Preventing aggressive behaviour in cockerels/ roos

[Killer Tomato]

My bantam Cochin does just fine roosting on a 4.5' high roost. He has mostly LF hens and they all listen to him.

I'll email the rooster lady.

 

[tjo804]

Good luck!
We will need to see some pictures

 

[Killer Tomato]

The gift from my first rooster.

You can see why I'm a little hesitant! The scar down my nose is a phallic symbol -- which is funny.... one year later.

 

[tjo804]

So sorry that you had that experience.

 

[Killer Tomato]

Awww, thanks.

It happens -- he was a cuddle bug (hand raised, well loved chicks in our bathroom), then the hormones kicked in. We tried, but as new chicken keepers, he had our number, and I could never regain the upper hand.

It took months, but I found him a great farm, with an experienced chicken gal, and they adore each other. He doesn't even give her "side eye". He would fly over roof tops to stalk and chase me (and cats, dogs, bunnies, the mailman, random strangers), but he rides around in the tractor with her!

You see why I'm cautious about the rooster thing -- maybe it's not about "reducing aggression" in a young cockerel, as sometimes it's just heredity. And I'll be the first to admit it, maybe I'm the screw up in the rooster relationship. I'm not being self-pitying, just honest. If I don't have what it takes to "raise em up right" then I shouldn't be doing it!

We'll see how it goes -- always an adventure!

 

[tjo804]

Just read the articles in the learning center on roosters. There are some good ones that may help you see a problem, BEFORE it becomes on. Understanding his instinctual behaviors will benefit both of you

Plus you are armed with BYC!

 

[Killer Tomato]

Yup!!! I've been reading everything I could ever since my Sweetie said, "Maybe we should think about getting a rooster again."

How is the crow with your cochin? A little quieter than a full size roo? We're fine with crowing, and so are the neighbors (*they* have roosters), I'd just like something a little less harsh than the RIR and Easter Egger next door. Those dudes have some serious pipes. But I HATE how shrill Seramas are for such little birds. Like, HATE their crows. I'll take the full size birds over a Serama any day.

We're so picky. lol.

 

[Sunshine Flock]

The gift from my first rooster.

You can see why I'm a little hesitant! The scar down my nose is a phallic symbol -- which is funny.... one year later.

Ha! War wounds!!

A childhood friend was thrown from a horse, trampled and broke both legs. For the first year or two of high school she was in a wheelchair. One leg is now permanently shorter than the other one.

No one dared smack their hand at the horse and threaten to put her down, or accused the owner or my friend of poor horse handling. They accepted this as an accident that a more mature rider probably would have known how to avoid, and then they reviewed what had happened and used it as a learning opportunity.

With roosters we have different expectations and responses. When a neighbor put down a rooster and I asked him why, he called the boy some horrible names and said he didn't know how to obey. But he never made any effort to learn how to work with his rooster.

He was inconvenienced, broke the bird's neck, and disposed of the body without processing it for meat. He's a hunter, so this was especially disappointing.

The plight of the rooster is quite sad.

I'm sure plenty of roosters have had the same thing happen to them just so I can have chicken on the dinner table. That's why I'm considering either becoming a vegetarian again or confronting this and creating a rooster flock someday. I can't this year. The husband element says no way. But my intention is to raise laying hens and meat chickens, so it's bound to happen in my near future.

For now, there's dear Henry and his three sons. Today a neighbor's friend expressed interest in adopting them and raising the boys as pets on her farm. I'm elated. With eight of the ten Henry eggs fertile, I'm likely to see even more roosters next year. It's good knowing there are people who would welcome some as pets.

It's also good having a backup plan and being open to the freezer option.



(I thought I'd give myself a thumbs up. It's been a rough day for reasons that have nothing to do with chickens, believe it or not.)

 

[tjo804]

I am not up for the vegetarian thingie, but I do not buy eggs or chicken from the grocery store. In all honesty we do not eat chicken, but with a future breeding program we may start. I hear there are many great recipes.

We eat park or beef, but sadly do not have room to raise our own. Nor would my husband eat it if he saw its face. Food disconnect.

 

[KentuckyRooster]

My cocks are all lovely boys and a lot of it comes down to genetics. Serama and gamefowl are gentle birds with people and should never be bred if they are not. Since I breed, they absolutely must be to standard and have excellent personalities.

A roo can be worked with but only to a point. My mojo pecked my fingers which was him being saucy but never flogged or jumped at me, so I tapped him and said no and he cut it out- he was testing boundaries. He can still be bred as he's perfect now. If he was flogging and being horrid I would have been unable to keep him in my program.