Naughty rooster... Suggestions please? *Pic on p4*

[Gypsy07]

Okay, here's a question for Yazzo. How do I pick him up if I can't get near him? I handled him (and his brother and two sisters) as much as I could when they were chicks, but once they were three months old, all four of them just disliked it so much that I gave up on trying to pick them all up one by one and pet them every day. Even now his two sisters are less tame than all my other hens who I got as adults from farms where they were never handled at all. Weird. And I've been SO nice to them. Is it maybe a breed thing? I was recently given three CM hens and they're the meanest old bullies to the rest of my flock... Anyway, this roo keeps his distance. If I walk close to him, he walks off. Only time I could get close to him is in the coop at night. Should I start there?

 

[Sjisty]

Rocky, my light Brahma roo used to charge my hubby and I whenever we had our backs to him. He never hurt us, but his spurs have never been very long. I got used to listening to the "stampede" coming up behind me. If I turned around he would stop short and act as if he was a perfect gentleman. One day I heard the charge. I let him get almost up to me and then turned around and grabbed him. I took him in the house and gave him a bath (he was dirty anyway). He loved the warm water, is beautiful white again, and has not tried to attack since, and that was about 4 months ago. I think he was mortified that I actually took such liberties with his majesty. If he ever tries to attack again, well, he is a white chicken and can always use a bath.

 

[sonew123]

The blood on the back of it was a real eye opener! he ran from me when he did-so I chased him and pinned him down with my knee cap and held his head down-grabbed his legs-hung him upside down-marched over to the chopping block -pinned him down with my knee again and did the deed without a second thought! I hated to do that-as it was the first time I had ever done it out of anger but I was sick and tired of that roo running my hobby farm! From the moment he flogged me to the end point of his life was less than 5 minutes! Dh was freaked out when he saw me and what I had done-I told him YAH let that be a lesson to you too!

 

[Yazzo]

Quote:
Hi Gypsy07.

It is possible that it's a breed thing....barred rocks are certainly a meaner breed, if you let them be....still, you should be able to tame them...I'm not sure....It's weird, because chickens seem to go through a 'rebellious teenager stage' when they're a couple of months or so old. They don't want to be picked up when they're like this, and usually shy away from you for a time. Once that stage passes, they're usually almost adults, and either still tame, or a bit scared. Some, even most, chickens don't seem to like being picked up much: I think it's just a bird thing. Still, you should be able to pick them up without too much fuss, and it looks like you certainly spent enough time with them....some hens just seem to be less tame, no matter what you do. How tame are they exactly? Do they come up to you for food? Can you catch them?
I almost get the feeling that some hens just think that they're 'too good for me', that I'm stupid, so not worth coming up to......yeah, stupid thought, I know, that's just what it seems like.

As for the rooster.....if he's the lead rooster, they're often just like that. Even if he's tame, it's like he's 'too macho' to be caught. He doesn't like being caught in front of the hens. I had a black star rooster who was, in a way, tame. But he say me as the lead rooster, as they all do, so he acted a bit 'aloof' around me: he didn't like to be picked up, even though I still did, often, and if I held out food in my hand, he would hesitate before taking it....acting like it wasn't a big deal and casually pecking it up if there weren't too many hens around. Then, he got seriously ill, and I had to nurse him back to health. I didn't think he would live; he'd lost alot of blood from a spur wound too, but he did, thanks to our care, and after that, he was the tamest nicest, sweetest rooster I'd ever seen. After that, he wasn't 'embarrassed' to be seen in my presents, he LIKED being near me, being petted, fed, picked up.....he was a smart one: he seemed to know what I'd done for him! Poor old bloke died though, not long afterwards.....

Anyways, now I have a Auracana rooster, a really, really tame guy, tame since chickhood (it helped that his mother was tame), who is the moon (lead) rooster. As tame as he is though, he doesn't like being picked up much.....it damages his 'image' with the hens or something, lol (actually, I think it's just that I'm becoming more dominant over him, in front of the hens). And when I try to feed him, he seriously hesitates, and sometimes doesn't pick up the food.
So, if your rooster is the lead rooster, it probably has something to do with that, however, he shouldn't be THAT untame.....it may partly just be, like you said the breed, or it's just their personalities. Like I said, some hens just don't like being picked up. I would just recommend sitting near them, trying to feed them a bit, holding them if you can......just showing them that you're not a threat in any way: that coming up to you is actually a bonus!
If it'll work....well, I guess that just depends on how much (more) time you spend with them, and what they're like.

Hope that helped anyways, at least a little bit.

And hey, even if you don't have all tame chickens, you still live in about the nicest place ever....always wanted to go to Scotland! Someday....

I'd take your rooster any day, if I lived there.....He's a real beauty- good color or no!

 

[write2caroline]

I never enter the run without a walking stick - not to bash into the roo but to keep him away if he attacks. If he wasn't so good with the girls I would eat him. He attacks everyone and we catch him and hold him and try to be nice to him. His replacement is currently 3 weeks old now.
Razzmatazz's days are numbered
Caroline

 

[TigerLilly]

Quote:
I can only imagine the thoughts going through your DHs head as he watched this unfold...but I would've loved seeing the look on his face!

1 attack rooster
1 attackee with 'first blood' & axe in hand
look on dh's face after watching dw deal with stupid roo--PRICELESS!

 

[Yazzo]

Quote:
HA, I would almost find that funny too....if it didn't end with a death. I killed once out of anger too (not a chicken), and it was terrible. I felt....less...less, human....I suppose...I'll never do that again. Like my very soul was damaged from that act of senseless violence.....melodramatic, I know, just tellin the truth....
I never kill any roosters.....or anything, for that matter....call me what you want for that: I've seen it happen plenty of times, but now, it would be just giving up for me.....I at least try to sell them if they're unwanted...

 

[grandmaof5]

Quote:
That makes perfect sense to me. Killing out of necessity is one thing; I believe it is the correct order of things. Killing out of anger is another thing, a line I hope to never cross. I know I would feel as you did...less human.

 

[bobbi-j]

Quote:

I love it! I say good for you for taking care of the problem immediately! I know there are those who believe in "rehoming" a mean rooster, but I just can't see dumping the problem on someone else. I would feel especially bad if a child were to get injured. As other posters have stated, there are just too many nice roos out there to worry about a mean one. As far as the DH goes, I'll bet he watches his step!

 

[TigerLilly]

I love it! I say good for you for taking care of the problem immediately! I know there are those who believe in "rehoming" a mean rooster, but I just can't see dumping the problem on someone else. I would feel especially bad if a child were to get injured. As other posters have stated, there are just too many nice roos out there to worry about a mean one. As far as the DH goes, I'll bet he watches his step!

I have to agree...pawning off your problem on someone else is not the answer, IMHO. Some behaviors just can't be changed, they can only be STOPPED--permanently. I guess, though, being a meat-eater may skew my viewpoint of the situation. I can understand others' way of looking at it, but I don't agree with it. Again, just MHO.​