Rooster aggression help?

[Kellyjean86]

 

[nuthatched]

Can you provide more information about the issue, please?

 

[Kellyjean86]

I have 4 roosters and 15 hens. I have hand raised them all at the same time. They are my first flock. I have one, possible 2 (they are a little hard to tell apart at a distance) that have started attacking anyone but ME who comes into their territory. (And by territory I mean wherever they happen to be at the time) Usually from behind. They fly up and sorta do this chest bump thing. He chased my grand daughter and my friend last week and has started bowing up to my dad and my husband even after they knock them down. None of them have EVER done this to me. In fact they have all been super friendly and seem to be attached to me.
I feed them pet them bring them treats and clean their coop daily with no issues but the rest of the family is now afraid of them and calling for their demise. I know we have too many roosters for the amount of girls I have, but aside from getting rid of them is there anything else I can do? I had fantasized about the grand children being able to play around them and feeding them by hand like I do but I can't even risk it at this point. Help please?!!!

 

[nuthatched]

You must cull them if they're a threat to children or anyone. I'm sorry.
Unfortunately, petting and hand feeding can encourage aggressive behavior in cockerls since they lose their fear of people.

 

[Mrs. K]

Hand raising, and being raised together really has very little influence on chicken behavior. They really are not pets like puppies and kittens, where as if those are raised with love, they become life long companions. It is far more genetic with them.

IMO, your day is coming, and probably soon. Most inexperienced people can vastly underestimate the violence of the attack. And the attacks become more aggressive each time.

They generally attack children, then women, then men. I am surprised that they attacked your husband and dad first, but I am pretty confident that they will be sizing you up soon. This forum is filled with stories of the darlings becoming the night mare.

A lot of people have tried to change behavior, very few with long term success, and some while will have success with themselves, any one else is fair game. The problem, is that once they have started to be aggressive, it is too late. They have gotten the high from the attack, and will continue to do so. I do think that one needs to insist on a space of respect, when raising cockerel chicks, I don't hand feed mine or even touch them. But no matter how you raise them, how you walk, what you do, a lot of it is genetics, and when they come out, it is pretty much game over.

You state early in the post, you know you have too many roosters, for the setup, well IMO, these bought a ticket to supper.

Mrs K

 

[Anon112]

If you don't want to cull these roosters, you need to create a situation (like a penned in grazing area/run/etc) where they cannot get at people.

I still have the rooster who sneak attacked me, and he has seriously mellowed since that time and I never have issues with him anymore. But at the time I (a large adult human) got a really nasty puncture would and GIANT bruise and had to go to urgent care for a tetanus booster (henceforth known in my friend circle as the "rooster booster"). After that happened, I had to really be more cautious about when and how he was allowed out and about to free range.

They absolutely should not be free ranging when the kids are around, in my opinion. A rooster can jump pretty high to attack and could easily get at a child's face/eyes/throat with their spurs.

 

[Kellyjean86]

Hand raising, and being raised together really has very little influence on chicken behavior. They really are not pets like puppies and kittens, where as if those are raised with love, they become life long companions. It is far more genetic with them.

IMO, your day is coming, and probably soon. Most inexperienced people can vastly underestimate the violence of the attack. And the attacks become more aggressive each time.

They generally attack children, then women, then men. I am surprised that they attacked your husband and dad first, but I am pretty confident that they will be sizing you up soon. This forum is filled with stories of the darlings becoming the night mare.

A lot of people have tried to change behavior, very few with long term success, and some while will have success with themselves, any one else is fair game. The problem, is that once they have started to be aggressive, it is too late. They have gotten the high from the attack, and will continue to do so. I do think that one needs to insist on a space of respect, when raising cockerel chicks, I don't hand feed mine or even touch them. But no matter how you raise them, how you walk, what you do, a lot of it is genetics, and when they come out, it is pretty much game over.

You state early in the post, you know you have too many roosters, for the setup, well IMO, these bought a ticket to supper.

Mrs K

I know you are all probably right but it makes me very sad. One of the two showing these behaviors was my favorite and alwasy greets me first before anyone else. I will def not be eating them but I know Ill have to find somewhere for them to go and will likely send them to the big coop in the sky