Rooster Flocks!

[RoostersAreAwesome]

That's a very nice picture! Your roosters are so pretty!

Thanks!

 

[GeeGi]

Someone dropped off a Brahma rooster 2 months or so ago and he was super sweet...now that my hens are laying he has become aggressive toward adults but doesn't bother the boys or other children, he doesn't attack the chicks either (unlike the hens). The crazy thing has attacked me several times and one time I actually had to pick up a stick and smack him a few times to get him to stop. I'm not sure what happened and I don't want to get rid of him because the boys love him...they pick him up and carry him all over the place or just hold him like a baby. Any suggestions before I lose control and make soup out of this beast?

 

[RoostersAreAwesome]

https://www.backyardchickens.com/th...not-want-it-to-get-worse.1175707/page-3#post-

@GeeGi

 

[EggSighted4Life]

Someone dropped off a Brahma rooster 2 months or so ago and he was super sweet...now that my hens are laying he has become aggressive toward adults but doesn't bother the boys or other children, he doesn't attack the chicks either (unlike the hens). The crazy thing has attacked me several times and one time I actually had to pick up a stick and smack him a few times to get him to stop. I'm not sure what happened and I don't want to get rid of him because the boys love him...they pick him up and carry him all over the place or just hold him like a baby. Any suggestions before I lose control and make soup out of this beast?

His hormones are kicking in. He probably isn't attacking the hens. If he is grabbing the backs of their necks and they are screaming, he is trying to mate them. The chicks don't put out mating hormones so there is no reason for him to attack them. It is in his best interest to protect "his" offspring to carry his seed forward.

Right now he sees adults as a threat. Before long when one of the kids runs past fast or something like that.. he will hit another maturing point where he *might* suddenly decide the boys are also a threat. You have to watch for the "stink eye".. when they look real hard with one eye as someone passes. I can only presume he was bit younger and not a fully mature bird by your description. They don't see your boys as a threat to the ladies yet, but when he does.. he will also know that your boys are NOT to be feared by HIM. And he WON"T hesitate to escalate... Roosters don't consider the consequences of their actions. But they totally scheme how to pull one over on you. And they are conscious of when you are watching or not, as well they do know when they are supposed to stay out of your territory. He would wait till I left then jump the fence. The minute I came out he would make a bee line for the gate to be let back to his own side (before my E fence was online). They aren't completely stupid. Some are just Stew Pidasso's!

I had a boy that was VERY friendly when young. Before long I got attacked a couple times, unknowingly at first because it was quick and I barely felt it and when I looked at him he had already retreated and acting innocent. Eventually I knew I could NOT turn my back on him because EVERY time I let my guard down I got attacked. I tried all that rooster training... while it will work for some, my boy is in the freezer right now if we haven't already eaten him. Got to the point he would charge me at the fence. Or follow me and stare at me until I would look at him and then he would start doing busy work, but never leave where I was (after being locked in a stag pen, of course he would have stayed with the ladies if allowed it, but no way am I gonna be enraged during treat time everyday when he attacks ME the care giver). I tried for a very long time since this boy only showed his aggression to me and he was my rare breed breeder. It got to the point that he would crow specifically at me every time he saw me and the whole time I was out there, which is almost all day everyday, broody's and babies are sooo cute! It was just recently that we culled him. I wish I had done it sooner! Now I'm annoyed by the crowing of my other boys and I think it's because I associate the previous attacks and enragement of the first real jerk I've raised. Crowing is/was fun to hear!

A full length 3/4 in PVC pipe works really well for me to unleash a whoopin', because I can stand in one place and chase them around fairly easily making only occasional contact. Makes them tired and puts them on the run to see I MEAN BUSINESS! Yes, I hit him hard enough to knock him down a couple of times. For me, 1 in might cause to much damage and I can't make enough contact with 1/2 in. Since I have a stag pen, I have had to do this to stop the aggressor from injuring the other boy or he might be dead right now. When those bastard roosters get on their high horse, they won't relent. Well, I have no issues giving them a taste of their own medicine! Of course, I am a fully functioning conscious being... so I restrain myself from going full on. I'm not doing it out of anger but as a teaching tool. I'm just giving them a schooling. However, if an injury happens... after seeing the injuries to my other boy, that's life! But I would never let them suffer if it was a major injury nor would I ever try to cause injury. But I won't feel guilty for coming to the aid of the one being bullied. I really hate bullies! After that, the two boys lived happily ever the past couple weeks so far. Incidentally the guy being bullied was on the cull list for the next day, but got to stay because.. I dunno, I'm not gonna kick a roo when he's down so to speak. Maybe kinda stupid since he still is on the cull list. But he gets to live to die another day, with his dignity in tact. It really is sad to see a beaten down rooster hiding in a corner.

