Rooster flogging

[txcowgirl51]

How do I stop a Rooster from coming up to me and flogging--he has pecked me twice and starts doing a dance and lowers his wings. I am afraid to go outside without some kind of protection. What can I do? He is a Speckled Sussex.

 

[centrarchid]

Several methods will likely be offered.

Your rather well detailed description indicates he is being aggressive towards you. Your avoiding him is counter productive and making situation worse,


I reccommend putting on jeans and boots and back out there to let him flog away. You will quickly see that no real harm is done. Do not look directly at him and if he stops walk to him to give a fresh target. He will tire of it. Do not chase him.


Goal is to have him think you are something he can not whip and that is also not a threat. After all is done he will treat you like a lawn mower.

 

[Happy Chooks]

In my experience, even with jeans and boots, you can still get bad puncture wounds. I had (had being the key word here) a rooster that would flog me and only me. He was fine with my DH and both my kids. He also had a knack for breaking blood vessels, even after I dulled his spurs. (softball sized bruises) It can hurt like heck and he hit me as high as my waist, and I'm a tall woman. He was gone the day I was bent down and he tried going for my head.

I would not just stand there and let a rooster flog me. Another rooster would not tolerate that behavior. I would suggest carrying around a broom and see if that causes him to keep his distance. If he tries to go after you, you can use the broom to block yourself. But some roosters are just mean no matter what you do. It's not worth having to watch your back constantly when there are so many good roosters out there.

 

[centrarchid]

In my experience, even with jeans and boots, you can still get bad puncture wounds. I had (had being the key word here) a rooster that would flog me and only me. He was fine with my DH and both my kids. He also had a knack for breaking blood vessels, even after I dulled his spurs. (softball sized bruises) It can hurt like heck and he hit me as high as my waist, and I'm a tall woman. He was gone the day I was bent down and he tried going for my head.

I would not just stand there and let a rooster flog me. Another rooster would not tolerate that behavior. I would suggest carrying around a broom and see if that causes him to keep his distance. If he tries to go after you, you can use the broom to block yourself. But some roosters are just mean no matter what you do. It's not worth having to watch your back constantly when there are so many good roosters out there.

Happy Chooks, you are not another rooster. You are a much larger and more capable critter that potential for control over situation.

Presently you have a very effective method for creating a man-fighter by fighting with them.

Spurs can be dulled or removed by OP. Rooster in question may not have appreciable spurs yet.

 

[Happy Chooks]

What would another rooster do? They would fight until one of them submits to the other. I'm just another rooster they are challenging for authority - the key is to not be the one that submits.

And as I said above, I did dull the spurs. My current roosters are perfect gentlemen.

 

[centrarchid]

What would another rooster do? They would fight until one of them submits to the other. I'm just another rooster they are challenging for authority - the key is to not be the one that submits.

And as I said above, I did dull the spurs. My current roosters are perfect gentlemen.

OP's bird may be less of a challenge than your birds.


Otherwise we have different philosophies. You consider yourself part of pecking order in contrast to me considering myself external. Both methods will work but yours require that you always must watch your back. In my system, the fence post is as likely to be attacked by rooster as I am once every body knows their place.

I keep gamechickens and they are likely much more capable in terms of power and endurance yet on those rare occasions one comes after me, it is only once. The attacker quickly sees futility and stops. Many of my birds are literally pets and can be trusted with strangers so that should indicate my sytem is effective.

 

[txcowgirl51]

You think I should get him a hen. He was born in February of this year so maybe he needs companionship? He follows me everywhere I go and is right next to me. I can hand feed him but once I get up and take a step he is ready to attack. He doesn't do that to my husband or my mother-in-law, just me. My husband says that Rusty thinks I am his "hen." LOL.

 

[speckledhen]

He must have a hen, of course. Chickens are flock animals. You left out the part that he was the only bird.

txcowgirl51, in a normal backyard flock situation as most BYC members are involved, the majority of folks do not want a human-aggressive rooster. Dancing and dropping the wing at you is bringing you down to his level and you do not want that. He may or may not evolve to the flogging stage (I thought you said he didn't yet?) but if he does, that is when you will have to make a decision.

Mine don't do that wing drag-dance move, only one did it as a young cockerel. Snatching him up one time and surprising him was enough to stop it because his inherent temperament was not human-aggressive in the first place and he was very young. He is almost 6 years old, never has bitten, rushed or flogged anyone. The other, who is now over 3 years old, bit me a couple of times as a youngster of about 14 weeks old, before his hormones were really in play. Grabbing him up both times and holding the beak shut was enough to stop that with him- again, because he came from a line of birds selected for temperament in the first place. He is the best tempered rooster you could imagine, pleasant and fun to be around. Both of them pass on that easygoing, calm temperament to 99% of their sons-make no mistake, temperament is a heritable trait.

Many will disagree with me. Some don't really care if they have aggressive roosters, but most backyarders do. Some think a rooster must be aggressive to be a good breeder or flock protector; again, I completely disagree and that comes from my own experience culling human-aggressive birds to make my situation the way I want it here.

It's not pleasant to have to watch your back while working in the pens and I don't have to because any rooster who showed true aggression after mating age was culled, either given to someone who wanted him (with full disclosure) or euthanized. I will not breed from a human-aggressive male.

So, that is my take on it, for what it's worth. I've culled several breeds of rooster for the same thing and will continue to do so. My philosophy for the casual backyard flock situation as far as temperament goes in order to keep it pleasant and fun? Keep the best, cull the rest.



*edited for typo*

 

[dawg53]

How do I stop a Rooster from coming up to me and flogging--he has pecked me twice and starts doing a dance and lowers his wings. I am afraid to go outside without some kind of protection. What can I do? He is a Speckled Sussex.

Dinner plate sounds good to me!

 

[txcowgirl51]

Sorry I did not tell you he was the only Rooster. He is still following me so now I am carrying a stick to protect myself every time I go outside to water the plants.