Rooster attacking despite some advices followed

[jBabychickn]

Thank you! gonna try this. have been meaning to try this for a while. just been so nervous to tackle him into my hands haha! he screams at the top of his lungs whenever i do try pick him up! which may be my fault. I have hand fed them all their life. but never actually really "handled them"

@Stefankeyes

I’m new too and I have to admit that I am fascinated with Roos. They’re gorgeous; I love their crows and I love how they can protect their girls, and so many more reasons!

I’ve really made an effort to learn more about them so that I can make better choices in their personal care and with the care for my flock overall…

I have 2 articles here that I really enjoyed and I want to share with you.
I highly encourage you to read them too. I felt a lot different about my thinking on Roos after these… They are so detailed, it’s almost like reading an entire book about Roos! These actually took me a couple of days to read completely and throughly!


Understanding Your Rooster

Escort Call


I chose to work through our immature cockerel’s hormonal stage as well as work with him on his behavior which to me was never overly aggressive, but he did challenge us quite a bit and from reading other posters here, he would have been culled if he lived somewhere else.

However now, he’s calming and he’s showing those wonderful mature rooster traits such as protecting and standing guard while the girls take dirt baths, gathering and offering snacks for them (letting them eat first), doing the wing dance for them, and escorting them to nest boxes. — He will even lay in the box with them if he deems it’s needed: I was in the coop the other day doing my daily maintenance, when one of girls needed to lay. He escorted her inside and decided he needed to stay with her since I was in there creating a bit of a ruckus. He laid in the nest with her until I was done!

I hope this helps with your learning experience as well as your decision making! —
I also read your update on your UK restrictions and your current coop/run space and I can say with confidence as well as with experience, I’ve seen a cockerel change his personality as quick as in a day if you give him more space. Space means a lot to them for sure, more space and more girls are the two best things I think you can do to improve your Roos attitude! Ha!

I’m attaching a pic of our Mr.Blue as well… I can’t pass up this opportunity to show him off!!! (This was a few weeks ago just before a drastic Temperature drop in our weather, so he has some Hen Healer on his points to try to protect them from frostbite)

 

[Mrs J]

@Stefankeyes

I’m new too and I have to admit that I am fascinated with Roos. They’re gorgeous; I love their crows and I love how they can protect their girls, and so many more reasons!

I’ve really made an effort to learn more about them so that I can make better choices in their personal care and with the care for my flock overall…

I have 2 articles here that I really enjoyed and I want to share with you.
I highly encourage you to read them too. I felt a lot different about my thinking on Roos after these… They are so detailed, it’s almost like reading an entire book about Roos! These actually took me a couple of days to read completely and throughly!


Understanding Your Rooster

Escort Call


I chose to work through our immature cockerel’s hormonal stage as well as work with him on his behavior which to me was never overly aggressive, but he did challenge us quite a bit and from reading other posters here, he would have been culled if he lived somewhere else.

However now, he’s calming and he’s showing those wonderful mature rooster traits such as protecting and standing guard while the girls take dirt baths, gathering and offering snacks for them (letting them eat first), doing the wing dance for them, and escorting them to nest boxes. — He will even lay in the box with them if he deems it’s needed: I was in the coop the other day doing my daily maintenance, when one of girls needed to lay. He escorted her inside and decided he needed to stay with her since I was in there creating a bit of a ruckus. He laid in the nest with her until I was done!

I hope this helps with your learning experience as well as your decision making! —
I also read your update on your UK restrictions and your current coop/run space and I can say with confidence as well as with experience, I’ve seen a cockerel change his personality as quick as in a day if you give him more space. Space means a lot to them for sure, more space and more girls are the two best things I think you can do to improve your Roos attitude! Ha!

I’m attaching a pic of our Mr.Blue as well… I can’t pass up this opportunity to show him off!!! (This was a few weeks ago just before a drastic Temperature drop in our weather, so he has some Hen Healer on his points to try to protect them from frostbite)

What a handsome boy I’m going to have a read of those articles myself

 

[jBabychickn]

What a handsome boy I’m going to have a read of those articles myself

Please do! They’ve helped me (and my flock) tremendously

 

[cassie]

The best option for this rooster is to cook him. I tried several of the suggested methods for teaching an aggressive rooster manners but I never had any luck with any of them and it isn't because I didn't try. I have said this before, but one trip to the ER buys a LOT of chicken feed. I was designated the chief chicken killer through no fault of my own. I am also a complete wuss. Most of the methods suggested for killing the chicken give me the willies. I couldn't deal with an axe, the broomstick, snapping the neck, or anything else. I found a large heavy duty pair of very sharp pruning shears in the shop and settled on those. I went on the internet and printed out how to process a chicken. I tied the rooster's feet together with baling twine, hung him at a convenient height, and lopped his head off with the shears. It was fast, quick, and easy. Followed the processing instructions one step at a time. I didn't think about it. I just did it. Two hints. Put a squirt of dish detergent in the scald water. You know you have a good scald when you can flick the skin in the leg with your fingernail. With a proper scald the feathers come right off. Hope this helps.

Later I traded in the shears for a very sharp utility knife or box cutter. I had a cone but I never used it. I just tied the feet together, hung the chicken up and severed the veins with the knife. The chickens bled out quickly. I know being upside down wasn't comfortable, but as sharp as the knife was, I can't imagine it caused any pain. The whole process took just a couple minutes or so.

 

[K0k0shka]

I found a large heavy duty pair of very sharp pruning shears in the shop and settled on those.

I use something similar - heavy duty long-blade wire cutters. They do the job quickly and easily, and I'm very happy with them.

