My cockerel attacked our son!

[mom4morecritters]

Our 20 week old cockerel was acting all protective of the flock on Wednesday. As I was looking at my favorite pullet, Shirley - a buff Cochin bantam, Prince Roo scratched my leg. I was surprised by his aggression and yelled at him that he better not try to do that to Mommy again! He went after DH that night and DH was close to grabbing him by the neck.

On Thursday he came at me a couple of times, but I stopped him and threatened him before he got close enough for me to grab him. Later in the day, when I was running errands, three of our kids and a friend of ours were by the coop checking on the chickens. Prince Roo attacked our our 3 yr old son in the back and put a small rip in his shirt! He left a small mark on his skin that was gone before I got home. (He flies out of the coop all the time and free ranges.) I managed to chase that dang cockerel into a small dog kennel and left him there for a couple of hours while I worked on the coop. He was NOT happy with me at all! I let him out to roost with the others for the night.

Yesterday, Friday, I worked on separating the coop so I could put my 6 wk old pullets outside. Prince Roo stayed away from me ALL DAY! He was a little pushy today, but not a lot.

I have 2 pullets, a Buff Orp and an Australorp, and 5 bantam cockerels who are 15 wks old, in the same coop as Prince Roo. I took 2 pullets (Cochin banties) and 2 cockerels (the match to the Cochin pullets) out of the main coop and put them in the new coop with my eight pullets who are 6 wks old. (did you follow all that? lol) I love Prince Roo and he is a beautiful bird with a fascinating personality, but I will NOT have a chicken who will bite the hand that feeds him!

What should I do? Lock him away from everyone else? De-thrown him?

~Anne

 

[MissPrissy]

People often forget that a rooster is the same as a bull or a stallion only he is packed in a smaller package. You wouldn't let you 3 yr old play with a stall with stallion or a bull. Small children should never be left in a position where they can be flogged by a roo. A rooster can serious injure and even cause fatal injuries to children.

Your cockeral is not only testing the waters of his job as a flock protector but for some reason he has felt threatened by the interlopers that have entered his territory. He is reacting out of preprogrammed instinct.

You can make stew out of him or try to recondition his behavior.

Whatever you do be very aware that you should never let children be unattended without your supervision while in the coop area. An older rooster with inch long spurs could do some serious damage to a child.

 

[nnbreeder]

Well the good thing was that he is too young to have spurs and you son still has his sight. Personally if he were mine he would be pot bound. I won't keep or breed a rooster that will fight me and I do have birds that are agressive towards other birds. On the rare occasion that one escapes and get to another I can reach down and pick them up with no problem.

 

[SterlingAcres]

Quote:
x2.

 

[josh_bigler]

i would ring him by the neck and then eat him, i have no toleration for agressive roos, thats why i dont have any agressive roos

edited to say: Wait! think about ringing his neck and make sure you have another rooster to do his job, im stuck on that because of my buff orpingtons

rung a neck and now cant find one i like to breed my orps with lol, I NEED A BUFF ORPINGTON ROSSTER anybody???

 

[mom4morecritters]

MissPrissy, I've had a run in or two with a bull before... NOT FUN!

The kids go to the coop almost daily to check on the chickens. I've let the little ones (ages almost 2 and almost 3) in the coop with me several times and they've fed the banties out of their hands. The "friend" that took the kids to the coop actually works for me. She takes the kids almost every day to the coop as they make their "rounds" around the yard. He is use to them, and me, so it isn't someone new in his territory.

I'd rather recondition his behavior than eat him. How do I do that?

 

[cluckychick]

I carry a big stick when I enter my roo's territory, lol. He knows to stay away from me. My son (who's 15) holds him every night for about 15 minutes and he doesn't fight him a bit now. Son says the rooster has taken all the fun out of it by being docile. I also have a silkie roo who is agressive in his own way. He loves feet and never lets up when you enter the pen. He'll follow you around and try to ride on your shoe, lol.

 

[cluckychick]

Quote:
At 20 weeks old their hormones are RAGING!! They don't want anyone around their girls.

 

[rooster-red]

Quote:
Check out my page on roo behavior.

The link is in my sig line, it might help.

 

[Mahonri]

Go out at night w/ a flashlight, grab him and hold him till he stops making noise. He'll figure out who is boss.