Mean rooster, had to cull. Warning to others with kids

[dolly85]

Young kids should never be left alone with ANY animal. This is not only for the childs safety but for the animals as well! My 3 kids ages 6,5 and 3 have grown up with cats, dogs, chickens, goats, a pony etc. None of them have ever bothered each other because of the simple fact I train both child and animal at an early age to RESPECT each other. A rooster should never be handeled IMO and tamed down as a pet as this just bonds them to you. They will start to see you as a part of the flock and as an attempt to be dominant rooster they will attack. I've had many roos over the years and NOT ONE has ever attacked me or my kids. The few roosters who poofed out their neck feathers and posed at a human were butchered immediately. We don't take risks at my house and neither should anyone else. Our kids safety is much more important then a pretty roo. The same goes for snappy dogs, vicious cats, mean hens, violent billy goats, etc. Some animals are born with the genetic tendency to be just plain mean and shouldn't be around people without direct supervision AT ALL TIMES.

Sorry for the rant but I get so p****d to hear all these cases on here lately about kids getting hurt! This is probably the fifth one I've seen this week and one person was trying to say it was THEIR fault their kids face got ripped open and decided not to cull the bird! Stupidity!

 

[sourland]

Young kids should never be left alone with ANY animal. This is not only for the childs safety but for the animals as well! My 3 kids ages 6,5 and 3 have grown up with cats, dogs, chickens, goats, a pony etc. None of them have ever bothered each other because of the simple fact I train both child and animal at an early age to RESPECT each other. A rooster should never be handeled IMO and tamed down as a pet as this just bonds them to you. They will start to see you as a part of the flock and as an attempt to be dominant rooster they will attack. I've had many roos over the years and NOT ONE has ever attacked me or my kids. The few roosters who poofed out their neck feathers and posed at a human were butchered immediately. We don't take risks at my house and neither should anyone else. Our kids safety is much more important then a pretty roo. The same goes for snappy dogs, vicious cats, mean hens, violent billy goats, etc. Some animals are born with the genetic tendency to be just plain mean and shouldn't be around people without direct supervision AT ALL TIMES.

Sorry for the rant but I get so p****d to hear all these cases on here lately about kids getting hurt! This is probably the fifth one I've seen this week and one person was trying to say it was THEIR fault their kids face got ripped open and decided not to cull the bird! Stupidity!

Right on the money. Nothing here but good old common sense logic. Well, maybe a little understandable emotion.

Firefighterchick, you did the right thing, and thankfully your children weren't hurt more seriously. Your story may help others.

 

[booker81]

You did the right thing.

My 4 year old loves the chickens. I've had a few roos, and if they even begin to think about looking at her sideways, they are culled. No chances allowed.

I right now have two roos, and the one is aloof but she has chased him (with me chasing to grab her), and he just trots away. The other roo just likes attention, and he lets her hold him, pet him, and plain is as laid back as you can get. They are both over a year old and pretty solid in their ways. I like them, they are fun to have around, but if they changed their mind and even thought of a cross look to any human, they are dinner, immediately.

I strive to teach my child to be kind and gentle to animals, but I also strive to have animals that will allow me to be the punisher when she gets rough, and not try to punish her themselves. I don't let her alone with the critters, but if she does do something bad, I want tolerant critters that will let me have the chance to get after her (and allow them to get to a safe place.

Of course, this doesn't apply to broody hens They are strictly off limit to kids or anyone else Buggers have nailed me a few times if I check on them, and I don't blame them.

 

[chickenzoo]

Good Roos are out there, I have at least 100 and most run the chicken yard and property together.... All different breeds from Serama to JG and mixes in between. Few fights occur and only for a few mins. I have a few reconditioned attack Roos that are now a happy part of my flock , but I have no children to worry about. About the only Roos I have that always have attitude are my tiny Quail D'Anvers....hehe
People always ask how come I have so many... I really enjoy them and most follow me around like puppy dogs. My oldest is seven, a SLW that was on borrowed time for awhile in his younger days, till he straightened out. My fav, or one of them in a little Serama named Popeye, he has one eye due to thinking he was a Shomo...hehe. I can call him and he runs on little legs to me and I pick him up, rub his wattles and tell him speak , or ask where's my little Popeye and he will crow and crow in his squeaky voice. I also have very large Blue and Black Orps that most people are wary of till they see how calm they are. My one use to let kids drag him around while his toes dragged the ground. They are out there... Sorry you had a bad one.

