Is there any way of telling if a young Rooster will turn mean?

[carmelia]

I had bought 25 pullets (Barred rocks) and they threw an extra one in. Of course, (this one was a rooster..didn't know). At the beginning I thought I found a nice little hen that maybe I could make a pet of. This chick would always come to me and I would hold it, feed it and let it outside in the grass with me. As it become older, I realized it was a beautiful rooster. I called it Baby when I thought it was a hen......changed it to Babe Ruth.

It was very good with my hens, put it started attacking me, my mother, and my grandkids. I did everything I learned to do here on the forum to try to change his behavior. I finally was attacked for the last time and he scratched me up a good one. He is in the freezer.
I love having a rooster...they are protective of the flock and add beauty to the barnyard. Should I have not allowed him not to be afraid of me? I know some of you have nice birds. What did you do or should I have done different?

 

[Cetawin]

No there is not a way to ensure anything. Just spend as much time with him, holding him and handling him and so forth as you can so that he is accustomed to it. Play with all of them so he is used to you picking the girls up and so forth too.

 

[loverOFchickens]

Another way is to.






NOT handle them so much.If they are super human friendly as chicks they get mean cause they are not scared.
I know it is sad but it really works.

Also some cures for after they start:

Foam coverd baseball bat,
Watergun (or squirt bottle) with 3 parts water 1 part vinigar this stings the eyes.

 

[speckledhen]

You cannot tell. Once hormones start racing is when they usually turn aggressive, if they are ever going to. Handling alot or not much seems to make no difference. I handle mine quite a bit and almost all of the descendants of my original flock rooster have been calm and sweet, but there have been exceptions. To a degree, temperament is heritable. My own theory is that the more intelligent ones are the ones who stay easy to handle, the ones who understand who feeds and waters them.

 

[mom2chicksandpups]

I don't think you did anything wrong. If you want a rooster, all you can do is try again. Maybe you could get one near the age of your other chickens whose temperament you can see before you buy it. Just an idea...

I have 2 roosters that I got the same day from the same place. They have both been equally loved and petted. They are the same age and same breed. One is sweet and calm. He is the only one of my chickens that never, ever runs from me and I can pick him up any time I want. The other is mean as he can be already (and still young)! Of course, the mean one is going to find a new home soon and the other one gets to stay. I don't think it's anything we have or haven't done because I make sure I handle all of my "kids" often. One is just naturally mean and the other isn't.

Good luck with finding a nicer rooster!

 

[carmelia]

Thanks for all your good input. I was just sure if I handled him and made him understand that I am not going to hurt his girls or him that he would eventually calm down. He was afaid of my maltese dog yet aggressive toward me...don't figure.

 

[columbiacritter]

Quote:
Don't be surprised if your calm gentle rooster becomes more aggressive after the other one is gone. Right now he's not flock king and doesn't have to prove anything. Once he is and realizes it things might change.

 

[mom2chicksandpups]

Quote:
If that happens, he goes bye-bye too! I will keep one roo on a trial, but may end up with hens only. My chickens are pets only, so I don't have to have a rooster at all.

 

[Sugar Sand Farm]

We just rehome one of our rooster this past weekend. He was a balck polish. He was handled from the start and then even more so as he had some problems and became our special project. I hand fed that bird and picked up up every couple hours for medicine he was a sweetie then Wham he started getting fistey then darn right mean. When he attacked me this past week I had had it. He would sneak up on you as you turned to leave the coop He left some pretty nasty scratches on the back of my legs so hes gone. I jsut think some roosters are mean spiriteded TThats why I love my Marshmellow and Dutch they are so lovable. All my roosters are separated with their own little girls so there is so head rooster per say.

 

[columbiacritter]

My main flock free ranges when I'm home and refuse to have to worry about a darned rooster attacking me so they don't have one anymore. We have 2 bantie roosters that come out to free range when the hens are in their run. If the hens are away the roos are fine, but if the girls are out they are terrible terrible pains in the hind end.