Rooster Chat

[SummerMeadow]

yeah, that's what we're doing now. Locking him up. The last thing I need is an ER visit. My other Roo is fine with them. Maybe because we handled him more as a chick. Who knows.

 

[oldhenlikesdogs]

Handling roosters seems to confuse some of them and causes them to be more aggressive as they mature. I raise mine to be wary of me, and don't handle the boys except to move them, so they know I'm not a chicken and a member of the flock who needs dominating.

 

[dekel18042]

Handling roosters seems to confuse some of them and causes them to be more aggressive as they mature. I raise mine to be wary of me, and don't handle the boys except to move them, so they know I'm not a chicken and a member of the flock who needs dominating.

X2. Growing up, there were roosters in our flocks and we also had roosters when our kids were small and we had very very few mean roosters. (And those either got an attitude adjustment or they didn't stay.) One thing the aggressive ones all had in common, they were all raised as pets either gotten as Easter chicks (Those were the worst! These from my childhood. We lived on a farm and they would be given to us.) or gotten as babies with others and all were supposed to be pullets.
It my (probably) or may not be too late for your rooster to be trustworthy around your kids, but if you ever want a rooster with a good temperament try to get an older one whose temperament is known, and is past the hormonal teen years. Often people with chickens will keep an extra cockerel or rooster if he is nice and shows all the attributes of being a good flock rooster or they may want a back up rooster or if they have used him for several years may be willing to let their main rooster go and bring in new blood or elevate a younger rooster.
These birds have been raised with other birds of all ages, have come up through the ranks and are generally more trustworthy than one who has been petted and coddled since infancy.

 

[tamiep]

I watched a few videos on the subject of taming roosters. They say you need to pick them up and carry them around or gently hold them down for a bit each day to let them know that you are the alpha.

I have 2 roosters that someone dumped out at my campsite and they will have to live out there. We go out twice a day to check on them. They like to attack men. I put them in the coop and put a run made from wood and hardware cloth where they can get out and get some sun. When no one is around, I'll let them run around. Maybe only let him out when the kids are in school. Put him away before they get home. Also, instruct the kids not to tease him, just in case they are tempted to.

 

[RickRoo]

These are our 2 roo's. Mr. Picasso and PK Fire. We had five Rooster' s but three just got the clip. It was a hard decision to harvest Gold-Dot, but Picasso has taken the task well

 

[mlcrowley]

Handling roosters seems to confuse some of them and causes them to be more aggressive as they mature. I raise mine to be wary of me, and don't handle the boys except to move them, so they know I'm not a chicken and a member of the flock who needs dominating.

Good to know! We just got a rooster and he doesnt seem to mind being held, he's fairly easy to catch and settles quickly once you have him. He's already an adult, do you think it would matter how much we handle him now? We don't cuddle him or carry him around, and I don't ever plan to, I'd like to keep him where he is, being ok with being picked up and carried if/when we need to, but I have 3 small boys so if it's going to be better to leave him be, we'll only pick him up if absolutely necessary. So far the kids have only met him once, but he seemed to not mind them at all. He just stood there and looked at them, same way he handled the dogs and goats checking him out.

 

[oldhenlikesdogs]

It matters more as they are growing and developing. Handling them when young seems to make them imprint on you, so they seem to be confused about you not being a chicken. An older rooster is fine, especially when raised right. I pick mine up whenever necessary to catch, move, pen, or do some grooming on them like nails. It's good they trust you as an adult and are calm with you around.

All of my roosters are raised with minimum handling during the growing phase. All are non aggressive with people, all. When I used to handle them it was more a 50/50 thing. I prefer to give them all a shot, and than I can judge them on their behaviors with the hens, not on their behavior with me.

 

[uzisuzuki]

This topic has *always* confused me since I got into chickens when a rooster just showed up & adopted me. He was at least a year old & he didn't get chippy with me until he had a dog incident. The 4 roosters I've hatched & raised since then, I've handled all of them as chicks & I still handle them all now for regular checks & spur care. Only the 2 from that original rooster have been occasional snots like him. The other 2 are fabulous so far. I keep waiting for all of them to turn into these monster birds because of my handling them because I didn't find out you weren't supposed to until I already had. Are they supposed to immediately start not being "good" rooster from being handled or is it something that happens as they age?

 

[TheTwoRoos]

Not all roosters are like that.

Some inherent bad behavior and some just have hormone issues during teen months.Older roosters may begin acting off durimg spring.

I have 2 VERY well handled roosters who have all the respect in the worl for me,have never had a problem.Infact,my oldest roo who is 2 years was nearly house tamed.

I hatched 3 cockerals back around summer time and they turned out fine,of course i only had them till they were 5 months.

 

[oldhenlikesdogs]

It seems to happen most times at their first spring following sexual maturity as hormones are raging. Young roosters will feel their oats as the saying goes, and will take their jobs more seriously. It depends on the dynamics between the keeper and rooster, and possibly how big the territory is. Smaller set ups will have more troubles as opposed to free range flocks.

Another factor can be whether you go get the roosters or if the rooster come up to you for affection and food. Chicken body language and communication is subtle to us humans. Simple things like allowing a rooster to take things out of your hand, or moving away from them can set you up for trouble.

I have multiple roosters who very seldom fight or really interact, they know when to move off and they know who is dominant over them.

So either you are being dominant over your roosters, or they realize you aren't a part of the flock, or you haven't done anything that requires them to correct you or remind you of your place.

If handling works for you than keep doing it. Every keeper is different, and every rooster is different. My way works for me but may not work for everyone. That to me is what makes chicken keeping fun, there's no one way.