Keeping Roosters That Others Hate

[Shamo Hybrid]

I am being nice and serious. The OP's efforts to dominate promote aggression in the roosters. I keep a good number of roosters and explored the issue so have a handle on what is going on.

I think it depends on each individual bird. Some birds won't change their ways until they get their butt whooped..... then they will start to docile up. Other birds prefer the buddy buddy method where you befriend them and they start to trust you and see you as no threat.

 

[LRH97]

I think it depends on each individual bird. Some birds won't change their ways until they get their butt whooped..... then they will start to docile up. Other birds prefer the buddy buddy method where you befriend them and they start to trust you and see you as no threat.

I agree, it depends on the individual very much. I've had birds of breeds considered to be aggressive be lower in the pecking order and I've had nasty birds from breeds considered docile. However in my experience with roos, a mean bird is a mean bird. Domination is usually a temporary fix at best.

 

[wild chick]

I've boarded my horse in the past on other peoples farms so I know what it's like to be your paying client. I've paid for a safe place for my horse & hopefully a fun place to go visit/ride my horse daily. If I had to put up with an attacking rooster, I'd kindly ask if you could keep them locked up, at least away from horse traffic areas. If you couldn't do that I'd simply find another place. If you are in the boarding business it should be clear that every client and their horse(s) should be as safe as you can possibly make it. You shouldn't even consider that they need to learn to deal with your aggressive roos. Not every person thinks chickens are cute. If you want to keep them and have a boarding stable, keep them in a pen where they have no access to your paying clients. That's just business sense, without even going into the what-ifs of injury & lawsuits. I've nothing against you keeping your roosters, just saying if I was paying to have an enjoyable place to go see & ride my horse after long stressful days at work & had to put up with kicking roosters off, I'd be gone from your place fast and I'd not recommend your stable.

 

[WindingRoad]

Dogs who cause significant injury to a person are commonly euthanized. A full grown rooster with inch long spurs is perfectly capable of causing significant injury to a person--particularly a child. No one here is trying to be combative, but merely pointing out the elephant in the room. The OP came here looking for advice. Just because the advice may not have been exactly what was desired, doesn't make people unsympathetic or inconsiderate. Many people here speak from experience. It may sound harsh, but owning any type of livestock isn't all fun and games. Good flock management is weeding out anything undesirable. Over-aggression is undesirable.

A mean bird isn't worth risking a business or livelihood and certainly not worth risking the health and safety of a person.

People shouldn't come here with preconceived answers to their questions. Saying you are not getting rid of them makes giving advice futile.

 

[Ol Grey Mare]

People shouldn't come here with preconceived answers to their questions. Saying you are not getting rid of them makes giving advice futile.

There us alternative advice that could be offered. If you feel participation in a co conversation is pointless you dont have to participate

 

[Shamo Hybrid]

 

[Biddybot]

Ladyprinc3ss: If you had a dog that was snappy and aggressive towards strangers, would you chance letting it hang around your boarding barn to interact with the people that come in good faith to relax and enjoy being with their horses? Of course you wouldn't! You wouldn't do it because it would be socially unconscionable to let your pet menace any other person who's minding their own business and doing nothing wrong, and, in your specific case, it would be very, very bad business sense...asshat boarding barn owners who obliviously let even friendly dogs race about and spook the boarders' horses and just generally make pests of themselves is one of the top reasons that paying boarders MOVE. Such people will be even less tolerant when it's a rooster harassing them...most people don't see chickens as pets. So...to keep the peace and for the sake of your clients and the roosters and your own sanity and business welfare, keep the problem birds CONFINED whenever you have visitors on the property! There! Done! Everyone's safe and you still have your roosters.

Honestly, I don't understand why this would be difficult for you. I imagine that most of the folks who board come out to visit in the evenings and all day during the weekends, yes? That gives the roosters plenty of time to run with the hens most days. Build them a separate little pen and as soon as the first visitor shows up every day, just go catch the bad boys and lock 'em up. You could even have a bit of fun with this. Put the new pen up where the roosters can see everything that's going on and stick a sign on it that says 'ROOSTER JAIL' or something like that. Your visitors will see that and smile and breathe a mental sigh of relief that they won't have to be on alert for a feathery kamikaze attack anymore. Maybe you could even give your visitors healthy treats to feed to the roosters while they're in the pen of shame. Might even sweeten everybody's attitude towards the other...who knows...

 

[Shadrach]

I had a similar problem here.
The people who own the property decided having got various animals which free range they then decided at a much later date that they would rent out one of the apartments.
I did point out at the time that this posed considerable risk. There was a ram free ranging that would knock down anyone who got near his ewes. It's what rams do. There was also a rather aggressive donkey who liked knocking people over and biting them if they tried to hand feed him.
I got tired of being a nervous wreck watching people who had absolutely no understanding of animal behavior point their children at animals here that had virtually no contact with strangers.
You can train most creatures to be human tolerant but even training humans to be stranger tolerant is difficult.
The answer could be to firstly prohibit rentals where children are involved; it's what we have here now and secondly make a contract that absolves you of any liability should a person get injured by an animal on your property. You may get less rentals of course but such a contract is possible.
It's a bit like setting up a dangerous sports center. You play at your own risk.

 

[Acre4Me]

make a contract that absolves you of any liability should a person get injured by an animal on your property. You may get less rentals of course but such a contract is possible.
It's a bit like setting up a dangerous sports center. You play at your own risk.

But, you are in Spain, laws and attitudes for suing may be different. Yes, there are these contracts in the US, but doesn’t mean a person can’t successfully sue. Besides, why would someone whose business is boarding horses put that business in a precarious position bc of 2 aggressive roosters?

I’m confident that the cost of materials and time to build a nice, roomy pen for the roosters is less than the cost of a lawyer drawing up this kind of contract or the loss of potential income due to client not being willing to sign such a waiver.

 

[Shadrach]

But, you are in Spain, laws and attitudes for suing may be different. Yes, there are these contracts in the US, but doesn’t mean a person can’t successfully sue. Besides, why would someone whose business is boarding horses put that business in a precarious position bc of 2 aggressive roosters?

I’m confident that the cost of materials and time to build a nice, roomy pen for the roosters is less than the cost of a lawyer drawing up this kind of contract or the loss of potential income due to client not being willing to sign such a waiver.

Sure, it was just a suggestion. I have no idea how practicable it might be in the USA.
Something like that was necessary here because it's not just a couple of roosters. Most of the animals here are dangerous to a greater, or lesser degree and they all free range.
Most of the smallholdings here work in a similar fashion and generally accepted that it's your responsibility to ensure you don't get injured. I guess it's different in different places.