My 4 yr old got attacked by my roo- any advice for prevention?

[CA Bean]

Well today my 4 yr old little girl who absolutely adores and respects the chickens and roos was attacked by her favorite roo. He has always been really nice and she holds him all the time. Today he must have felt like his girls were being bothered, or he didn't like being held in the coop ( which we really haven't done) or maybe he heard the other roo mating which maybe he couldn't split up in time or who knows? She was in the coop feeding ( well laying pellets all over the coop for the girls) and on the roosting posts etc..while she was doing some chores of putting more bedding in the nesting boxes and then putting our fake golf balls back in. She was holding him and then when she put him down he turned around and pecked at her hand and flew at her back and scratched her. ( I was right in the run at the time) Anyhow she is fine but shaken.
Long story short. Is there anything I should do to prevent this behavior other than keeping a close eye on him? I held him immediately afterwords and had her hold him again too but out in the run...He was fine.
( behaviors are changing right now as all my 16 pullets are becoming ready to lay- 3 have started. We have 3 roos-1 we will rehome possibly and the 2 are still working out who is in charge) Could this just be it? I definitely want to make sure that they know we are in charge of the flock first.
TIA for any comments.

 

[wyliefarms]

There are a lot of posts like this. Search and you will find peoples opinions.

Seems to be 2 camps: get rid of roo or teach roo daughter is alpha roo like you.

Good luck

 

[crazyhen]

You can not replace a child. Get rid of the roo. Jean

 

[andehens]

no rooster is worth a childs face............

eta: https://www.backyardchickens.com/web/viewblog.php?id=2588-Roo_behavior
this is a link to rooster-reds rooster help!

 

[MandyH]

My 3 year old daughters favorite roo "Elvis" started attacking her all of a sudden too. The second time he got her he spurred her across the face and he left the same day. I hatched him put and she held hime everyday for 2 years then all of a sudden I guess he considered her a threat.

 

[debilorrah]

Roos become very defensive of their flock. I agree with the others. Why wait for a complete diaster before you get rid of him? I would advise getting rid of him one way or another and getting a new one and teaching you and your daughter how to teach the new on that you rule not him.

 

[Poohbear]

You can't "teach" a chicken. They are not wired that way. Roosters and hens are "food", not pets. Either eat the rooster or give him to someone who will.

 

[Sunny Side Up]

3 roos are too many for only 16 hens, you'll be wanting to get rid of at least one anyway, why not start with this one? Sure, there are tips & methods some recommend for re-programming a roo's behavior, but can anyone guarantee complete success? Do you want to be explaining to the triage nurse at your local ER "You see, it was her favorite rooster and we didn't want to get rid of him the first time he spurred her..."?

There are 'way too many mannerly roosters in the world to justify keeping the aggressive ones around. And this guy wasn't acting in self-defense, he spurred her when her back was turned. Of course he was probably acting on instinct, in reply to some stimulus that triggered his fear or defensiveness. An older child might be able to learn how to avoid provoking him, but a 4-year-old is still to little, with unpredictable movements & action that can bother a roo.

If you re-home him, you must let those folks know his history. I'd recommend a long soak in simmering broth as the best & surest cure for his aggression.

I'm glad your little girl is all right, physically & emotionally, from the attack.

 

[rooster-red]

I would not let a 4 year old child around a rooster, too much risk involved especially when you have hens just coming into lay and the hormones are raging.

If I had a small child and wanted to keep a rooster with the flock I would make sure to do 2 things:
(1) Trim and blunt his spurs, toe nails & beak

(2) Lock him away before the child is allowed to interact with your flock.

 

[AHappychick]

Quote:
agreed I would have broken the neck of that roo in an instant, the damage a roo can do to a small child is horrible.