Knocked my rooster out cold :( is he ok?

[Panther99]

Hey everyone,

This morning I went to go do my daily barn chores and my particularly feisty Australorp rooster for whatever reason decided he wanted me dead.

He chased me around the yard for a minute jumping in attempts to sink a spur or two in me and even tried to get some in with my dog (bold of him since he’s a German Shepard) until I finally delivered a much too hard of a kick to his little brain case.

He quickly fell to the ground and started flapping his wings uncontrollably. I thought for certain that I had broken his neck. I quickly picked him up feeling really sorry for him and eventually placed him back on the ground thinking he was a goner.

a few seconds later he hopped up onto to his feet but stood around completely dazed for about ten minutes showing no interest in any of his hens or making any calls which he normally does every few seconds. Later he took refuge in a nesting box and has sat there since, only awake when I’m around to check on him.

I guess my question is do you guys think he’ll recover? I’m a little worried that I might have given him debilitating brain damage or maybe even some lethal internal bleeding. He walked himself around and was alert to me and my dog which is a good sign, but I’m really afraid of finding a dead rooster in a couple hours.

Thanks!

 

[sourland]

Consider buying armor and a face shield....

Or researching slow cooking recipes.

 

[azygous]

You can take advantage of this situation and retain the upper hand with your rooster. It's true he's a bit afraid of you at the moment. But he will test you soon. You need to be ready for that. He will still be wary, and it will likely be a sneak attack.

As others have mentioned, be aware of his location at all times. Don't turn your back on him or let your guard down. But when he does sidle up to you to test how much he can get away with, be ready to snatch him up and hold him in a football hold. Walk around with him under your arm, especially parade the captive in front of the hens. This will humiliate him which he needs.

Keep holding him for a while, especially if he's struggling to get away. Only turn him loose after he calms down and submits.

Do that every time he decides to make a run at you. Be ready for him. He will learn quickly that you won't stand for foolish behavior from him. Be consistent.

As long as he's behaving, ignore him. Some people say not to let him mate in front of you. This is stupid advice. Ignore it. You must show him you trust and respect him to carry out his rooster duties, and mating is one of the major ones. Respect flows both ways. If he realizes you trust him to do his job, he will eventually trust you to do yours.

I wrote an article about training cockerels, but there are many other good ones here. Do some reading. If nothing else, it will help you understand what makes these roosters tick. https://www.backyardchickens.com/articles/i-think-i-have-a-cockerel-now-what-do-i-do.76274/

 

[azygous]

Your guess is as good as ours. It's a plus in his favor that her didn't die on the spot. But no doubt, he's injured.

I guess I don't really need to tell you that punishing a rooster rather than disciplining and training a rooster, is not helpful. As you can see, now you're saddled with an injured rooster.

There are many good rooster training threads here. Roosters can be trained with consistent discipline, and they generally learn fast. Punishing a roo doesn't accomplish anything but making him fear and distrust you even more than he did before.

 

[Panther99]

Your guess is as good as ours. It's a plus in his favor that her didn't die on the spot. But no doubt, he's injured.

I guess I don't really need to tell you that punishing a rooster rather than disciplining and training a rooster, is not helpful. As you can see, now you're saddled with an injured rooster.

There are many good rooster training threads here. Roosters can be trained with consistent discipline, and they generally learn fast. Punishing a roo doesn't accomplish anything but making him fear and distrust you even more than he did before.

Thanks for the reply!

I’m never beating on him again that’s for sure. The fact that he’s still alive gives me hope he’ll survive. Currently he’s sleeping in a nesting box and is mildly alert to my presence. I’ve placed some food and water within reach of him and plan to just leave him alone for now.

I read a few other post were some people hurt their roos pretty badly with shovels, pitchforks, etc but I couldn’t find any were the rooster was K.O’d. The fact that was unconscious for a few seconds really frightens me.

I know it sounds stupid considering my prior actions, but I really have a lot of empathy for animals and feel terrible for what I’ve done. I’ve never slaughtered any of my chickens before and really consider them pets.

I’ll update this post with the condition of the rooster if anything changes just in case someone runs into a similar situation in the future.

 

[cmobley]

Lol he better be glad he ain't in alabama there wouldn't be a second time he'd be shrink wrapped in the freezer.

 

[gimmie birdies]

I never let a rooster chase me at the beginning. First you may think it is a game, but they get bolder and bolder. If roosters come near I pick them up. Most that come near like being picked up. Never turn your back unless he knows you are the boss.

 

[Panther99]

Update!!

The big man seems to have made a full recovery! At some point he snuck out of the coop and quickly herded his flock back together. I observed him for a few and he didn’t seem to be displaying any strange behavior. He’s back to being very noisy and is even getting busy with some of the hens! He is however a little afraid of me at the moment but I don’t blame him. I feel silly for making all these post when really I just had to wait an hour to two, but I’m very greatful for all of the feedback y’all have given me!

Heres an action shot of him mid call.

 

[HawaiiCoyote]

I'm sorry about your rooster. I agree with azygous...
Welcome to BYC!

 

[Panther99]

Whatcha gonna do next time he comes after you??

Not sure yet, seems like I’ll have some time before he gains the courage to face me again. In the mean time I’ll have to read up on some ways to make him more docile. A lot of people have given me some good advice so far.