Major Rooster Issues-Very Aggressive

[bluegiantsc]

Okay, I'm having major rooster problems like the title says. My rooster has always been a little aggressive but today it reached an all time high. He full on attacked me while I was walking through my yard, he stuck his spur through my ugg boot! He is a massive bird with 2 1/2 inch spurs.
My hen just hatched out a clutch of 12 eggs, so she's been broody for a month or so. So I don't know if he is being protective or if he is mad that he hasn't mated with her for a while?

Is there anything I can do to make him less aggressive? He was so good for about a month but now he is completely insane again. I know that you can pick them up and carry them around, or you can press the down to the ground and hold them down to tell the to stop. I mean, I tried yelling at him, I tried being the "bigger bird" I threw a stick at him, I kicked him, I did everything until I finally grabbed and bucket and started banging it and he was scared of it. It was ridiculous.

Any suggestions?

 

[RedDrgn]

Trim those spurs and then consider whether you're willing to eat him or not. If he's always been aggressive, then you're not likely to change his mind at this point. The only thing you can do is figure out whether something YOU'RE doing is setting him off (e.g. do certain colors of clothing, certain shoes, any particular objects you're carrying/things you're doing/way you move, etc.).

Footwear was the trigger for our fellow when we got him and it took us a total of 8 months to get him over it. To this day, he's oblivious to all but the heaviest of boots any more and those he will only stare down or occasionally peck. I know it sounds ludicrous, but that's what set him off - took us about a month to pinpoint it (because once he'd go into attack mode, anything that moved was a target). Figuring out what put him into attack mode was the hard part. The rest was just exceptional patience and persistence, literally training him per pair of shoes he may encounter....all bets are STILL off if a stranger in strange shoes sets one foot over the property boundary, though. Better than a guard dog.

Anyway, find the trigger and there may be more than one. And then take the time/effort to show him that whatever the trigger is is NOT a threat to him or his flock (e.g. present trigger AND his favorite treats together, repeatedly) and don't engage in a fight with him. Fighting back relegates you to the level of a chicken and he will continue to treat you as such (periodic scuffles). So defend yourself as needed, but never be the aggressor or do more than defend. Also keep in mind that some triggers will be entirely unreasonable and ridiculous to you, so you may not find it worth it to retrain him. And some birds simply can't be retrained.

 

[thasista]

I had an aggressive rooster who attacked my pregnant daughter. He was delicious.

 

[Courts Clucks]

My rooster will only attack if you have your back turned. He has been a wild rooster for awhile now (He won't go in the coop and we don't feed or water him). He has survived for 6 months this way and has evaded capture, or he'd be in some noodles. We just keep an eye on him and something will get him someday.

 

[bluegiantsc]

I think I am going to have to trim his spurs. I hate to do it to him, but those suckers hurt!

I don't know about triggers. I wear the same thing every day, I wear a hoody and black pants and one of two pairs of boots. So I don't know what happened. He hasn't come at me like that in a long time, he was so good while the hen was broody and I would almost pet him. Now he is completely crazy again and if he doesn't get better I think he'll be finding a new home.

I don't think I can retrain him. He is right at 2 years old and I've had him since he was 6 weeks old. So he was a little older, but its just been me. My husband doesn't have anything to do with them, its always been me feeding them and taking care of them. I think that its because I let them free range only for a long time. They were basically wild birds and did what they wanted and only came to the back door for food. He isn't free range like that anymore, he only gets out on the afternoon but I let him do what he pleases. The hen is a little skittish, but she's coming around.

I'm going to give him a little more time and I might be selling him along with some babies. So we'll see how it works. I hate to do it to him, but I can't have him attacking me anymore. It makes me crazy! Not to mention the last time he came at me, I had a huge cut on my thigh from his spur.
I've tried to pick him up after he attacks and carry him around. That didn't work.
I've tried to press his head down into the ground after he attacks, that also didn't work. I've flipped him over on his back, also didn't work. He's just very...set in his ways.

 

[1muttsfan]

I relocate all my unacceptable roosters to a climate-controlled area in my garage - they taste great when I thaw them out later.

 

[jdywntr]

I relocate all my unacceptable roosters to a climate-controlled area in my garage - they taste great when I thaw them out later.

 

[moetrout]

Read enough on here and you will know that it is nearly impossible to retrain a mean rooster. I have inflicted some serious pain onto some of my past mean roosters and that never stopped them from still attacking me. Red_drgn is right about somethings will trigger it. I had 2 cases where I personally experienced this. My daughter's pink camo raincoat use to always set off our first rooster. He was a tough rooster and after we tried to eat him for dinner and could not he was eaten by the hens (sick isn't it?). Another rooster I use to have was set off by the color yellow. I found that one out the hard way while using my dewalt drill and my back to the rooster.....OUCH! Our current rooster does charge and tries to attack sometimes, but we are all now experienced chicken fighters with ninja like reflexes so it rarely amounts to anything we can't handle. If my kids were still young and small I'd replace him. Although we recently aquired a beagle pup and I am finding the rooster to be an asset now since he does protect the hens from the dog. I let that mean ole rooster go after him when he was just 3 months old. Now he will watch them, but does not get too close. So sometimes a mean rooster can be beneficial.

In your case, I would advise you get rid of him. You'd be surprised at the peace you will have and the realization of how much stress something like that adds to your daily life.

 

[missnu01]

Eat him