Reforming an aggressive rooster (project)

[LaurenRitz]

Something occurred to me that I hadn't considered before.

Taking into account, first, that the family I got the rooster from said there was no human aggression when they had him. Plenty of rooster aggression, which is why they wanted to get rid of him.

Like many here, they have a 0 tolerance policy for rooster aggression.

This suggests that something about being at my house triggered this.

I guessed that part of it was my own behavior, which I have worked to modify, with some success.

2nd, I had no time to get ready for him. I knew he was coming, eventually, but then it was "He's fighting too much with the other roosters, we're on our way."

Since I didn't have the isolation box ready, he was in a small cage. He did have food and water, but I could swear he tipped them over on purpose, growling at me all the time.

I don't think he ate or drank during that time. I was going to leave him in the cage for a week, but I didn't want him dying and the girls were doing fine having him around, so I let him out after about a day and a half.

So he started his experience here with hunger, thirst, anger and fear, things he had probably never experienced. And most likely from his perspective, I was doing this to him.

Humans are the bringer of food, after all.

Third, shortly before I got him I had reduced the amount of food because the girls were leaving a lot, and I didn't think to increase it when I got the rooster.

I think that first attack, as @centrarchid suggested, was feed bucket aggression. He was hungry, and as the bringer of food I was responsible. It is notable that there were no spurs involved in that first attack. Bruises, yes.

By responding as I did, both by hitting back and by my reactions after the fact, I reinforced the behavior.

 

[Mrs. K]

I disagree. I think you are falling into the trap of blaming yourself for his behavior. In a way, if it is your fault you can change and the bird will too.

I see a different scenario. The people who had him saw aggression and the writing on the wall. Aggressive behavior is aggressively behavior. It really does not matter if it is toward people or birds. It is not who is being attacked, but rather who is doing the attack.

A very common pattern for aggressive birds is to take on larger and larger victims. First starting with flockmates, larger birds, children, women, and men. Working up the chain.

While I agree the move upset him, it has no influence a week later. They just do not have that reasoning skill.

I have watched this thread to see if there was something different but I don’t.

Be very aware, you really cannot trust this bird. It is very hard for animal lovers to have roosters sometimes.

 

[LaurenRitz]

I disagree. I think you are falling into the trap of blaming yourself for his behavior. In a way, if it is your fault you can change and the bird will too.

I see a different scenario. The people who had him saw aggression and the writing on the wall. Aggressive behavior is aggressively behavior. It really does not matter if it is toward people or birds. It is not who is being attacked, but rather who is doing the attack.

A very common pattern for aggressive birds is to take on larger and larger victims. First starting with flockmates, larger birds, children, women, and men. Working up the chain.

While I agree the move upset him, it has no influence a week later. They just do not have that reasoning skill.

I have watched this thread to see if there was something different but I don’t.

Be very aware, you really cannot trust this bird. It is very hard for animal lovers to have roosters sometimes.

I think the move upset him, yes, but I think being hungry upset him more. I don't blame myself for his behavior, but I was trying to figure out how feed bucket aggression could end up with an all-out war, and this is one possible connection.

Maybe I won't be able to help him. If that is the case I'll cull, but I want to give him a chance first. His behavior has already moderated, to a point. I am still being wary, and I know the process will continue.

 

[LaurenRitz]

Progress report, in a sense.

He hasn't tried to attack me since the beginning of April, but I haven't had a chance to do much training either.

He's wary when I let them out in the morning and will sometimes duck back into the coop until I leave the run. Other than that he keeps out of my way.

He doesn't growl when I go in the coop anymore, or follow me in, or jump down from his roost to growl at the door when he hears me coming.

So progress on some level. I will continue to update with relevant suppositions, behavior changes or training issues.

 

[Mrs. K]

Meanwhile, I have a leghorn who is going the opposite way. Aggressive towards me, and yesterday and today he was very aggressive toward my hen, who I think is thinking about going broody. He is on borrowed time. He really doesn't like a bucket hanging from my hand.

Chickens! they drive you nuts.

 

[LaurenRitz]

Meanwhile, I have a leghorn who is going the opposite way. Aggressive towards me, and yesterday and today he was very aggressive toward my hen, who I think is thinking about going broody. He is on borrowed time. He really doesn't like a bucket hanging from my hand.

Chickens! they drive you nuts.

Yes, they do. But if we weren't nuts already, would we have this kind of pass time?

 

[LaurenRitz]

Interesting what a difference small changes make. As always, I went out armored (3 pairs of pants) but the pair I usually have on the outside was dirty so I wore a different color.

I opened the door to let the chickens out (they free range each afternoon) and they were scared to pass me.

 

[kathtus]

Very interesting. Can you guess the reason for my screen name? One if my roosters, all of whom I had since little chicks and raised, has pecked at my hand twice and broke the skin. I chocked it up to an accident as I was feeding them treats from my hands. Then few days later he was standing on a board that is about knee high, and stretched the distance of about to feet to get my leg. He drew blood again and put a big strach with his beak right above my knee.
So, I called him my evil rooster and named him Lucifer. Sometimes Lucy for short.LOL.
We have a strange relationship. He always comes running to me when he sees me. If I give him treats he will make happy noises.
However I never trust him. I don't want to be wearing shorts anywhere near him.
He does give signs of wanting to attack me but is too big of a chicken to do it head on.
I will talk to him and always keep an eye on him. In a strange way I like this guy and want to keep him.

Ohhhhh!!! Hee hee. I have the SAME situation. I also want to keep my rooster "Qtip". .... Qtip was so sweet up until he morphed into almost full adult rooster .

Today he decided to peck my feeding hand then looked straight into my face like, "Yeah.... I just PECKED your hand.... yes I did".

I looked at him eye to eye and flicked him away and we both realized , I think, that the rooster evolution has revealed itself and things are changing.

My sweet Qtip is changing. He is becoming a rooster. A real rooster..... and now I have to change my strategies.

I love him though and will put the efforts into getting though this morph with him while allowing him to remain the big protective boy he is without terrorizing his human owner.

 

[TropicalChickies]

Hello,

I read this thread with interest last night. How is it going now with your rooster?

 

[TropicalChickies]

The strangest thing of all to me is we are talking about a 5 kilo max bird more often than not v a human at least 10x that bodyweight. When someone brings me a 50 kilo rooster I might be worried.

Now, there's a thought