Nasty Rhode Island Red Rooster

[SERFASS' CHICKEN COOP]

I am a little confused about my beautiful rooster, Ahner. I was told that rhode island reds were supposed to be the most gentle type of chicken..but my rooster is mean to me. He chases after me and i want him to stop before we have to take drastic measures..Any suggestions would be great. Thanks Wendy

 

[a2ms4chickens]

Some RIR roosters can be mean.

I have only had 1 mean one, we called him Diablo, so we gave him away after he spurred my DS. He was a banty roo, but he could jump. I did notice that he did not start getting an attitude until he was about 1 1/2 yrs old. I now have one of his sons who is very gentle with his hens and with us.

I have had 2 RIR standard roos that have been very gentle.

I don't know why some are mean and some are not, even if raised in the same environment and gets the same amount of attention.

Sorry I don't have a definite answer, but I wanted to share my experience so you know you are not alone. There are many chicken owners who don't particularly care for RIR roosters, because they can be aggressive.

Good luck.

 

[SERFASS' CHICKEN COOP]

THANKS so much for responding..i really hate to get rid of him because he is so beautiful but some times i'm afraid to go out with out the dog..haha..and this is my first experience with chickens..i got my 4 about 6 mo ago when they were about a week old..love them..but dont want to be afraid

 

[Roy]

Chase him back yelling and screaming and waving your hands or a stink. Show him who's boss, or I guess he'll show you who's boss...good luck

Eventually that didn't work for very long, had to resolve by carrying my plastic watering jug around and cracking him upside the head a couple times, he eventually stopped...

 

[SERFASS' CHICKEN COOP]

Thanks For The Advice..but Will Running At Him Work?

 

[PortageGirl]

Often running at him will work, or stamping feet and raising your arms (wings) high while doing it. Sometimes they need more though, look here to get some more understanding about it all... https://www.backyardchickens.com/web/viewblog.php?id=2588-Roo_behavior. There's several threads on this topic here on BYC too if you want to read more on it do a search. Maybe we need to bug Nifty to start a thread dedicated to Roosters and Rooster behaviour!

IMO, it's got less to do with the breed than the individual, though some people will say otherwise. If he doesn't get the message, or you find you are too worried all the time, just re-home him. Really, life is too short to put up with this for too long.

He may learn his lesson though, they just have to challenge you I think.