Rooster gone crazy...

[myrtletheturtle]

I have a rooster who I have hand raised since he was a chick. He lets us pick him up and hold him and will go to sleep in my lap! Unfortunately we have recently begun having trouble with the rooster coming after us in a serious way! I am going to read up on rooster aggression because I would rather try to become alpha over him than turn him into stew!! however, if we get between him and the hens he fly's at us matrix-style with spurs a-flailing He has left more than one bruise on my lower leg. I always chase after him and pick him up when he does that but it does not seem to be decreasing his behavior

Any advice??

 

[Poulets De Cajun]

Industrial spray bottle with a far reaching stream.... and if that dont work, use a foot!

 

[scooter147]

I agree with Myrtletheturtle.
Turn the garden hose on his nasty butt and then go after him and use your feet like he uses his spurs. Obviously you are not going to kick him like you are trying to score a goal in a soccer game but get you foot under him and send him flying

(pun intended) then catch him and carry him around by his feet. That being said after you do this a couple times he probably will not be the "lap" chicken anymore. You need to convince him you are much stronger than he and that he does not stand a chance at being the alpha roo.
If that doesn't work you will need to cull him.

 

[Wynette]

Read this post:

https://www.backyardchickens.com/forum/viewtopic.php?id=131593

Be careful with carrying him upside down; they can easily suffocate if you do it for more than just a few mins, due to where their lungs are located. Good luck!

 

[kryptoniteqhs]

I kick them accross the coop when they do that as far as I can and as hard as I can and hope that they bounce of the wall on the otherside of the coop. I did this several times with my roo and now he just wants to snuggle...no aggression anymore what so ever.

 

[Wynette]

Krypto, I hope you're kidding. You can do MAJOR damage kicking a roo; I know this from experience. WORST thing I EVER did regarding chickens was kicking my roo when he flew/attacked me, because I didn't know any better. I literally broke his bottom beak off! I was MORTIFIED, and I'm embarrassed to even admit I did this, but if ONE person reads it and stops before kicking, then I'm glad I posted it!!

 

[Jonathanq1]

Agreed. Always stand your ground with the Roo. If not they can become vicious animals.

 

[the simple life]

I have children so anytime a rooster has turned aggressive he was rehomed immediately.
I can't risk trying to rehabilitate an aggressive animal but for others I have heard it can be done.
I seriously don't think that being brutal is the answer so if you do not have the patience to do it the right way you should probably give it to someone else to work with.
Abusing an animal is not right and you have to remember that these are animals with animal instinct and any animal has the ability to bite the hand that feeds it.
Most of the time they are trying to protect their women.
Any time I gave away an aggressive rooster I made sure the person taking it was well aware of it and they assumed the responsibility of training it.

Myrtle, I don't know for sure but I have heard that the roosters that are handled more and given alot of attention tend to be the ones that turn aggressive later on.
I had a rooster that I hand raised as well and that is what I was told when it turned on me but I have other roosters who I did not lavish attention on after I was made aware of this and they still tried to chase my little girl and flog her so I really don't know what the truth of the matter is.
There are a few threads here about rehabilitating a rooster so you may want to search out those but in the meantime, I would get one of those super soaker water guns and keep it "loaded" and placed somewhere you can get to it quickly when you are in the yard.
I have picked up sticks or a wiffle bat when I am out in the yard and hit the ground in front of their feet and it makes them stop, I do that to break up any chicken fights as well.
Someone mentioned giving them the foot under the butt and that is fine as long as you aren't breaking ribs or anything.
You don't want to make it anymore aggressive that it already is but you do need to show them who is boss.
I hope it works out for you.

 

[98 gt]

When I was a kid (still a kid to most on here) we had this too that always attacked us... My little brother came to the house and said he "took care of that rooster" basically the too had a date with a hatchet... BUT he wasn't dead he "flew the coop" for about 3 months and came back badder than ever, his name from then on was the "ghost rooster". Of course if you cull, make sure you get the job done.
Lesson learned

 

[myrtletheturtle]

Wow! Thanks so much for all of the advice everybody!!! I will try some of the rehab techniques and then if they don't work I will either rehome or cull I guess