Rooster Keeps Attacking me!

[JustDuckyTexas]

Is there a way to stop a rooster from attacking me? He jumps up and smashes his feet into my legs. It leaves huge bruises. If I had shorts on, it would gash my skin. He is a Polish Crested. Someone said to kick him and he'll stop. Ohhh, that made him worse! He found a sparring partner, he was happy! So I stopped, and now I just stand there and tell hin "NO!" But he sneaks up behind me....... We have a B&B, so I can't have him attacking the guests. If I don't find a solution, he is going to the Feed Store on Saturday to find a new home.
Do they all do this? I have 9 baby chicks right now, so I assume I'll have about 5 roosters out of that.

 

[coloradochick]

Hope this helps:
Keeping Your Roosters Sane
The Easy Chicken

for beginners
The Bad Bird

Nasty roosters have long been a part of keeping chickens. Lots of people remember that evil bird from when they were a kid, how he'd wait for you to take your eyes off him for just a minute, then pounce on you. It's a big reason why a lot of people who would like to keep chickens decide against it later on in life. It's a big part of the reason some people just keep hens. That's a shame. When you don't have a rooster around your hens, you miss a huge part of the joy that comes from raising chickens. You miss watching the rooster look out for his hens, taking his girls to dinner, and of course, the peeps!!!



Why it happens (just getting started)

Chickens operate under a distinct societal structure. There's the boss, he's what's called the Alpha Male. He enjoys first position in everything from liberties with the hens to fighting oncomers, to "leading the pack".

This "pecking order" (yes, that's where the term comes from) goes right down the ladder to the very last rooster with each having his own distinct position. The Beta male will sometimes share duties with the Alpha, but the Beta has to be careful not to overstep his boundaries. The moment the Alpha Male takes exception, the Beta Male will receive a well placed reminder.

There is also an Alpha Hen. The same structure works all the way down to the last hen. It's much more subtle, but if you watch the birds, you'll see which hen is the boss, and where the others lie in the chain.



How the birds keep track

The societal structure in the coop doesn't remain the same forever. At times, the Beta Male will take a shot at the Alpha Male. This may result in an all out battle, but seldom does it go that far. The Alpha Male consistantly reminds the Beta and all his subordinates who the King is. He does this a number of ways. They include anything from a good, old-fashioned beating, a peck on the backside, or just a posturing where the Boss will put himself between the subordinate and whatever the subordinates' intentions were. The dominant male will often assert himself by showing up when the Beta is mating one of the hens. When he arrives at the act, the Beta will yield, get pushed away, or take a beating.

There's a key here...

It's consistancy (huge point, remember this one!!!). The Alpha is ever-vigilant. He doesn't let up for a second because he knows if he gives his subjects an inch, they'll take a mile. If he lets things start getting away from him, he'll have big problems on his hands.



Back to how the structure changes...

When an Alpha Male ages, he'll eventually be replaced. This can happen through battle or just by tiring of his duties. When the Alpha is replaced by a younger male, a chain of events takes place. Once the Alpha yields, he's got a huge problem to face. The next rooster down the rung will have a go at him. Then the next, then the next. In a day's time, he'll can drop from Top Dog all the way to the doghouse. Lots of times he'll end up last in the coop, even to the hens (who will also take a shot at him during his descent).

All this time, there never has to be a fight. When the Alpha decides to submit, he's been beaten psychologically and seems so devastated that he's unwilling to take a stance against any of the birds for anything. At this point he's been reduced to simply saving his hide, and he knows it. There's an exception here. If the Alpha is replaced because he's injured or sick, when recovered, he's going to come screaming back to take his rightful place.



Changing places takes a million forms...

