Rooster...help

[donrae]

He may be acting fine and not dominant now, but he's only 5 months old. I also advise to get rid of him until you're more confident and your children are older. If that means only supervised free range, so be it.

 

[Matelew]

We had a D'Uccle rooster that we have since sold.  He used to charge me all the time.  I was out working in the coop on day and he came at me.  I had a screw driver in my hand putting up a feeder and just out of a split second reaction of self defense I bipped him with the handle end.  Well I thought I had accidentally killed him.  He fell backwards and his eyes closed.  So here I am outside bawling like a baby that I think I killed the darn thing.  And while he was laying there the hens tried to attack him.  I guess they were fed up with his crap as well.  But I picked him up and he was fine, none the worse for wear.  Funny thing is, he never, ever tried to attack me again.  Ever.  He would go after my hubby and adult son, but never me.  The hubby finally had enough of his games and we sold him to somebody looking for roosters, so he probably ended up as a small dinner someplace. 

Oh wow...well he may just be annoyed with us we have been working in the chicken run the last few days. He would flap his wings at us and crow and cluck but no charging...I guess picking up his hen was the last straw. As I was running out the run with his hen and him running after me I hit him with the run door...maybe that was enough...he seems to be avoiding me all day and ran when I tried to pick him up, so maybe he learned his lesson...only way to know is to pick up the hen again...I guess,... The thing is when I put down the hen I was holding he scolded her by pecking her on he head like it was her fault...

The more I think about it the more I am leaning towards culling...thanks everyone for the advice and stories...

 

[bobbi-j]

Oh wow...well he may just be annoyed with us we have been working in the chicken run the last few days. He would flap his wings at us and crow and cluck but no charging...I guess picking up his hen was the last straw. As I was running out the run with his hen and him running after me I hit him with the run door...maybe that was enough...he seems to be avoiding me all day and ran when I tried to pick him up, so maybe he learned his lesson...only way to know is to pick up the hen again...I guess,... The thing is when I put down the hen I was holding he scolded her by pecking her on he head like it was her fault...

The more I think about it the more I am leaning towards culling...thanks everyone for the advice and stories...

Good plan. I, too, am in the "Get rid of the rooster" camp. It shouldn't matter if you picked up the hen or not. If he respected you, he wouldn't have charged you. He may be avoiding you now, but don't think for a minute that he isn't waiting for the chance to try it again. He will. You may not have to pick up the hen again - especially since he chased you and you ran. In his little chicken brain, that means he won. That could be why he hasn't tried it again. He hasn't felt challenged by you since then. Your hens will be just fine without him. Sometimes when the flock doesn't have a rooster, a dominant hen will take over the role as "lookout" and will sound an alarm if needed. That's pretty much what roosters do. They don't all stand between the flock and a predator, and when they do, they're often just a speed bump that slows the predator down before it gets the rest of the flock. Do yourself and kids a favor. Who wants to have to watch their back all the time? Not me. I have chickens for the enjoyment of it, and if an aggressive rooster is taking away that joy, he needs to go.

 

[Folly's place]

He need to go ASAP, before someone (your child!!) gets hurt. He's been behaving badly for a while, and you didn't catch the signals. He'll be delicious, if not for you, for someone else. I love having roosters, but only the very polite boys get to stay. Mary

 

[LovedMyAlydar]

I agree, roosters can only stay if they behave and I haven't had one yet that could. Now in the newest batch of chicks I ordered I have some roosters that were used as "packing peanuts" so to speak. If they behave one of them will have a home,if not, it's dinner time. The last bunch I had were bantams from an English Game hen that hatched some kiddos. Of course the 3 girls died or were killed. But not one of the roosters. They left when "daddy" did. Nobody here wanted to butcher such a small bird.

I have a big tom turkey who is a pretty good guardian of the girls, only 6 at the moment, and my Great Pyrenees. They seem to do a pretty good job together.

 

[skrlis]

I would 'off' the EE who charged you. As for the little roo's keep them if you'd like to have a roo. I have two, one EE and one BCM. they we're raised together and don't fight. I have a hen whose large and in charge that keeps the boys in line. On top of that, we still are picking them up and I make it a point to walk threw them, not around. sure they crow all day long, but i've lost my entire flock before I got them. since, i havent lost a single girl.

 

[Matelew]

Thanks all for your advice and stories...we decided it was too much work to cull just one rooster. So we took it back to the local farm and feed where I got him as a chick...it was bittersweet because he didn't crow or make any noise once....but he was clearly upset when we took him out of the cat carrier.
I am sad to see him go...I loved the crowing but my kids are more important and happy hens are important...I just kept reminding myself of what some said roosters are not pets...since I didn't want to breed him though he was beautiful...his over assertiveness meant he had to go...