Roo behaving badly

[bantamfantom]

I have a large Roo that is a complete jerk!! He hears the back door open he comes to see you, he hears you pull in the driveway, he comes to see you, You go to the horse barn, he comes to see you, you are minding your own business weeding, he comes to see you. He goes to great lengths to attack me on a daily basis. How do I break him of attacking me? Besides SOUP!
I am not near his hens, he leaves them where ever and attacks me. They could be on the other side of the farm, he leaves them to attack me. Why is he such a jerk? He is starting to get really aggressive and drawing blood from me. I cannot go outside without watching my back. I don't like to keep him cooped up, but I may have to. Any suggestions?

No bypassing the language filter.

 

[Ridgerunner]

Instead of soup? Broth or stew. Or you might want to read this.

Gritsar’s Reform School
https://www.backyardchickens.com/web/viewblog.php?id=4810

I find that I can teach them not to attack me. But my wife or any visitors are still targets. If you have young kids around, I'd really be careful. Their eyes are on a good level for the rooster to find them with his spurs.

 

[Jeffross1968]

I did what I read somewhere on these boards, even if it seems kind of mean. My little golden sebright was doing the same thing. We'd sit outside in the evening and he'd come flapping up to me and peck me. I started smacking his beak. Not a big swing smack, but forceful enough that he understood he was doing something wrong. He soon moved to my wife and started approaching her in the same fashion. She didn't want to smack him, so she started using the hose. When he came at her, he'd get squirted. Had the same effect. It's been over a week now and his behavior has done a 180. He was always good with the hens, but he needed to learn he wasn't the alpha around here

 

[Happy Chooks]

I agree with Ridgerunner, you can try, but otherwise slow cook the mean roo.

 

[bantamfantom]

I have used the hose, I have picked him up and carried him around with me to do chores. He doesn't struggle. He even pecks the dogs, a large German Shepherd and a Labrodor. The cats run from him. Yersterday we had an altercation and he actually stayed away from me the rest of the time I was out there. I will see how he acts today when I get home. He meets me in the driveway. He doesn't attack right away, he waits for you to turn your back. Coward I guess. I thought we were making progress cause he left me alone for a few days, and then he turned rotten again. He is so pretty and we do not kill our animals. If my significant other had his way he would be dead. He wouldn't let him work on the tractor, get out of his car, go to his car or mow the lawn(riding mower). This bird has NO FEAR. He even tried to run the horse.

 

[Happy Chooks]

Pretty doesn't matter if he's mean. You can always give him to someone else that will make a meal of him, if you can't do it.

 

[bantamfantom]

I think I may put him in solitary for a while. I just hope the hens are witty enough without him. I can't get rid of him, he is one of my pets. He just has a behavior problem. We don't have kids so I don't have to worry about him hurting anyone but me. The boyfriend makes me lock him up if he has to be outside. The dogs learned to stay 2 feet away from him. There is a little justice, my one mini chases him out of the pen. That is amusing. He doesn't mess with the mini. But he did the full size horse once, all I heard was a good cackle and he came out of the stall in a hurry, must have been in the horses face.
We will work it out. Just need to spend more time with him.

 

[ih66series]

For me, it wouldn't be worth it to try to break him. Give him away or throw him on the grill.

 

[Blue]

Quote:
Even if he's a pet, I'd still consider getting rid of him just the way I wouldn't want to keep a dog that had turned vicious, if I couldn't find a way to correct the behavior. IMO, a pet that willfully physically injures you so badly that you're bleeding at every opportunity is no longer a pet, but a threat that needs to be dealt with, no matter how pretty the animal. If he's causing you serious injury and you can't change the behavior (especially if he's making you and your BF scared to go outside), I'd get rid of him (either by rehoming with full disclosure of his problem or by sending him to the freezer). If you're scared of him, he's no longer serving the purpose of a pet. What if someone comes over to visit, and he attacks him/her? A rooster that vicious has the potential to become a serious liability to you and your family.

I'm currently dealing with a bantam (Old English Game - who are known for have some mean roosters sometimes) rooster who occasionally likes to attack my feet when I go in his pen, though he's never tried to attack me when he's been out in the yard free ranging. Since he's tiny and is just now getting his spurs, there's no damage he can do (as long as I'm wearing shoes), but I'd still consider getting rid of him if he became as aggressive as your rooster sounds. I don't really consider him a pet, though, in the sense that I'm not really too attached to him, but he is very pretty. The way I see it in his case is that I got him for my hens to replace another rooster who got a bit aggressive when his hormones kicked in, and if this one gets too aggressive, there are plenty more roos out there. I've got 2 bantam ones growing at the moment, either of which could be his replacements if he gets too vicious. I realize you're attached to this roo, but there are so many good roos in the world that there's no sense in keeping a horrible one if he's making your life miserable.

Also, you may not want to breed him as aggression in chickens can have a genetic factor, so any of his offspring may inherit his temperament. One of the little roos I have now is the son of my meanish rooster, so he may also turn cocky (pun intended) later on, but right now he likes to sit on my shoulder and ride around (I do consider him a pet at the moment), so I'm hoping he took after the temperament of his mother (a little cochin hen), who is extremely docile and friendly...unless she's trying to go to sleep. lol!

 

[cafarmgirl]

The thing about a rooster like that is that, even if you spend lots of time and effort working with him, he will always be watching. He may conceed to you in the moment but every day he will watch for his chance, when your back is turned, to try you again.

I have a RIR roo who is not near that bad, he only threatens me if he thinks I'm after a hen. I've spent some time working with him, we've reached a decent undertanding and he now respects my space. BUT, I always carry a rake in the barn and I always have an eye on him. He is also confined to the coop/run or in the pasture with the hens, he is not allowed to just roam.

I raised him from a day old chick but I in no way consider him a pet. He's a mature rooster with a job to do, their natural instincts just don't lend well to being a pet. I agree with Blue, any animal whose #1 goal is to get to you and rip you to shreds to prove he's alpha is not a pet!