The scenarios I've mentioned are only a few of the many social happenings that take place in a flock. A flock's societal interactions are every bit as diverse as ours. The birds feel, care, protect, watch, learn, remember and hurt. They don't wonder, worry, think or guess. They don't have as large a brain as we do, and they don't hide their emotions well. They act on them outwardly and immediately. They show their emotions on the surface constantly. They don't have "Should I?" moments like we do. They act, reassess, act and reassess. They play our their lives rather than mulling about them. They are driven simply by necessity and survival. Survival of the Individual.



What about survival of the flock?

Chickens don't worry. They don't suppose, think or wonder. They have no idea that the way they do things is why they are still here. The fact that they've survived all these years, aside from domestication (or is that in spite of domestication?), is a byproduct of the way they carry on their lives. Chickens look out for each other as a byproduct of their nature. They see something that scares them, they chatter, and the other birds know that the chatter means "Ohhhh Boy". They run for cover to save their lives. If the Alpha Male figures out what the danger was that set him off in the first place, and he realizes he's the badder cat, he'll stand his ground and square off. If he doesn't figure out what it is that scared him, he's outta there, and everyone that isn't ahead of him will be behind him.



Okay Shilala, you're losing me here...

All this brings us to how we keep our roosters in line. There's two ways. The first way is to develop a deep and sincere love for soup. I love soup. Chicken Noodle, Chicken Vegetable, Chicken and Dumplings, Chicken and Rice, doesn't matter. I love it all.

The second way is to be the Alpha Male of your flock.



How in the world do I get to be Alpha Male?

Earlier on the page I asked that you remember something. It was CONSISTANCY. In order to keep roosters in line, you must establish a dominant position and be ever-vigilant. You have to act like a chicken (less the flapping, crowing, and pecking). You have a HUGE advantage here. You can think, chickens can't (regardless of what the science class experiment showed).

Because of this great gift you've received, you've conquered an age-old problem. You're already smarter than the object you're working with.



We're already well on our way...

Chickens begin earning a spot in their society very shortly after they come out of the egg. At a week old, they're sparring. (Sparring is the play fighting that chicks do.) The females spar with females, the males spar with males, and the males spar with females. The sorting out has begun. As the birds age, size and pluck determine who's who.

THIS IS WHERE YOU MAKE YOUR FIRST IMPACT!!!

The moment you see chicks sparring, step in. Use your fingers to push them apart. Knock them down. Stay and watch.

As soon as another pair (or the same pair) start up again, take control. Use your fingers to push them apart. Knock them down. Stay and watch.

DO NOT hurt the chicks. Hurting them helps nothing. It's not necessary, it's counter-productive, and it's just plain mean. If I find out you hurt them, I will swing by and, well, you get the picture.

At a point, the sparring will stop. It won't stop all the time, just when you are there. If it does happen, it's time to reassert your dominance. VIGILANCE is the key.



Now that you're King...

There's a few things you need to do as the birds grow. These things will assert your dominance and remind ALL the birds who's the boss...

1.) As soon as you can tell the Roosters from the Hens, you've got to single them out. If you take feed or treats to your birds, never let the roosters come to the feed first. Start with a nasty look, then a nudge, then a swat, then a slap. Whatever it takes. If it's got to escalate to a boot to get the point across, so be it. A rooster won't let other roosters come to the feed until his hens do. Don't you do it, either. A good King is a kind and merciful King. Once the hens have begun eating, relent. Stay close by, but relax your posture and allow the Roosters to the food.

All it takes to keep the Roosters at bay is VIGILANCE. You need to take this approach EVERY TIME YOU FEED. It only takes a few minutes, and it will pay major dividends down the road.

2.) Never let a rooster assert his dominance in your presence. That means to you or any other bird. If a rooster grabs another rooster by the butt while you're around, swat him. If you can't get a swat in, chase him. Corner him if you can. Scare him. Deliver the message that only YOU take those liberties with the flock.

3.) Never let a rooster mate one of YOUR hens in your presence. Remember, whether you are a boy or a girl, man or woman, you are the Alpha Male in this picture. If a rooster pins a hen in your close proximity, knock him off of her. If it's happening a distance away, take a run at him. If he sees you coming and persists, you need to get to him and give chase. If you've been consitant over his lifespan, he'll get off the hen as soon as you act like you're coming after him.

