My Roo Attacked Me!!

[ElCuervo]

Some of those guys are just hatched dangerous and there's really nothing that will change that. When I was a teenager, we had a beautiful, gigantic Rhode Island Red that attacked everyone that went in the pen except me, as I kept a wary eye on him whenever i was feeding them and gave him a good swift kick whenever he got too close to me with his stink-eye look on. One day, though, my two year old brother thought feeding chickens was so cool that he went in the yard to do it himself. Luckily I heard his screams before he got too badly hurt, but the old rooster had him down on the ground giving him spurs up and down the backside by the time I got there - and he and my brother were about the same size at the time! It could have been so much worse. We had talked about putting him in the pot for a very long time before that, but that was the end for sure. Don't wait until you have regrets.

BTW, nobody in my dirt-poor family of seven could bring themselves to eat him when my mom served him up... funny how you come to respect your enemies!

 

[Penturner]

You say you have had him a month and that he has avoided you. Is this because he is afraid of you? He may just finally getting tired of what he sees as a threat coming into his territory every day. Not sure dragging him around upside down is going to change his mind on that score. He has been uprooted put in a strange cage with strange birds and being cared for by a strange and frightening person. Have you done anything to cause him to not think you are a threat?
I also agree you cannot afford to have him pull this stunt on your child while he gathers eggs. My steadfast rule with animals and children is any threat animal goes. period. I don't think animals have rights. I am Lord and not all the merciful.

 

[sutillman]

My child would have a fit if he thought I cooked one of our birds!

He thought it was terrible when we ate our first eggs. But now that he has his own little egg selling business and is getting his egg money, he doesn't care who eats them!

He won't be allowed in the pen with this roo anymore. Don't know that I want to go in there either. But I refuse to bow down to a chicken. Everyone calls me the crazy chicken lady(especially the post office!) because I treat my flock like children and am so proud of their little accomplishments, like first eggs, etc. This has nearly ruined my feeling about all of it. Yesterday I was ready to get rid of all of them, today I think maybe half. But I do know of 1 that will be gone!

 

[RL]

I had two mean Roos that would attack anyone and anything that came in the yard. They made a great BBQ for the Supper Bowl. If you are going to hatch eggs that he fertilized I wouldn't keep any of the male chicks, they will most likely be as mean as he is.

 

[azygous]

My! My! So many people so ready to toss a poor roo into the stew pot for one transgression!

First of all, there's no telling what will set off a rooster to flogging you. I have a perfectly well-behaved roo who, for no known reason the other day, took a sudden dislike for a visiting friend's sneakers, and he flogged the daylights out of them. I grabbed him up before he could hurt her, and I swear he had the most bewildered look on his face, like - "what came over me? I must have lost my head, please forgive me!"

I certainly wouldn't throw a roo in the pot for one episode. Try doing what the others suggested. I'd add one thing. Before you go to pick him up, every time, push him down flat on the ground so his head is on the dirt, and hold him there for about a ten count. That's one of the most submissive postures for a chicken, and it'll condition him faster and easier than anything. Do it every day for continual reinforcement along with the other suggestions.

Also, you should remove his spurs to prevent any more damage to yourself, your family, and the hens. Just moisten the spurs with mineral oil, and while holding him firmly with his head tucked under your arm pit, grasp the base of the spur close to the shank with a pliers, then gently twist back and forth until the horny outer spur comes loose and lifts off. What remains is a fleshy nub that is harmless if he ever loses his head again. There may be a few drops of blood, but it won't hurt him. It'll take a year for the hard outer spur to grow back, then just repeat the procedure when the spurs begins to look dangerous again.

Above all, you need to tell yourself that you are the boss of your roo! Then he'll believe it, too!

 

[ElCuervo]

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Really? Tell that to my brother - fifty-some years later, he still wants nothing to do with chickens. Leaving little kids vulnerable to this kind of attack borders on child abuse, IMO, because no matter what they tell themselves, the rooster most likely won't believe it.

 

[Penturner]

Read the OP. I believe the drawing of blood was the second transgression. I think leniency has already been tried.

 

[Rockpile99]

I'm not sure I would breed him either. I think meanness genes can be passed down to the offspring. Next thing you know you've got a whole bunch of little meanies running around too!

I've got an agressive roo, I've walked around with him, held him down, separated him, you name it. He's good for a little while ad then is right back at it. He's a sneak attacker and will come up on you while your back is turned. I now just take a big stick in with me and use it to push him away, after I do that he leaves me alone while I'm doing whatever I need to in the pen.

BTW the only reason he's stll alive is that he is a very good protector of the girls. He definietly defends them and always lets them eat first. Strangly enough he is also a very gentle breeder. Go figure.

Good luck in taming the beast!

 

[Gonzo]

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Right On!