I know being upside down wasn't comfortable

It's not being upside down per se that was uncomfortable in your situation, it was hanging from the twine around his feet. His whole weight pulling on it, the twine must have been cutting into his skin, especially if he was thrashing around. That's what the slaughter cone is really good for - giving you the upside down position, which you need for draining, but without making the bird uncomfortable. I don't know if chickens thrash around or fight when suspended by their feet... I've seen some videos on youtube where they do. But they don't in the cone, or at least not in my experience (I've culled 6 this way so far). If anything, they go strangely calm and quiet while in the cone. For me this has been true both for tame, hand-raised birds, and aggressive jerk roosters. Certainly makes the job easier! I love the cone.

You know you have a good scald when you can flick the skin in the leg with your fingernail. With a proper scald the feathers come right off.

The best way to tell if you've had a good scald is to try pulling one of the wing feathers. Their pores are the most difficult to loosen, and loosen last. If you can pull a wing feather out easily, then the rest of the bird is done, too.


If you don't have a cone and don't want the bird flopping around the ground kicking after it dies, you can put it upside down in a bucket. I learned this from grandma, who taught me a lot about chickens, butchering and processing when I was a kid. She didn't have fancy cones, but the bucket did the trick just fine. Upside down with the feet up in the air, the bird has nothing to kick against, and won't go running around with its head cut off

 

[cassie]

I use something similar - heavy duty long-blade wire cutters. They do the job quickly and easily, and I'm very happy with them.


It's not being upside down per se that was uncomfortable in your situation, it was hanging from the twine around his feet. His whole weight pulling on it, the twine must have been cutting into his skin, especially if he was thrashing around. That's what the slaughter cone is really good for - giving you the upside down position, which you need for draining, but without making the bird uncomfortable. I don't know if chickens thrash around or fight when suspended by their feet... I've seen some videos on youtube where they do. But they don't in the cone, or at least not in my experience (I've culled 6 this way so far). If anything, they go strangely calm and quiet while in the cone. For me this has been true both for tame, hand-raised birds, and aggressive jerk roosters. Certainly makes the job easier! I love the cone.


The best way to tell if you've had a good scald is to try pulling one of the wing feathers. Their pores are the most difficult to loosen, and loosen last. If you can pull a wing feather out easily, then the rest of the bird is done, too.


If you don't have a cone and don't want the bird flopping around the ground kicking after it dies, you can put it upside down in a bucket. I learned this from grandma, who taught me a lot about chickens, butchering and processing when I was a kid. She didn't have fancy cones, but the bucket did the trick just fine. Upside down with the feet up in the air, the bird has nothing to kick against, and won't go running around with its head cut off

Just a comment. My twine was broad enough and soft enough that it didn't cut into the chicken's legs at all. I had a cone but for me it was more trouble than it was worth. I had a beam with hooks that I could hang the chickens on and I would hang up three or four at a time. Three or four is all I was going to do in one go anyway, and even with all that, the chickens were dead within a very short period of time. I hung them all at once and I cut them all at once. It worked for me. A person has to use a method they are comfortable with, and what works for them whatever it may be. I am sure you are right about pulling the wing feather. I read about flicking the skin, probably the same place I got the processing info, so that is what I used.

 

[Cinnamon Roll]

Cervical dislocation or beheading are more humane than bleeding out.
https://the-chicken-chick.com/how-to-humanely-euthanize-chicken-by-dr/

 

[cassie]

Cervical dislocation or beheading are more humane than bleeding out.
https://the-chicken-chick.com/how-to-humanely-euthanize-chicken-by-dr/

It isn't if you can't do it, and I can't. I just can't. I cannot imagine that I am the only one.

 

[cluckcluckhens]

Our rooster used to go after me and trapped me in behind the laying boards. I could not move to get out. Then hubby came to the rescue. Some have seen my story here. I avoided him allot. Then, I ran him around in the run, hubby did this too. Fast forward to 2020. We let our hen hatch some eggs. We ended up with another rooster. Father and son. Son put dad in his place and now he doesn't crow. We've hear him a few times over the years. It's like his son tells him not to crow.

I started staying out of the run then, his son was keeping rooster from eating feed. I protected him from his son by carrying a broom around in the run with me. Then, I advanced to take a metal pole with me. The pole was taller than me and he kept his distance. I think I made it worse by running in the run for what ever I needed to do. In 2021 we picked up some chicks. It was time to put them in the run where the rooster and cock could not get to them. A run in a run. Rooster stayed with the chicks like a babysitter and the chicks followed him around after we let them out on their own. Chicks kept finding ways to get out. After that I went into the run without anything for protection. I believe that me running into the run to fill water etc caused most of the problem so I walked slowly and it's been fine for years now. Jr Rooster doesn't want his Dad to tag the ladies. The chicks were trained by our nine year old GLW Chicks are GLW. She always wanted to do this for years but, we did not let her.

 

[Texasclucker]

Hi everyone. Second post of today. But this one a bit more serious. I have 3 chickens all hatched November 16th. 2 I know are hens But our white one in picture is a Roo. Dekalb White I believe his breed to be, I have tried some advice from online for behavior aggression issues over the past couple + weeks. Such as just spending more time around the flock. just talking with them. And even manually handing rooster in way to "Assert Dominance but affection also" as one video suggested by holding him down by his back like a dominant rooster would to assert his dominance to stop fighting but also rewarding treats from the hand. While this seems to work for other people. Its been a total loss for me. every time I enter their "area" to refill their food or water he just attacks me. bites onto my shirt sleeve and jumps up at my arm with his claws. I have been told just to cull him but I have never had such experience and honestly I don't know if I even have it in me to do that, I am kind of at a total lost point now. So anything you guys can suggest would be definitely appreciated.

Grab him when he attacks you and throw him down it may sound mean but sometimes mean works it worked for me