Need help taming an aggressive rooster

[tizabel_]

Just days before today, my rooster would come up to me asking to be pet and held. Now it’s like something switched in his brain and he’s attacked me four times since i went in to feed them and clean out the coop, he would have tried again if I hadn’t locked him up in the run.
I hand raised him from when he was a chick and he recently had an injury that I had to treat every day for weeks straight, I would bring him to the garage and lay him on his back so I could clean the wound. So the point is I’ve handled him so much and he is usually the friendliest of the flock, but just this morning he’s a whole different chicken.
The first time he attacked me I picked him up and cradled him on his back like a baby, the second time I full on hung him in the air from his feet and when I put him down he kept attacking me every couple minutes until I pit him in temporary jail.
What do I do??
He’s like a pet to me and I can’t bare the thought of killing him or just giving him to someone who would kill him.
Is there any way at all that I could stop this behavior without hurting him? What are some methods other than picking him up?

 

[HappyDuckie]

Hanging a chicken by its feet can harm them. And cradling it like a baby won't do anything. The rooster is attacking you because he sees you as another rooster. When two roosters fight, the never hang each other by their feet or pin each other down. So the rooster has no idea what is going on when you do that. Try swiftly "pecking" him on the head or body using your finger. Try looking at this link.
https://www.backyardchickens.com/articles/understanding-your-rooster.75056/

 

[FuzzyCritters]

You have to establish yourself as the dominant rooster. For older roos, I take a long, blunt stick, and when they get close to me, they get a swift poke. This is like "pecking" them, and establishing you are stronger than him. Another thing you can try in pinning him to the ground with your hands, like dominance mounting. You can also chase your rooster away from where you are, and keep him away from the coop. Establish the coop, run, and surrounding area as your territory and chase him away from those areas. I used all three of these methods on a roo that was turning aggressive, and now he doesn't attack me, crow, or mount the hens while I am by him (all signs that I am the dominant "rooster"). None of those methods will hurt your roo.

Another option is to set up a bachelor pad for him. His aggression may go down when he can not see or be in contact with the hens. When my roos were put into a bachelor pad, there aggression went down. When introduced back months later, their aggression went up again.

 

[tizabel_]

You have to establish yourself as the dominant rooster. For older roos, I take a long, blunt stick, and when they get close to me, they get a swift poke. This is like "pecking" them, and establishing you are stronger than him. Another thing you can try in pinning him to the ground with your hands, like dominance mounting. You can also chase your rooster away from where you are, and keep him away from the coop. Establish the coop, run, and surrounding area as your territory and chase him away from those areas. I used all three of these methods on a roo that was turning aggressive, and now he doesn't attack me, crow, or mount the hens while I am by him (all signs that I am the dominant "rooster"). None of those methods will hurt your roo.

Another option is to set up a bachelor pad for him. His aggression may go down when he can not see or be in contact with the hens. When my roos were put into a bachelor pad, there aggression went down. When introduced back months later, their aggression went up again.

Thank you, I’ll try it.

 

[Sally PB]

What happened is hormones. He's hit puberty and hormones RULE. You didn't mention his age, but I'm going to guess he's 14 -16 weeks?

I had three cockerels (straight run, argh) and two of them became unholy terrors at 4 months. They had to go; I had too many boys for the number of girls.

The third one, while not a friendly guy or a pet, is decent with the pullets (#1 thing I wanted), and ok with me. I had to "explain" to him a few times that, yes, I AM the boss. I used the stick method that FuzzyCritters mentioned above, and that got his attention. Now, if I need to, I "peck" at him as duckiemum suggested.

Read the articles on this forum about dealing with roosters/cockerels. Very helpful information.

This may have no bearing on your situation, but I have found that certain things will "set him off." He doesn't get any slack at any time, but I do avoid those triggers if I can.

 

[centrarchid]

All of you need to get rid of your roosters right now. You do not know what you are doing. Start with fresh roosters and try something besides being a part of the pecking order. Being top is bad to. Be outside the pecking order and do not be a predator either. Do not reward them with eats immediately after they do bad.

 

[Folly's place]

I agree with C about not being another chicken!
@Beekissed , @BantyChooks , and @Shadrach all have good articles about managing cockerels and roosters, worth reading.
Here, I am the giant who brings food, not a chicken, and expect my birds to respect my space at all times. Making 'pets' out of pullets and hens can be fun, if that's what you want to do, but handling growing cockerels the same way can lead to trouble. Especially if you aren't experienced in reading their behaviors, until things get out of hand.
Human aggression is hardwired in some birds, and can show up early, regardless of management, and those birds need to be invited to dinner.
Other birds might be okay, or not, depending on how they are managed, but by the time the cockerel or rooster has decided that attack mode is best, it's not going to end well.
If small children are involved, or visitors, there's no excuse for keeping a jerk, who can cause real injuries and lost eyeballs!
Mary

 

[centrarchid]

I agree with C about not being another chicken!
@Beekissed , @BantyChooks , and @Shadrach all have good articles about managing cockerels and roosters, worth reading.
Here, I am the giant who brings food, not a chicken, and expect my birds to respect my space at all times. Making 'pets' out of pullets and hens can be fun, if that's what you want to do, but handling growing cockerels the same way can lead to trouble. Especially if you aren't experienced in reading their behaviors, until things get out of hand.
Human aggression is hardwired in some birds, and can show up early, regardless of management, and those birds need to be invited to dinner.
Other birds might be okay, or not, depending on how they are managed, but by the time the cockerel or rooster has decided that attack mode is best, it's not going to end well.
If small children are involved, or visitors, there's no excuse for keeping a jerk, who can cause real injuries and lost eyeballs!
Mary

@tizabel_ unlike the sources of above where roosters are only a secondary concern, my interest is primarily in the roosters themselves and I do handle them a lot. Mine are expected to be good around even small kids, especially those that are handled a lot. I have worked with roosters enough in terms of numbers and time invested to understand some of what goes on in their heads.

https://www.backyardchickens.com/ar...hicken-directed-at-humans-man-fighting.75750/

 

[DMOTS]

Well, I got to tell you from my experience once he grows his ba__s he never goes back. He may loose all the fights he gets into with you, but just when you think he is done, he sneaks back behind you and attacks you. Unfortunately mine attacked too many times and now he has a slight limp. He is a proud punk, a Australorp with beautiful shiny green sheen over his black feathers. He protects his girls well. They follow him around out in the pasture all day. When it is laying time he takes them into the run and they take turns laying. I have ten hens and I get 8 to 9 eggs a day. I go out in the evening and feed them a treat and now they all come running when they see me. Maybe that is why he hates me. LOL. I have 14 grandchildren and I can't risk any one of them getting hurt. Now every time I go out to the hen house , I have to go after him with a stick to push him back and he does run from me, but I can't take my eyes off of him. It's time he goes.

 

[Folly's place]

Good article, C, both in handling advice, moving around in the flock, and again, a reminder that genetics matter in this.
There's no way I'd ever passively allow any cockerel or cock bird to attack me!!! Glad it works for you, but it's never going to happen here.
Mary