Our Rooster has become a terror-- suggestions please

I had one of those too (resistant to all types of behavior modification), and put off dealing with him for WAY WAY too long. But then I did. So, my suggestion is:

Catch him at night when he's asleep. Dispatch and clean him. Then an hour in a pressure cooker, or a few hours at a *bare simmer* (do not let it boil AT ALL), then use however you like. Recommend things like chicken salad, casserole with noodles, chicken pot pie. It will be the tastiest meat you've had in your life, and the broth makes superb soup.

The hens will be fine without him, the other rooster will be thrilled (once he gets over the surprise and adjustment) to be your flock rooster, and life will roll merrily along with fewer emergency room visits
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Best of luck, and commiserations,

Pat
 
I think she said the other rooster was one in the neighborhood she could hear.

We had a similar scenario, and dispatched and ate "Joe" a few weeks ago. (He was a year old and we roasted him like a turkey at Thanksgiving. Cooked that way he wasn't too tough.)

The hens haven't even noticed the other rooster crowing a few houses down. They do miss male "companionship," and will squat when either my husband or I approach. But in a few weeks or so, one of the baby cockerels may take over Joe's spot in the flock.

It is SO nice not to be awakened at 5 A.M. or have to be alert to an attack when I'm working in the yard! You'll appreciate the difference.
 
If he caused your husband to have to get stitches, I wouldn't try to rehome him. He could possibly seriously injure a small child.
As much as I loved one particular rooster I had-he did not share my feelings. He would get me in the back of the legs, which was bad enough, but when he went for my face the 3rd time, he had to go.
Sometimes making those hard decisions are what's best.
 
Yeah, I don't think you should keep him. And I wouldn't worry about your hens going after your neighbor's rooster. Hens just don't care that much. Now, if that other rooster knows about your hens, you might just gain a rooster instead (of losing your hens).

And I'll just add too that, if you do try to get him at night, you might consider wearing some work gloves. When he wakes up from you grabbing him, he will peck you. I wear gloves to transfer my roo to the breeding pen, otherwise he pecks, pulls and twists. I've gotten a lot of bruises...
 
Time for him to go. The hens will be fine without him and will not go seeking another rooster. There is no place in the flock for overly aggressive roosters. It is a trait which can be passed on genetically so he should be removed from the gene pool. Very interestingly gamecocks are among the least human aggressive roosters because they have been stringently culled for against this trait.
 
I have the same problem with two roosters. They are in seperate pens so its not about who is boss. I raised one of the roosters (black sex-link from a chick. What i have readed is to catch them, seperate them for a while. I even tied both my roosters up by the feet and let them hang for a while. Its all a matter of proving to them who is boss.
You really cant blame the rooster. He is just doing his job. Other than mating with a hen his second and most important job is to protect his hens from anything and every thing and he sees you as a problem.
btw both roosters are very gentle compaired to being seperated. Each has his own pen and when the time is right i will put the hens i want him to mate with in his pen for few days then when i have enought eggs i will remove them.
You dont need a rooster unless you are wanting to continue a certain breed or have more hens. Its cheaper to buy little chicks, and get what you want than feed a rooster all year.
Harley
 
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If you'd like to keep this rooster, WAIT--Try this first!

I've found this method almost always cures a problem with an aggressive rooster:

When rooster charges you, grab him. Easiest way to catch can be by grabbing leg (Be sure to not pick roo up off ground by leg--just grab him by leg), or catching him by net. It may be good to keep roo in coop where he's easier to catch for a few days during training period.

After you grab him, pick him up & carry him around in one arm (with his wings held against his body) several minutes as you do chores. Let him watch you work around his ladies. Then pet him a little & put him back down. If he charges again, pick him up again. Do not allow any attacks to go un-consequenced during training.

This seems to make a rooster realize:
* People are bigger than me & have more power than me.
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* A person can take control of me whenever they want. A person will take control of me if I attack.
* The ladies are all going to see me one-upped by a person if I attack. [So embarrassing!]
* I will miss out on running around, sharing any treats, & all other fun for a few minutes if I attack.
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* This person is not going to actually do anything mean or purposefully threatening to me.
* Even if I'm not fighting this person off, the things this person does that seem threatening to my flock actually don't harm my flock.
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* I do not have any valid need to attack this person to protect my flock or myself.

I believe this method will work with most roosters within 4-8 sessions.
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They may need an infrequent reminder session once in a while, but not often.

Good luck!
 
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I had a beautiful Black Australorp Rooster that I spent weeks rehabilitating..... and he only got meaner and meaner..... I tried carrying him around... petting him..... talking sweet ...... weeks and weeks.....

When I realized that I was getting a stomach ache everytime I needed to feed or water or collect eggs.....( he had taken the JOY out of chickens for me... )

I sent him off to "punkinpeeps prep school" for freezer camp-- and then hand delivered him to the sweet family who originally owned him.. He had literally chased one of their girls onto a trampoline just to get away from him.

Mean Roosters are meant for the freezer.....
 

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