I was just reading another thread on this subject, so I hope I handled it the right way...
A few days ago, I was standing in the door of the coop facing out and I felt something hit my legs, then my 5 month old rooster "Rosco" flew past my legs and out into the run. I thought to myself, "Did he just attack my legs, or did he just hit me on his way out the door?" I had jeans on, so hard to tell...
Last night, my 10 year old son went to lock the chickens up for the night. It is his job every night, so not a new process. The chickens usually get to free range during the day, so we have gotten into the habit of counting them to make sure they are all present and accounted for before we lock up the coop. Yesterday, we were at a horse show ALL day and didn't get home until 8PM. We opened the coop up and went to do barn chores. The chickens (all are 5 months old) went out into the yard for about 15 minutes, then put themselves back into the coop. I was in the barn doing chores when I heard my son start screaming and running back to the barn. He had a scratch across his face. He said he was counting the chickens and Rosco flew at him and he said he thought it was his beak that Rosco attacked him with. He turned away from him and then turned back and Rosco flew at his face again. That was when he ran out of the coop and back to the barn. My daughter told me that the day before when she was collecting eggs, he attacked her legs.
I went back to the coop wth my kids and caught Rosco and held him under my arm and walked around the coop for a bit, then I handed him to my son and had him tuck him under his arm and carry him around for a bit. I instructed my kids that if he ever even looks at them and fluffs his feathers that they should grab him up and carry him around until he settles down. My daughter did say that she tried to catch him when he went after her, but she couldn't catch him. I figure even if they chase him around for a bit and get him running from them instead of them running from him, that it will get the message across. I compared it to taking a dominant position with the dogs so they would understand what I was trying to convey to them. My kids are very good with all of our animals, and very used to handling the dogs, cats, horses, turkeys, and the chickens, so I don't have a problem with asking them to pick him up. They aren't afraid of him, but he had never shown any aggression until now.
I'm hoping this is just an adolescent phase he is going through, and that if we handle it properly, we can nip this aggressive behavior in the bud before it gets out of hand. He is a beautiful rooster, and we really like him, but I told my kids, he'll end up in the stew pot if this keeps up!
Advice?? Did we do the right thing??
A few days ago, I was standing in the door of the coop facing out and I felt something hit my legs, then my 5 month old rooster "Rosco" flew past my legs and out into the run. I thought to myself, "Did he just attack my legs, or did he just hit me on his way out the door?" I had jeans on, so hard to tell...
Last night, my 10 year old son went to lock the chickens up for the night. It is his job every night, so not a new process. The chickens usually get to free range during the day, so we have gotten into the habit of counting them to make sure they are all present and accounted for before we lock up the coop. Yesterday, we were at a horse show ALL day and didn't get home until 8PM. We opened the coop up and went to do barn chores. The chickens (all are 5 months old) went out into the yard for about 15 minutes, then put themselves back into the coop. I was in the barn doing chores when I heard my son start screaming and running back to the barn. He had a scratch across his face. He said he was counting the chickens and Rosco flew at him and he said he thought it was his beak that Rosco attacked him with. He turned away from him and then turned back and Rosco flew at his face again. That was when he ran out of the coop and back to the barn. My daughter told me that the day before when she was collecting eggs, he attacked her legs.
I went back to the coop wth my kids and caught Rosco and held him under my arm and walked around the coop for a bit, then I handed him to my son and had him tuck him under his arm and carry him around for a bit. I instructed my kids that if he ever even looks at them and fluffs his feathers that they should grab him up and carry him around until he settles down. My daughter did say that she tried to catch him when he went after her, but she couldn't catch him. I figure even if they chase him around for a bit and get him running from them instead of them running from him, that it will get the message across. I compared it to taking a dominant position with the dogs so they would understand what I was trying to convey to them. My kids are very good with all of our animals, and very used to handling the dogs, cats, horses, turkeys, and the chickens, so I don't have a problem with asking them to pick him up. They aren't afraid of him, but he had never shown any aggression until now.
I'm hoping this is just an adolescent phase he is going through, and that if we handle it properly, we can nip this aggressive behavior in the bud before it gets out of hand. He is a beautiful rooster, and we really like him, but I told my kids, he'll end up in the stew pot if this keeps up!
Advice?? Did we do the right thing??
