Rehoming my Roo?

[GPLAMS6]

Hi everybody,

I'm looking at rehoming my roo and am feeling quite sad about it. He's a buff Orrington about 4 months. He has his little routine with eating his mash and frozen strawberries. He loves the camera and will stand and pose for countless pictures. Lol He's very good at keeping the girls in checks and protecting them while they free range but lately He's not only crowing lots and lots (there is a roo several doors up and I swear they have a crowing contest) but he's become aggressive to my daughter. Which I can not will not have. She loves the chickens and loves him and cries that she doesn't want him to be sad living somewhere else. He somehow went from being just the sweetest (his name is actually Lovey) he would sit on her lap and she'd read to him until he feel asleep to being downright mean towards her. So I guess my questions are... Is there anyway his aggressive behavior will chill with age? Should I rehome a hen with him for company? He can not stay being mean to her the way he is..that's not an option!
Thanks for the info...I'm a 1st time chicken mom. And they are pets to us.

 

[3KillerBs]

A rooster that is aggressive to a child really has to go. The attack will come spurs-first at a child's eye level.

It's going to be very difficult to rehome a rooster who has demonstrated aggressive behavior unless to a person who intends to eat him. (Please don't conceal the aggression -- someone could get hurt). That's a sad fact of keeping chickens.

Unfortunately, it's often the boldest, "friendliest" cockerels who become dangers because they have no fear and many have been in your difficult position before. There's little that can be done about rooster aggression, especially with a child's safety in the equation, but you'll find plenty of support here.

 

[Isadora]

Hi everybody,

I'm looking at rehoming my roo and am feeling quite sad about it. He's a buff Orrington about 4 months. He has his little routine with eating his mash and frozen strawberries. He loves the camera and will stand and pose for countless pictures. Lol He's very good at keeping the girls in checks and protecting them while they free range but lately He's not only crowing lots and lots (there is a roo several doors up and I swear they have a crowing contest) but he's become aggressive to my daughter. Which I can not will not have. She loves the chickens and loves him and cries that she doesn't want him to be sad living somewhere else. He somehow went from being just the sweetest (his name is actually Lovey) he would sit on her lap and she'd read to him until he feel asleep to being downright mean towards her. So I guess my questions are... Is there anyway his aggressive behavior will chill with age? Should I rehome a hen with him for company? He can not stay being mean to her the way he is..that's not an option!
Thanks for the info...I'm a 1st time chicken mom. And they are pets to us.

Hello there! I would suggest you use the search bar function at the top of the page and use terms like aggressive rooster, and such like. You will be shocked how many threads come up about this very subject. People will suggest various things such as holding the rooster, forcing him down onto the ground until he submits, kicking him, ETC. Personally, I have very young kids and I can't take a chance with attempting to rehab an aggressive rooster. Just recently I had a cockerel, similar age to yours, who had chased a couple of my children and then attempted to attack me and my son. I asked my husband to butcher him and he was dinner the next day. I was originally hesitant to do anything about it (when the kids told me he had chased them) since he was a beautiful bird and my favorite of the two cockerels I had, but again, couldn't take a risk that one of my children gets their eye taken out. Of course, you can try some of the rehabbing methods, but I wouldn't stake too much hope on them. Once a rooster gets it into his head that it's okay to attack people, it's very hard to change his mind. He's also right at the age where his hormones are surging and it will be hard for him to think logically rather than react to perceived threats (your daughter).
Good luck, I'm sorry about this. A lot of roosters have broken people's hearts with their behavior.

 

[HeathenHavenHomestead]

Our 2 favorite cockerels went from kind to chasing down my daughter and attacking her. She is almost 2 and has done nothing wrong to the chickens except become their friend and when they no longer feared her they attacked her then my husband. And they met the chopping block.
They always seem to be the most handsome of chickens too.
Looks and a bad attitude.
We rehomed a cockrel today because he attempted 2x to flog my daughter but I knocked him away before he could #ninjamom
I let the new owners know he does great with the Pullets and chicks but unfortunately he flogged our daughter so we can’t keep him. He said he had kids also but his chickens are penned so they can’t interact with each other. Unlike ours being free range.
It’s not worth trying to teach them “whose boss” because if you do it they will fear you again but not your daughter. She would have to be the one to teach them she’s bigger and badder. But can you risk an attack still happening and her lose an eye?
Ive read too many horror stories about people who thought their chickens would do no wrong and were attacked and brutally injured.
Chickens are tiny raptors.
I wish you the best. No wrong choices when eliminating a threat to your child.

 

[pennyJo1960]

I was taught at a very young age to hold the rooster down to the ground. I was no more than three Grandma sent me to the coop with small stick like for walking. I was told to use it to hold him down say NO as loud as I could. Then stand up turn my back and leave he never went for me after. Always had my walking stick still do

 

[Ceakmama]

We culled 2 and gave the 3rd away. My 3 year old was attacked by my favorite young roo, out of nowhere. He was rehomed days later and we've been much happier without him. The pullets seem happier without a roo. I don't miss them.