Opinions on rooster agression?

[FortCluck]

How'd the rooster just stop attacking people in a few days?

 

[centrarchid]

In some states, if the chicken is part of a farm, then getting harmed on the farm by accident that can include being attacked by livestock may not be something you as a visitor you can sue over. I will look into is more closely in the coming days to make certain that is correct and what it takes to be classified as a farm.

On second thought, bump rooster off now, bury it, and be quite.
https://extension2.missouri.edu/g453

Then shoot, shovel, and shutup trespassing neighbors.

Or make everyone sign something if they enter your property.

 

[Folly's place]

It's a good idea to understand the laws in your state, especially regarding liability, and what insurance coverage you might have, or not, if a problem occurs.
Mary

 

[pamiejune]

I read about this trick and have tried it and it works. If you have a roo that you really want to keep (they DO have a legitimate place in a flock and can be very valuable) but they are aggressive to you or other humans, you take said roo and swaddle him and carry him around as long as you can, like a baby. You could even swaddle him against your back and carry on with your farm chores. Do this every day and they will calm down and accept you as the "boss".

 

[bluefreeze]

I just had to jump in here too. I absolutely agree to never keep an aggressive roo. I have free range chickens. A bad roo chased my 80 yr old father resulting in a serious muscle pull, could've been worse. I had a mail lady who was attacked, she was terrified. One time, I ended up in urgent care when while being attacked, I swung at him, and he reared up and gored my hand, 2 holes and I still have a bit of a scar. MY rule now is BAD ROO = GONE. It is not worth it and NO they are NOT protecting their flock, they aren't at all predictable in that it only happens if someone is bothering the flock. It is random, I can be doing nothing and all of the sudden a roo is hurling toward me. All these roos over the years were hand raised by us as chicks. I tried all kinds of research and training and have no idea why some roos end up being horribly mean. IMO, it is a bad idea to keep a bad roo. They do get worse in my experience. I wish I had better answers but I just have been through so much in the past that I worry about any show of aggression. Really think about it, sorry!

 

[pamiejune]

I just had to jump in here too. I absolutely agree to never keep an aggressive roo. I have free range chickens. A bad roo chased my 80 yr old father resulting in a serious muscle pull, could've been worse. I had a mail lady who was attacked, she was terrified. One time, I ended up in urgent care when while being attacked, I swung at him, and he reared up and gored my hand, 2 holes and I still have a bit of a scar. MY rule now is BAD ROO = GONE. It is not worth it and NO they are NOT protecting their flock, they aren't at all predictable in that it only happens if someone is bothering the flock. It is random, I can be doing nothing and all of the sudden a roo is hurling toward me. All these roos over the years were hand raised by us as chicks. I tried all kinds of research and training and have no idea why some roos end up being horribly mean. IMO, it is a bad idea to keep a bad roo. They do get worse in my experience. I wish I had better answers but I just have been through so much in the past that I worry about any show of aggression. Really think about it, sorry!

I wonder, as I only get gentle breeds, if breed has any bearing on how aggressive a roo is. My Mom had RIR and White Leghorns over the years and the WL had the worst roos, very aggressive. I still can see the scars on my shins where I was gored. I have had a bantam roo in the past, I think he was a OEG roo and he was aggressive. We called him "Nasty" but he was easily rebuffed so not a problem. I have two roos now, a Speckled Sussex, and a Mille Fleur d'Uccle and they are both calm and gentle. The SS was hand-raised and held a lot as he went camping with us as a teen-chick. The MF we just got as a re-home and he was feisty with the girls at first, but my old Buff Brahma put him in his place and now he doesn't bother anyone; he's meek as a kitten. I can pick him up no problem. So I wondered if breed type has any bearing on a roo's temperament.

 

[Folly's place]

Breed can matter a bit, but family lines and the genetics of the individual cockerel matters more. There are human aggressive roosters in every breed, although some breeds have a higher percentage of them.
Management matters too, but there's no way to 'retrain' an awful one, that little brain doesn't work that way.
Selecting breeding stock, and avoiding the idiot jerks who attack the giants who feed them, is essential.
And, 'nasty roosters taste best'!
Mary

 

[bluefreeze]

I also wondered about breeds, but like the previous post, it never seemed to matter..Right now I am at a crossroads with it all. We live on 6 acres surrounded by rural farms, few neighbors. I mainly have chickens for the eggs, and to keep the insects/ticks down in the yard. So I would keep a roo to protect the hens. The most gentle and kind roo did a poor job of protecting the hens. The opposite with a mean roo. I had a wonderful roo this summer along with 8 chicks I raised...As adults, the roo was almost tame, coming to me whenever I called, he was so wonderful. One by one, I started losing hens until I was down to 4, then he dissappeared in the middle of the day. So obviously it is all relative, a nice roo doesn't always do a good job? A friend gave us a bunch of youngins, I have kept them in their fenced yard as they get used to their new home. I have a young roo I just discovered in this batch, and am leary of keeping him. A barred rock, which was my worst roo in the past...I don't know, let my chickens run free, take my chance on the roo? It is really a bummer, I don't want an aggressive roo, but I want my chickens to be free, it is just awful, this summer has really made me want to give up having chickens anymore. The neighbor promises me constantly that their dog is being controlled, then poof every few weeks there he is trying to get at the chickens..He is the one that took out my flock one by one I am sure of it, they want to pay me, I don't want their money! They don't seem to take it seriously. I don't know...

 

[Folly's place]

@bluefreeze , every choice has it's good and bad points.
No rooster can manage total flock protection! I love having roosters here, and they will alert to danger, but save hens directly? No, they are still only chickens, and any larger dog or other canine, or hawk, or whatever, will still mostly win.
When a bird comes up missing while free ranging, it's time to lock everyone in their safe coop and run, while the problem gets sorted out. Here, a bird missing every few days was often a hawk, but any predator will be happy to return if you don't protect your survivors.
Dogs generally kill many, and leave feathers and bodies everywhere, because it's sport, not about meals. If your neighbor is sure it's his dog, of course he owes you for them! A hit to the wallet can be incentive to fix the situation. If it's not his dog, he still needs to make sure the next time isn't on him.
Mary

 

[lifein1840]

What are your thoughts of an agressive rooster?the current rooster I have is pretty aggresive,people barely turn around and he attacks your legs,he has gotten me twice,one because I gave him my back and he attacked the back of my shoes,the other one because he was trying to mate with a hen and she ran into my legs,he freaked out and lashed out against my leg,only time he has made me bleed,I haven't been the only my grandmother,mother and also the dog have also been attacked,I'm honestly fine with him because he is just trying to protect the hens but my family thinks we should get rid of him because he is unpredictable.

Dispatch him as quickly as you can! Roosters can really hurt people. My friend's father lost his eye as a child to a mean rooster!!