Mean Rooster

[MnBFitz]

We have a beautiful olive egger rooster that we just love. We've only had him a few months but he's been great. Well this weekend my 7yr old little girl was in the pen with our chicks. She likes to feed them out of her hand. Out of nowhere our rooster, Oscar attacked my girl. He jumped on her and attacked her twice before my husband could get in the pen to stop him. Any advice as to what we can do? We have 3 girls, ages 5, 7, and 9. They love to go out into the pens and feed and gather eggs but now they are scared. We can't keep him if he's going to attack my babies. I'm so sad thinking that we may have to get rid of him.

 

[chickenweirdo1]

Make sure they don't bend down always stand up when around him. Catch him hold him where he can see them but he can't move and have them hit him. Don't kill him just let him know who the boss is.

 

[azygous]

This is a no-brainer. Aggressive roosters and young children do not mix. Roosters, when feeling threatened by children, can inflict very, very serious injuries. This is a common occurrence, sadly. Children, even when well behaved, present a low profile and roosters often feel more threatened by them than they do adults.

Don't even think about alternatives. Your priority is to make sure nothing happens to your children. Rehome your rooster.

 

[Lady of McCamley]

This is a no-brainer. Aggressive roosters and young children do not mix. Roosters, when feeling threatened by children, can inflict very, very serious injuries. This is a common occurrence, sadly. Children, even when well behaved, present a low profile and roosters often feel more threatened by them than they do adults.

Don't even think about alternatives. Your priority is to make sure nothing happens to your children. Rehome your rooster.

x2 on this post

You have to know what you are doing and have risks contained to try to manage an aggressive rooster...and even then...why bother? You don't want to breed him forward.

You've got a sweet little flock with 3 sweet little girls, who want to feed and enjoy their hens. Get rid of the rooster.

Absolutely, positively, do not hold the rooster and have the children beat on him. That will create massive aggressive feelings in the bird and almost ensure he will attack the children the first chance he gets....when you aren't holding him. He will also view you as a threat.

Psyching out a rooster to tame him takes bird handling knowledge and not to be done with small children....it's a balance of firm control, but never threat.

Keep the flock sweet...get rid of the roo. Can't stress that enough. Kids can get serious injuries from aggressive roosters.

LofMc

 

[MnBFitz]

Thank you! We were afraid that we were going to have to get rid of him. Any idea what caused him to start attacking all of a sudden? He's been really tame up until this weekend.

 

[Lady of McCamley]

Thank you! We were afraid that we were going to have to get rid of him. Any idea what caused him to start attacking all of a sudden? He's been really tame up until this weekend.

So many things...probably just hormonally gearing up and maturing enough to feel dominant...or he's finally settled in enough to feel protective of his flock...then one of the children triggered an aggression response. Children are unpredictable, moving quick and encroaching unknowingly.

Chickens are animals with animal instincts...more so in roosters.

A few will be tolerant of small children encroaching, but most will be disturbed when the children begin to handle their hens as pets. That encroaches on his harem and will trigger aggression.

Find him a good home. Being an olive egger, he should be desirable to someone for his genetics.

LofMc

 

[bobbi-j]

How old is he? If he's under a year old, he's maturing and full of raging hormones (Think hormonal teenage boy - becoming a man, wanting/needing to prove himself). I would get rid of the rooster. Let the girls enjoy their hens.

 

[Folly's place]

He needs to be gone before one of your children is injured. ASAP! With full disclosure only. This is a very bad situation, so resolve it right away. He's crockpot material, IMO. Mary

 

[MnBFitz]

Yes, he's less than a year old. He's beautiful but he's definitely going to be finding a new home. Oscar the Grouch is on his way out!

 

[azygous]

Thank you! We were afraid that we were going to have to get rid of him. Any idea what caused him to start attacking all of a sudden? He's been really tame up until this weekend.

Just because you're dealing with an animal that weighs just a few pounds does not make him any less of a danger than any other sexually intact male animal. You wouldn't let your young children in a pen with a bull or a boar. It's the hormones that are responsible for this aggressive behavior and what makes them potentially dangerous.

Prior to your cockerel maturing, he was the same as any of the other chickens. Around age six months, hormones suddenly surge, and everything looks different to a young cockerel. It's not unlike an adolescent boy suddenly becoming interested in girls and getting into fights out of confusion over how suddenly everything has changed.

Yes, this is temporary. Most cockerels get through this period and by age one year, they've mellowed and adjusted. Many of us are able to patiently work with our junior roos to get them through this awkward period, but you have three special reasons why this isn't an option in your case.

In the six months that it requires to train a cockerel, there's a very real possibility that one of your precious girls could be injured. I had a male friend who was spurred by his cockerel, and he had to rush to the ER and get a five-inch gash sewed up on his leg. Other people have been even more severely injured by roosters, blinded when the rooster flew at their face and spurred them. A child would be especially vulnerable to this sort of injury.

This is why I'm so cut and dried about insisting that people with young children should not even think about keeping a cockerel who has exhibited even the slightest sign of aggression.