Occasionally Aggressive Rooster question.

[jenlear]

I hope this is not offensive to anyone and I may just be crazy but, could my menstrual cycle affect how my rooster acts towards me?

A little back story: I have a rooster I've had for a few years. He was given to us by a friend because he was trying to kill the other smaller roos and we did not have any chickens at the time. Our previous tiny flock of 4 had been killed (we believe it was raccoon) a few months before so we took him in. We had raised the previous four from chicks and except for the occasional top trying to challenge us (very rare) we had no issue with them. But the new rooster was EXTREMELY aggressive when we first got him, his previous owner had been keeping him in a medium size dog crate away from the others so I am guessing it made him extra mean. You could not get near him or he would literally try to kill you. (I also do not think his previous owner was very kind.) I worked with him over the next couple of years, talking to him, feeding him treats and even building him a new coop and run but he was still aggressive and it was almost impossible to get inside the run unless he was locked in the coop, which is difficult. So we got him some friends, three pullets (now hens) and that seemed to calm him tremendously but I continued to spend time with him and feed him treats, he will take them from my hand (the girls still will not) and coos and cahhs when he sees me coming. He has even let me pet him through the fence a time or two and will allow me access to the run to feed/water them. He even listens when I tell him to go to the other side or back down his ladder (when collecting eggs). He does not particularly like my husband so this has become my job and has gotten tons easier except for that week or so out of the month. It is the only time he tries to charge and is very aggressive with me and is the only common denominator I can think of.

Has anyone else experienced this or is it all in my head? I tried to do some searches but couldn't find anything so I thought I would give this a try. Could there be something I am missing?

My mother in law was born and raised on a farm down in KY. Im in SW Ohio where they moved up to. She told me stay away from Roosters when it was that "time of them month". And she was right! I was in my late 20's early thirty. I got attacked by the Rooster. Jumped up to my face an attacking me. I knocked its ass out with a shovel. LOL. He was fine, just knocked out. Strange but very very true! I got all chickens now, no jackass roosters ever again. lol.

 

[CoopBoots]

This is super interesting. I wonder if chickens can smell a lot more than originally thought?

Interesting paper on insect-eating birds using pheromones to help locate prey:

https://www.mdpi.com/2079-7737/10/10/1010

I've never noticed more aggression at such times, but then I don't think the chicken yard is the most comfortable place to be at that time either I just send my husband if I'm very unwell!