 

[Mrs. K]

I do think you did the right thing, but I also agree with you, that you might have overlooked the initial warnings.

I have had a lot of kids, and a lot of animals. Dogs are probably the only animal that when not castrated, that can be trusted, but there are mean dogs too. however, horses, bulls, billy goats, roosters that are intact, can be very dangerous. And they can go from fine to dangerous in an instant.

The problem is the combination of a small child without a lot of judgement, fast jerky movements and a small brained, highly hormone filled rooster.

One does not need a rooster, and while mine does do a good job with the free ranging, I do admit that I occasionally lost a hen, before I had him, BUT I strongly believe if you have children under the age of 5, you should not have a rooster, until the child is considerably taller than the rooster.

I know this forum is full of people who do have roos and small children, but you are risking too much on a very very small brain. In a few years, the child will be much larger, and not at eye level. It is a little time to wait.

MrsK

 

[CarolJ]

Spring time must be when roos act up the most. My favorite roo who had never given any indication whatsoever that he might be aggressive - attacked me last week. As a result, since then I have gotten rid of all my roos - except for two that are in breeding pens. But no more roos with my layers. I wasn't hurt - I kicked him hard each time he charged me. However, I have young grandchildren who come over to visit. So no more roos for me. You made the right decision. I hope your little boy gets over both his physical and emotional injuries quickly.

 

[lovinchicks]

Sorry about your little one

I'd like to give you a breed recommendtion. We have a Light Sussex. He was suggested by the breeder that we went to. We actually went there for a Barnavelder Roo, but she told us how friendly the Light Sussex were. When we brought him home he lived in our garage till he got big enough to go in with the girls. He would follow you around the garage, because he wanted to be with you, and petted. You would have to run to get in your house so he wouldn't follow you in, lol. He has remained very friendly. The chicks he has fathered have been very friendly too. About half of them will run up to you when you put your hand in the brooder, because they want to be touched. I have 2, 6 and 8 year old kids. The 2 year old will actually chase him trying to catch him to hold him, and he just runs away. So if you or anyone else is looking for a good roo, definitly consider a light Sussex. Here's a pic of ours

 

[speckledhen]

Small children make even the calmest roosters nervous. NO toddler should be allowed near a rooster without a barrier between them, not ever.

Just the loud and rowdy sounds of small kids playing several hundred feet through the trees from my coops makes my sweet rooster, Isaac, jumpy. And he's a total lovebug, but kids move and sound different from adults or older kids.


We can't get into the trap of recommending certain breeds as calm around kids. That is what is getting some folks into trouble in the first place. I have a super sweet Delaware rooster, but I culled two of his half brothers for aggression that was starting to show as they matured, so it's not a breed thing at all.

Check out the video in this post for proof of what a rooster can be like:
https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/384349/sdwd/14610#post_8894682

Even seeing that rooster allowing a teenage girl he had just met to handle him that way, I'll tell you I will not allow small kids around that sweet rooster, or any rooster I own, for that matter. It's not the same as an older child or an adult.

 

[lovinchicks]

Quote: Recommending a breed isn't ever a guarantee that you'll get a good rooster, but it may give someone a good starting point. Let put it in dog terms If someone wanted a friendly dog, you might recommend a Golden Retriever. There is no guarantee that it will be friendly, night be the meanest dog you'll ever meet. But you have a better chance of getting a friendly dog going with a certain breed. The opposite can be true too. You can have a mean breed of dog, say maybe a Chow, and get some nice ones. But if you were going to give someone a breed recommendation you would tell them a Golden because they would probably have more success with it, but never a guarantee.

And because someone recommends a breed doesn't mean that you have to let them be with young kids. I'm just passing along the recommendation by a breeder for that breed, whose recommendation has been true for me.

I can say I'm sure glad she DID recommend him over another breed. We've been very happy with him.

 

[silkie_sue]

I have one pair of sweat pants that turn my otherwise sweet tempered Silkie roo into a crazy man
...lol...tinkerbell...my white silkie boy seems to want to kill tinker....the one and only! time I wore those to the coop my sweet boy attacked and wacked my knee so hard it left a bruise but he killed Tink hit her right in the head...lesson learnt...some things they just don't like.
No more Tinker and all is good