Just went thru the same thing. He started getting agressive at 5 months and then yesterday, he backed me right up to the fence in the orchard and kept lunging at me. 22 short was the answer 30 minutes later. I knew he would have hurt me eventually and I am 81, so do not run real fast, It took me 3 shots to get him, sad, he was a beuatiful Wyandot. No place for that much fear, hens are calmer now too.
The youngest in Tribe 3 has recently decided he wants to fight me.
Very well put. I won't have an aggressive animal of ANY species. (I have gotten rid of some for just that.) And lets face it, most ARE smart eoungh to know the difference between someone they know well and a stranger. I had a mare that would TAKE OUT a stranger when she had a small foal, yet I could do anything I wanted with the foal and mare from day 1. So while she was SUPER protective, she also knew me! My stallion NEVER went after me, not once his whole life. (I am also his breeder, so had him since "before he was born") He would be in the pasture with mares and would still meet me at the gate for attention. My young heritage turkeys also know ME. They do the "stranger danger" call if someone different is around. When I raised bucking bulls, they also knew me. And didn't go after me. (Other people often weren't so lucky.) There is NO reason a rooster can't "do his job" and do it WELL and NOT attack the owner.While I greatly respect @Shadrach ’s experience and knowledge, I think a big part of the issue here is just what has been said. Not everyone wants or needs a cockbird/rooster/etc to be that extremely protective, since most people don’t have the setup for them - they want the quiet fluffy butt because he doesn’t detract from their enjoyment of their birds but is still present to watch over the hens and provide fertilized eggs if wanted. There can be a balance of those things. These people, yes, will want a quieter, less or not at all aggressive male in there because they are always in close quarters with them.
I currently have a young Icelandic cockerel that I hatched and raised. He’s now 6 months old. From the beginning he was very obviously male, puffed his chest and chest bumped my hand in the brooder, herded the other chicks around... we work around each other fine, even though my birds are confined for most of the day. He comes to me when I enter, but maintains a respectable distance; I call him to me when I bring food, then he calls the hens in turn. He once started to dance for me, which ended quickly when I moved quickly towards him and he had to hustle to not get stepped on. Hasn’t tried it since. It also helps I have an older pullet that keeps him well in line, and ensures he’s not being a bully. I’m confident he will be a well adjusted, gentleman of a rooster when grown.
As an example. Cattle have long been bred with an eye to docility in bulls (even so far as to generate an EPD for it) because when you’re working closely with them, especially on foot, those animals are much safer to be around. (and easier on your facilities). Are there places where a much more aggressive/protective bull would be a better choice? Absolutely! Range cattle that are out on acres and acres with a multitude of predators around definitely should have that instinct. A handful of cows in the backyard or even a small operation of 50-100 head where you’re on the ground amongst them all the time, and the furthest they may go is a mile from home? A docile, non human aggressive bull is the more sensible option.
Every situation has its limitations and needs. If the OP is interested in keeping this bird and wants to work through it, taking some of the suggestions to not take eggs when he’s there, etc is reasonable. Taking some precautions to ensure no one is injured is also prudent. If children are involved in the day to day chicken keeping, it may be better for all parties involved to remove the rooster from the situation.
Back to the cattle example. What happens to overly aggressive bulls or bulls that don’t fit within a management system? They go elsewhere, whether it’s to another farm that fits their abilities or on the plate.
Not everyone has the ability, desire, or confidence to work with a more “normal” aggressive rooster.
I like that this is one of the best videos on this topic. I would add that after you eat the organs and muscle meat, to slow simmer the remaining carcass so the broth has a gelatinous layer and eat that as well.
Yes you can put a teenage cockerel with some old aunty-hens to learn him some chicken manners
This is interesting. I have collected thousands of eggs and have never had a rooster show any interest whatsoever. A broody can be a different story, in my experience. Our chickens provide eggs and sometimes meat in quest of self-sufficiency. Also, not to be critical or judgmental, if I felt the need to carry a defensive tool to be around my chickens, I’d have to consider only raising quail. I’ve put roosters in separate holding areas to try to modify behavior and sometimes they go back to the flock with good results, sometimes they end up in a pot. Lastly, the chickens habitate the same area as my granddaughter - any threatening behavior towards her would end up in soup.
It’s funny, even starting this “chicken quest” with hens to produce eggs for us AND to be “pets”, I SERIOUSLY don’t think I’d have an issue sacrificing for meat in the interest of culling the flock. My wife, on the other hand, says she “couldn’t do it.” Dif’rent strokes, I guess.
