Rooster Behavior Modification?

[Judy]

Quote:
Oops, clicked wrong somewhere, thought I'd read the whole thread.

At 8 months I'm afraid he will be tough. Good broth, though, and chicken and dumplings.... Resting him in the fridge about 24 hours before cooking, and brining, will help; at least you can cut up the meat and add it to the soup or whatever. Try cooking the feet in the broth -- adds a nice flavor and substance -- just peel his "socks" off first.

I don't blame you. I'm not putting up with an attack chicken. I'll try the tricks, but if they don't work, well.... I understand there are several reasons why some choose to, and that's fine, just not for me, and there are no young kids here.

 

[Lila_Brambleburr]

I have a beautiful rooster, Tevye, who is aggressive in his protectiveness of the hens. This isn't generally a problem, he doesn't attack if they aren't upset, and if they jump up on my lap when I am treating them or crowd my legs, etc, he's fine with that. But if I need to pick up a hen that doesn't want to be picked up, or at night in the coop when I need to count them to make sure everyone made it in okay, he sits in the middle box and bites at me when I reach in to count how many hens are in each box. I was getting fed up with this, as it made it harder for me to care for the girlies or to tame them.

So, inspired by this thread and the link in one of the posts, tonight we has "Alpha" training. I went into the coop to count the hens, and when he bit me, I scooped him up, held his beak closed, said "NO!" sharply and held him until he stopped struggling. I gave him an opp. to bite me again, he did and I repeated my actions. After a while, I put him down on the perch beside me, and he bit me again, so I scooped him up again. While I held him, I stroked him and spoke softly to him. but as soon as he got aggressive, I was tough. Finally, he was very reluctant to bite, and he seemed tired so I let him go back into a box with a hen.

I don't want to break his protective spirit, I LOVE how he takes care of the hens. This boy is FIERCE! But it's not okay to be fierce with me. I think I am well on my way to becoming alpha chicken.

I also make sure, when treating them, that he gets some treats as he will happily give all his treats to the hens. I gave him a humungous grub once, and he dropped it in front of a hen, bobbed his head as if pointing to it and did what I know now is his "look, this is for you" noise. How sweet is that? He does that will ALL his treats. He's half ameraucana, and such a gorgeous boy. I adore him. I just want to be able to handle the hens without getting bit. My hands are covered in bites, now. I'm sure I'll be sore in the morning, but it's worth it.

 

[chickenrunnin]

My Dearest Fred is acted the same way. I got tired of it and made him less manly by painting his nails. Of course the girls laughed at him. He had a whole new outlook on life. He acts up about every 4 months and I threaten him then paint his nails. Works everytime.

(whisper) I am sure it is the handling though. I put my hands all over his face and play with his comb and wattle.

Good Luck!!!
Kelly

 

[Lila_Brambleburr]

Well, Tevye showed up at the door this morning with a few hens, and accepted bread from my hand, so I guess I didn't traumatize him.

We'll try again tonight. See how eager he is to bite me. In the meantime...my hands...ow.

Kelly, my name is Kelly too! Nice name!

Lila Brambleburr is my "Hobbit" name. Big Lord of the Rings fan...