens.com/web/viewblog.php?id=2588-Roo_behavior

 

[rachiegirl]

Sometimes Polish can be a whole different ball game!

Polish are generally skittish anyways because of the crest obscuring a lot of their vision. Would your son hold him if you handed it to him? Try a few different things to see what works, and is comfortable for him. Stamping his feet as he walks towards him to chase him away may work for him and even for you seeing as he is already skittish to touch and probably hard to catch.
We sent one roo already to dinner, he was a biter and could leave quite a nasty mark. We have another that will be coming to dinner very soon as well, he is showing dominance/aggressive behavior. Mostly to the hubby and sons, but he tried getting fresh with me twice. A good boot to the fanny and a nice chase around the yard gets him to steer clear for a while, but eventually he comes back for more. He his young about 21 wks and the alpha male, so the hormones are raging. It really seems to be the case in the morning. That is when he has come at me and also when they really chase the ladies. Stored up energy from a good nights sleep I guess!
Hopefully it isn't completely aggressive behavior and just general Polish freak-outedness. I still would try to keep him from doing anything of the sort so it doesn't turn into bullying.

 

[Jacob42]

Thank you all for your help, I will take my role as alpha male starting tomorrow. He will get even more attention , love and hugs until he cant stand it. Or he will be dinner

 

[goosemama]

Was interested to read your accounts with an aggressive rooster. We have a Welsummer 4 months old and he snuck up on me in the yard - spurs out on my leg. I beat him off with a branch but he kept on coming!. Until I found a HUGE branch and I chased him with it. Now I leave portions of it around the yard where I walk and one parked right at the gate and "I don't leave home without it". I don't want to soup him as I just bought 6 Welsummer pullets now 2 months old in hopes of having purebred babies - or even crosses to save some money buying baby chicks from now on. Funny part is I've read all kinds of articles about Welsummers and Amerecana's being the friendliest roosters of any breed. OH Right! Think they are all different.

 

[Lollipop]

Right on Woody, they are all different.


I`ve posted this before and it seems to work 100%. Up to you if ya wanna try it on one you can`t break.

Cure for a mean rooster;

Read about this recently and the poster says it works. This is advice from a 72 YO farmer who seems to know what he`s talking about. If it doesn`t work for you just say so. I hate to pass along bad advice. Prior to this info, I figured the only cure was an ax. Maybe there is hope after all….

Hold the offending rooster by the legs and dip his head in a bucket of water. When you see a few bubbles, put him on the ground and let him alone. His attitude should now be a lot different. Sometimes they need a second lesson, but not often.


Good luck.......Pop