Problem Rooster

[Ed Tritcak]

My wife and I are having problems with our rooster. He is a year and a half old and we raised him from an egg. He was super sweet as a little boy but has taken a negative turn. He now attacks us when we sometimes enter the outside run. He’s also tough on our 9 hens when he mounts them, ripping their back feathers off to raw skin. We’ve tried talking sweet to him, picking him up and carrying him around like a football when he attacks us, pushing his head to the ground when he attacks all with no results. We want to keep him because he’s beautiful and a pure bread Dominique Heritage but if he continues my wife has threatened to put him in the soup pot. Any suggestions?

 

[M-H-Fielding]

My wife and I are having problems with our rooster. He is a year and a half old and we raised him from an egg. He was super sweet as a little boy but has taken a negative turn. He now attacks us when we sometimes enter the outside run. He’s also tough on our 9 hens when he mounts them, ripping their back feathers off to raw skin. We’ve tried talking sweet to him, picking him up and carrying him around like a football when he attacks us, pushing his head to the ground when he attacks all with no results. We want to keep him because he’s beautiful and a pure bread Dominique Heritage but if he continues my wife has threatened to put him in the soup pot. Any suggestions?

There is almost no way to tame aggressive roosters, as far as I know. We always have a second rooster or a male turkey on hand to make the aggressive roos behave themselves.
There is a possibility that he will grow out of it, but most likely not. Maybe try getting another bigger rooster?

 

[Ridgerunner]

I have been able to train a human aggressive rooster to not attack me. I was not able to train him to not attack my wife or anyone else. I have had a few young cockerels just feeling their hormones act up. By quickly putting hem in their place some have turned out OK, some not.

If they are older and anywhere consistent about attacking me or others they are soup. I'm not going to risk my grandkids. In my opinion there are too many beautiful purebred or other roosters out there to put up with a dangerous one.

 

[MarkJr]

Suggestions?? Salt, pepper, garlic and onion powder. Onion, celery, carrots and home made egg noodles.

 

[Matejka]

Suggestions?? Salt, pepper, garlic and onion powder. Onion, celery, carrots and home made egg noodles.

And water.

 

[Jmiller89]

Tried the face in dirt a few times on our rooster but he always got over it in a week or so. The last time I tried it I couldn’t catch him and ended up chasing him all over for a good ten minutes whacking his butt as a did. He has left me alone for two months now and gives me space when I enter the run. Every once in awhile I will walk towards him threateningly and he takes off. May not be the nicest way but it saved his life because he was on his way to the pot with that behavior.

 

[bobbi-j]

Suggestions?? Salt, pepper, garlic and onion powder. Onion, celery, carrots and home made egg noodles.

This. ^

Sure, you could maybe train him to leave you alone, and there is a slight chance your wife could do the same, but why would you want to put your hens through that day after day?

 

[RebelEgger]

There is a good article called ‘Rooster Behaviour Modification’ on here by @Beekissed.
I’m using the advice given with it on my young cockerel. Maybe it can help you too?

 

[IamRainey]

I am just going through the same issue and here's the thread where I got real help if it's of interest. Embodied in it is another older post (yup! it's Beekissed's) explaining the animal psychology of it. Hint: it doesn't suggest carrying is going to be effective.

I just wrote to say that after 10 days of following their joint advice I've lost my self-consciousness about entering the chicken yard, I've (I'm pretty sure) established myself as the dominant with my rooster and I've been able to handle a hen without any interference from him.

No idea yet, whether my success will extend to anyone else but I'm the one who goes out and works with them so this isn't such a big concern. If my husband needs to spend time working it out with Rocky then he'll just have to employ the same strategy.

As for the hens, I just think they'll need to put in some time, experience and mastery to get more "elegant" and feather-friendly copulation. We have that issue too. If any relief for that is in sight I'll report back.