Of course I know that isn't your same issue, so just sharing (my pvc treatment) I guess.

If I were you... I would be heavily considering soup right now! To me he has already shown his intention towards YOU and I don't think his attitude is going to get better. For me when there are children involved, there is zero room for tolerance! One incident of him flipping that switch and trying to flog a kid, the child could end up blind or even scared of other chickens. You don't say how old your boys or other children are. I might be thinking under 10. Teenage kids can usually handle themselves.

Good luck getting this worked out. And don't let one roo ruin it for ever having another in the future, they are a lot of fun.

 

[OneLuckeyWife]

Do they all just stay in the coop all the time? How does this work?

 

[RoostersAreAwesome]

You need to have a separate pen or section of a pen so the roosters can't mingle with the hens. I let my roosters out once a week to free range (I only yet them out once because they have a bigger pen than my hens) and keep my hens locked up for that day.

 

[EggSighted4Life]

Do they all just stay in the coop all the time? How does this work?

Hi, welcome to BYC!

My roosters and my hens both have 144 sq foot coops. My hens free range my whole property. My stags have pasture the size of some peoples' back yard, so that is their free ranging and they have access to it all day. So no, they don't stay in the coop all the time. In fact since inside my coop, the two are separated by only chicken wire... I actually lock the boys out of their side so they can't stand in there and crow at the hens while they are trying to lay. My heavier boys either can't or haven't figured out how to make it over my 4 foot fence. The boy that did got his wing clipped and then the other which did end up working. But because I desire to make sure my girls aren't bred by the wrong boy and prevent unwanted mating, I went ahead and electrified the top and bottom of the fence. This also should prevent the smaller boys (grow out future dinners) from coming through the holes in the stock yard fencing. Will get to test my result soon.

 

[SunHwaKwon]

Hi, welcome to BYC!

My roosters and my hens both have 144 sq foot coops. My hens free range my whole property. My stags have pasture the size of some peoples' back yard, so that is their free ranging and they have access to it all day. So no, they don't stay in the coop all the time. In fact since inside my coop, the two are separated by only chicken wire... I actually lock the boys out of their side so they can't stand in there and crow at the hens while they are trying to lay. My heavier boys either can't or haven't figured out how to make it over my 4 foot fence. The boy that did got his wing clipped and then the other which did end up working. But because I desire to make sure my girls aren't bred by the wrong boy and prevent unwanted mating, I went ahead and electrified the top and bottom of the fence. This also should prevent the smaller boys (grow out future dinners) from coming through the holes in the stock yard fencing. Will get to test my result soon.

That sounds like a wonderful setup. Do you also have breeding and brooding areas?

 

[EggSighted4Life]

That sounds like a wonderful setup. Do you also have breeding and brooding areas?

Things seem so fluid... like which breed to pursue! It is the back half of a pole barn that seemed like a dingy (dinjee) and dreary area, now fully usable. It's nice to change the association to something fun instead of scary and gross.

I am considering setting up a brood house but right now my hens brood in my coop. I do have another tractor set up that I use for integrating chicks that were raised in the house which I have considered using as a breeding pen since it's fully functional.

In my coops I have lower roost for new flock members who aren't ready for the roost time antics yet. They work their way to the higher roost when they are ready.

 

[SunHwaKwon]

Things seem so fluid... like which breed to pursue! It is the back half of a pole barn that seemed like a dingy (dinjee) and dreary area, now fully usable. It's nice to change the association to something fun instead of scary and gross.

I am considering setting up a brood house but right now my hens brood in my coop. I do have another tractor set up that I use for integrating chicks that were raised in the house which I have considered using as a breeding pen since it's fully functional.

In my coops I have lower roost for new flock members who aren't ready for the roost time antics yet. They work their way to the higher roost when they are ready.

So how/where do you segregate pairs/trios/etc that you want to mate?

I like letting my girls brood with the flock, too. Usually it is pretty uneventful, and it is easier that way because I have a lot of bantams and thus constantly have broodies. I have five that are raising or just finishing weaning and three more have decided to go broody within the last week or so but luckily I have eggs hatching next week so I have babies for them.