Need help to try and tame a rooster!

[Phantom_k9]

Hi all!
We got our first batch of chickens from a friend who hatches then for her first grade class. We had no idea what we were getting, and now we are sorta stuck with two hens, a Gold Laced Polish roo, and a Dominique roo. The Dominique is the problem child. Believe me, we didn't want to have two roos and only two hens, and with most hateries closed we have been sorta stuck. Sadly, we love all our chickens too much to want to give any of them away, but we are about to reach our limit.

We love these chickens like pets, and we are currently facing the hard reality that we will probably have to give one of the roos away. "Ash", the Dominique, is a fairly aggressive roo. He hasn't drawn blood from anyone yet, but he has bit a neighbor, and will run up on us if we turn our back on him. He even tries to flog my mother when we try to put them up at night. My little sister doesn't want to go outside anymore because he scares her, and we have to carry shovels rakes and or brooms just in case he attackers.

Him and the Polish fought it out for a few weeks, and the Polish ultimately came out on top. The Dom now gets chased around the yard by the polish and will stay distant from the rest of the flock.

I personally like the Dom, mainly because he is a good* roo. He will defend his flock, and is aggressive to anything he hasn't seen before. We have lost two chickens to a bobcat, and one little chick to a snake, so you can see why I argue we should keep this roo. We can't watch over the flock 24/7, so the next best thing is a big bad roo, right?

However, we've done everything to teach him that WE are not a threat. We tried holding him, and he would bite us, staring him down when he challenges us, but he doesn't care, I've even tried chasing him around the yard with a broom in the hopes that I could scare him straight, to no avail. The polish roo is more kind* to us, he hasn't attacked any of us yet, but I don't think he is a good protector. I'm under the impression that a roo that runs FROM me probably isn't going to challenge a cat or a hawk.

I'm writing this to see if there are any more things we can try to do to stop this aggression towards us. I want to exhaust all my resources before we attempt to give him away. I've heard of a method where you grab the roo and hold his head to the ground, would this work?

Any tips would be greatly appreciated!

Attached is a picture of the roo in question.

 

[JacinLarkwell]

Unfortunately once they start actively challenging you, there isn't much you can do

 

[NatJ]

"Ash", the Dominique, is a fairly aggressive roo. He hasn't drawn blood from anyone yet, but he has bit a neighbor, and will run up on us if we turn our back on him. He even tries to flog my mother when we try to put them up at night. My little sister doesn't want to go outside anymore because he scares her, and we have to carry shovels rakes and or brooms just in case he attackers.

I would NOT keep this rooster. Given what you describe, I do not think it is possible to change his behavior. Certainly not a permanent change, and probably not even a temporary change.

The polish roo is more kind* to us, he hasn't attacked any of us yet, but I don't think he is a good protector. I'm under the impression that a roo that runs FROM me probably isn't going to challenge a cat or a hawk.

Have you seen either rooster react to a predator? Chasing people may have nothing to do with chasing other animals.

You might be able to test it--put the mean rooster in a cage somewhere out of the way (house or garage), borrow someone's cat, and sit it near the chickens. Watch what the Polish rooster does.

We have lost two chickens to a bobcat, and one little chick to a snake, so you can see why I argue we should keep this roo. We can't watch over the flock 24/7, so the next best thing is a big bad roo, right?

Maybe not. A bobcat should have no trouble killing a rooster. A big rooster might manage to protect against a small snake, but a mother hen could do the same thing.