4.) Don't hunker. Don't crouch. Don't try to "talk in" a bird who's scared of you. Coochy-coo smootchy is not the way to gather up a rooster, ever. A rooster should NEVER want to approach you or touch you. He SHOULD be at ease with your presence. If you want to pick him up, then pick him up. Love him all you want once you've got him. Pat him on the butt when you sit him down.

Don't ever assume a submissive posture with him, or he might just take your eyes out when you're expecting it least.

5.) Handle your roosters!!! Gather them up, preen them, fuss over them. Make them know that you are not going to hurt them, you're just having your way with them. This reinforces their submission splendidly, and strengthens your bond with your birds.

The rooster has no idea that you are in love with him. All he knows is that you've got him, and you're not going to hurt him. That's good enough for him.

6.) If you even get a moment's sense that a rooster is getting too comfortable around you, take a swipe at him. It may seem like senseless aggression. To you it is. To a rooster, it's life. It's what he understands. A swipe is vigilance, a swipe is reinforcement, a swipe is consistancy.



My rooster is dancing and dragging his wing at me, what's that mean?

If you've spent your time doing your due diligance, this will NEVER happen. If it does, it's simply your rooster telling you "I really dig high velocity lead", or "I absolutely love sharp, cold steel". Give him what he wants and then start doing all the things I suggested. Do it better this time. Do it more often. SPEND TIME WITH YOUR BIRDS!!!

If you don't have time to spend with your birds, that's not a sin. The sin creeps in when you don't have time and you still keep birds.

A lot of times, as with any pet, people enjoy the drudgery of cleaning and feeding and watering while the critter is young, sweet and cute. When the pet gets older, it's not as much fun. Attention wanes, care slips, and the pet suffers.

A guinea pig can take it. A cat can take it. A hermit crab prefers it.

A rooster won't accept it, and will pay you back.

He'll remind you by sending you for stitches. He'll remind you by tearing your pants. If he's exceptionally talented, he'll send you to the eye doctor.

Remember the merciful King? Roosters don't do mercy. They do what comes naturally. If you haven't enforced to him what's natural in your world, he'll be more than happy to show you what's natural in his.



A parting thought...

If a bird goes bad, soup is good. While you're enjoying your meal, take a moment to rethink what you're doing. Realize that your dinner is a direct result of how busy you are. If time is too scarce in your life to do what your animals need, make freezer space or at least consider finding another home for your birds. Just because you don't have time now does not mean you can't have birds later on in life. Not having time for the birds will turn an extremely joyful hobby into a miserable and dangerous one.

Being a good steward to God's creatures is a choice that you've made on your own. Now that you've made it, you are responsible for the animal's care. Finding homes for birds that you can no longer care for is not irresponsible, and it doesn't mean that you are defeated.

It simply means that you are keeping up your part of the bargain!!!
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[newbie coops]

I have a rooster that for the most part (NH Red) was actually quite docile and afraid of all...however, today he went after me after I picked up a hen and tossed her gently back into the coop. He went after my shins...big mistake.

I have gloves on while working inside the hen house and have psyched this rooster out before. I grabbed him, immobilised his wings and grabbed his legs - thus rendering him beholden to me. Then, I read him the riot act and essentially let him know that I AM THE HEAD ROOSTER HERE, GOT THAT???

He got it and seems to have learned his lesson.

