Rooster Aggression

[aart]

I'm down to the 19 week Welsummer roo. He is already enjoying his new freedoms.

How long has it been?

I went thru the 3 cockerels thing this year.
The 2 more dominant were a hell raising team, 'attacking' the hens together.
Got rid of them and the previously totally quiet and docile cockerel turned into a hell raiser within a week. It was pretty interesting to observe, his comb enlarged and he starting crowing and chasing/mounting.

 

[Mixed flock enthusiast]

If it was aggressive to you, you did not get rid of the wrong one - especially if you have kids that want to interact with the chickens. A human aggressive rooster (or cockerel in your case) does not mean he’s a good flock protector. It means he’s not able to tell the difference between an actual threat to the flock and the giant who brings food. He’s not looking where he should be for a threat. He’s too busy attacking the non-threat.

There is no guarantee how that last cockerel will turn out whether you get rid of your older cockerel or not. He won’t be ready to be a flock leader until he’s a mature rooster. How old are your hens? Any adults, or are they all young as well?

What I would recommend for you, your wife and kids (if they’re old enough to understand and carry through) would be to not handle your remaining cockerel, but to teach him to respect your space. If he walks toward you, you walk toward him until he backs up. If you want to get from point A to point B and he’s between you and where you’re going, walk through him. Be confident and sure in your movements. If he even looks like he’s thinking bad thoughts, move toward him until he moves away. Move him away from the feed and water just because you can. Let him know that the space is yours. If you’re messing with the hens and he gives you the evil eye, be prepared to move him away from you if he comes your way. I have not had a human aggressive rooster since I started raising them this way many years ago. As Mrs. K says, “roosters are a crap shoot” so it may not work some year. But so far, so good.

I don’t have the time to try and catch them to physically hold them down or catch and carry them. However you choose to train your cockerel to respect your space, make sure every member of your household can do it. Teaching them to respect you does not mean they will respect anyone else. And roosters can do serious damage to a kid’s face. Not to mention the real possibility of infection those spurs could cause. Puncture wounds are hard to clean properly.

Yes, we maintain roos in our flock and a bachelor group. This is how we handle roosters. Roosters that are still aggressive are culled.