Rooster gone crazy...

[gritsar]

Quote:
My experience is limited, but I really believe this. The roo I babied was the one that gave me trouble. My current roo was never babied. He was mostly ignored except to provide him with food, water and basic care. I don't have any trouble with him whatsoever. I don't trust him around children, but that goes for any rooster. I'll take a rooster that's protective of the hens and afraid of humans over a cuddlebug any day.

 

[rooster-red]

Check out my page on roo behavior, the link is in my sig line.

 

[rikku_03]

I was thinking that if you got between the rooster and the hens he might have been aggressive to protect the hens

 

[dancingbear]

We have 34 chickens and 13 guineas, total. 4 roos, but 2 are separated and are on death row, awaiting decent weather to go to freezer camp. Not for bad behavior, but just too many roos. Over-mating the hens, making them nuts.

Except for 1 hen, who is DH's pet 'Lorp, Rita, (who is weird and follows us around and will ask to be picked up) we do not pick them up and pet them. We let them be chickens. They aren't afraid of us, (except the occasional "hysterical gene" bird that pops up) but they don't want to be picked up and cuddled. The roos are pretty much ignored, they just hang out and be roos.

We don't do any "training", interfering with mating, kicking, chasing, or any of that sort of thing.

In nearly 15 years or so of keeping chickens, I've only had ONE human aggressive roo. We got rid of him. All the others were just fine. I think when you try to treat a rooster like something it isn't, (like a dog or cat, or a small feathered child) you cause all kinds of problem behavior. If you bond with a rooster, he sees you as part of the flock, and will try to be your boss, because that's what roosters do.

 

[Kung Foo Chicken]

One of mine kept biting me all the time and flogging me. He was also the most violent with the hens. He pulled off one hen's comb trying to mate her. He is in the soup pot today. I looked at him for days with a devious grin and said, "Better be nice or I'll eat you up!". Today is that day.

 

[crzychickenlady]

I think it's a coincidence with the coddling deal. I have had 3 roos and coddled all of them, have never had any aggression with any of them. Maybe I have been lucky...who knows.
The kids have never had problems with any of them either.
My theory with the coddling, I did this with all of my birds that were day olds when I got them, makes them easier to handle as a adults.
This is the case with mine, every one of my birds can be picked up at any time now as adults.
Of course, I have a few now that are the biggest babies, they follow me around and will hop up on my lap when I sit out with them, have a few hens that will not leave my side when im outside.

Now, I have had a few hens that get aggressive with the other hens and have tried the things that have been mentioned with the roos....picking them up and holding them for a few minutes and putting them back down again.

Give it a try and see if it works with your roo, you may get lucky.

Good luck!!

 

[rooster0209]

I use the broom method to adjust the 'tude on my rooster.

I aid him in getting across the coop...a broom to the butt

It does work. After a few weeks he tries it again.

Buck jumped up on my arm the other day when I was pouring feed. I got the broom and he charged. He was assisted in reaching the opposite end of the coop. Then I charged at him and helped him back across. That evening when I went back out to check for eggs; he left me alone.