Rooster aggression or maturing?

[Ridgerunner]

If you brought home a puppy that proved to be vicious around your child regardless of how much you tried to train it, would you keep it as a house pet? You are dealing with living animals. They can make great pets but sometimes you have to make hard decisions when dealing with living animals. I'm not going to pretend its always easy.

 

[Vickis Girls]

Everyone here is right on. Just before Christmas my huge cockerel grabbed my pant leg when I went out to deliver treats, and I thought he was just being impatient. Then I realized that sound he had been making for two weeks prior was actually growling. He would turn his head sideways, and look up at me with that one eye, growling and I knew right then what he had in mind for me. I spent the next couple of days shooing him out of the coop while I cleaned it.If I was outside the run he would see me and come running, snarling. His last night here I had gone to lock up the coop(same routine as always), and when I opened the door, there he STOOD in the window, giving me that stink eye, growling, and now higher than me.I got up on the lower roost(made me higher), turned him around with my gloved hand, pushed him down, and exited. It's a much more peaceful place without him now. The girls and young cockerels snuggle together at night, I'm getting over my fear from that terrorist, and once again I can go clean out the coop with mere caution. I'll always believe he was mental because I hatched him, and he was a sole hatchling. He was brooded by humans, no hatchmates, no broody, just a mirror and a lot of human interaction. I'm still learning the dynamics of a flock. It's weird that the more affection you show a cockerel, the more he just could hate you for it later.So glad puppies aren't like that.
Mi2bugz, I wish you luck. If he takes out someone's eye, you'll have many regrets. You know what you need to do.

 

[bobbi-j]

You have to do what you think is right by your daughter, but in my opinion, you're not doing her any favors by lying to her. Kids are resilient, and while they might not be happy with decisions we make, they do come to understand them eventually. After all, if she finds out you've lied to her about this, she's going to wonder what else in her world isn't true. I would say, "Honey, we could not keep this rooster around because we didn't want him to hurt someone - especially you. This is part of owning chickens, Sweetheart. When we get a mean one, we have to be responsible." You're telling her the truth, and she will grow up being able to handle some of the tougher things in life better. My (grown) sons were raised on the family farm. We got a week-old bull calf from a friend who had sold all his dairy cows and this little guy was the only one left on the farm. My sons (Ages 10, 8 and 5) named him Butch. When asked why, they said, "Well, we're gonna butcher him anyway, Mom!"

 

[Roxannemc]

I have maybe 10 roos in my yard..only one Meanie a Lavender Ameracauna is at all mean but most are brahma or part so maybe thats why they all are sweet..
Meanie is a pain he won t growl or warn you of an attack andneever from the front but always a rear attack once you turn your back.I chase him like another roo would do throw things at him and just when weeks go by and i think he has learned his lesson he bites my leg or attempts to.He follows me around one certain part of the yard by the Lavender Orp hens if i go there he trys to stay about 6 ft from me acts like hes just eating but if i turn ny back now and then he gets his courage up for an assault
.Hes pretty but on e day he will have to go as im tired of looking over my shoulder cussing him daily.
He isnt even the cock of the walk but we still have a hate relationship between us.My gentle english orp roo M2 is the boss will chase him off if around and other s will as well but he still wants to challenge me.now and then and hangs around always too close for confort.
I also raised him from an egg as i did all my others.My yard would be peaceful if he was gone b
He will be going this spring..

 

[Mrs. K]

Why wait, Roxanne?

 

[Ruthster55]

By throwing things at him, you are provoking him. You won't solve ANYTHING that way.

You need to be in control of the behavior in the chicken yard. If you can't bear to eat him, put him in a small "bachelor coop" by himself and away from the rest of the flock until he calms down.

For the original poster, it is better not to lie to children about what happens to a mean rooster. If you lie to the child, the child may grow up very confused about where food comes from, etc.

Read up on some recipes first so you feel confident about what to do with the rooster.

I have maybe 10 roos in my yard..only one Meanie a Lavender Ameracauna is at all mean but most are brahma or part so maybe thats why they all are sweet..
Meanie is a pain he won t growl or warn you of an attack andneever from the front but always a rear attack once you turn your back.I chase him like another roo would do throw things at him and just when weeks go by and i think he has learned his lesson he bites my leg or attempts to.He follows me around one certain part of the yard by the Lavender Orp hens if i go there he trys to stay about 6 ft from me acts like hes just eating but if i turn ny back now and then he gets his courage up for an assault
.Hes pretty but on e day he will have to go as im tired of looking over my shoulder cussing him daily.
He isnt even the cock of the walk but we still have a hate relationship between us.My gentle english orp roo M2 is the boss will chase him off if around and other s will as well but he still wants to challenge me.now and then and hangs around always too close for confort.
I also raised him from an egg as i did all my others.My yard would be peaceful if he was gone b
He will be going this spring..

 

[mi2bugz]

True...lying might confuse her but she has sensory integration disorder and I can't do anything the jeopardize the few things she eats. She has never liked eggs so having chickens that lay eggs isn't going to phase her but the rooster on the table might be the thing that throws her off from eating chicken nuggets (the only chicken she eats anyways..well the only thing she eats at all except spaghetti, peanut butter sandwiches, pizza and Mac n cheese). We have even gone to speech pathology to try to increase foods she will eat but no luck! So I will discuss with hubby best way to handle this so we won't hinder her eating. Thank you all for the direct answers...it is appreciated.