 

[bobbi-j]

My 8 month old roo, named Jake has suddenly become aggressive as well, and it breaks my heart. He was one of my babies from the incubator, and affectionately named after my student who housed him for a while. I'm realizing from the previous post, I'm doing it all wrong I've been trying to establish pecking order by (don't laugh) swatting him with a fly swatter when he came at me. Now I realize I've got to hold him and love him through this.
Million dollar question . . . can I build this pecking order through holding him, after I've presented myself to him as a threat?
Billion dollar question . . . anybody out there willing to catch him and hold him for me? LOL

In my experience, holding them and "loving them" doesn't work. Here is a post by member Beekissed on how to manage roosters. (PS - your rooster is still technically a cockerel - and will be until he's a year old - and needs to be taught some manners ASAP)

https://www.backyardchickens.com/th...-aggressive-bird.1151032/page-5#post-19320385

 

[Mini Coop]

I've had aggressive roosters twice. They ended up in the soup bowl. I don't think you can reform them.

 

[rufus]

You folks with nasty rooster problems need to go back to the thread on chicken and dumplings. Life is too short to take guff from a chicken.

Rufus

 

[Yazzo]

Wow, I cannot believe most people seem to think the only 'cure' for a 'bad' rooster is the stew pot!

Honestly, I thought the good people of BYC would know all there is to know about this, but it seems to be a little-known/talked about subject.....well, I can happily say, even though there are many things I'm ignorant about, this is something that I actually know a lot about.....I've reached a sort of 'rooster-epiphany" and am here to spread my knowledge with you all.

I have the most insanely tame roosters ever....some are GIANT Australorps who are the sweetest boys ever: they'll sit on your lap and come up to you for food. Plus, an Aracauna, barred rock, and Lakenvelders. Several of these boys could probably be very mean, with someone else.

Not to sound big-headed (although I know this is going to anyways), but there's not been ANY rooster I've come across so far that I wasn't able to deal with, NONE that had to go in the stew pot.

My brother used to be afraid of them, till I taught him, and now even my 2-year-old niece is totally unafraid of them!

Bekissed and GwenDellAnno wrote:

Treat them like a male animal that can inflict harm. Never assume that , since you have fed him and held him since he was a chick, that he will not harm you. It is best to treat roosters with a level of respect and keep him knowing you are boss roo or a potential predator.

Don't let him eat while you are there, don't let him breed while you are there, don't let him get too comfortable around you. Some roos don't need too much of this type of training, some do.

If you want a pet, get a dog or cat. If you want a flock master who is every vigilant, treat him like one.

I agree, but I also say that you CAN have a very nice rooster....it's not necessary to treat him just as 'the rooster' and never interact with him. A rooster that does not interact with people can often be a mean rooster. If you just want a protector of your flock, NOT a pet in any way, that's fine, but you should know how to deal with him, without resorting to killing him. My roosters always eat and breed in front of me (although I usually interrupt them when they breed: "NOT here, in front of me!!"

), but they still totally respect me: I make sure of that, WITHOUT EVER hurting them. My mom used to throw rocks, buckets, and various other items at them, but that just made them mean, and she eventually listened to me, and stopped. Well, sort of. Sometimes a rooster will be 'annoying' to her (meaning getting in the garden or something), and she'll throw a rock at him, but because I spend time with them, none of them are mean even then, although they usually steer clear of her!

Some folks can get by with petting and coddling a roo and never have a moment of trouble...but most of the posts on here complaining about aggressive roos start out "he was so sweet when he was little and would let me hold him and pet him" or " I have always fed him treats out of my hand, but now...."

That's because they are usually AFRAID of the rooster....they treat him like he's still a baby. He's not a human: chickens have different rules of behavior, but that doesn't mean you can't have a nice rooster, or even a pet rooster!!

Pet your hens but keep your roo at a distance and never let him approach you boldly and directly. I know there are exceptions to every rule but you only have to read the inordinate amount of posts regarding aggressive roo behaviour to realize that these are not cats, bunnies, dogs or any other pet animals.

Also, totally agree: you shouldn't treat your roo like he's just an innocent, bunny, or human or something: he'll almost certainly be mean if you do that, so treat him with respect, but there's no need to keep your distance from him if you want a tame rooster.


Anyways, I wrote a whole long answer on Answers.com, so this is my answer from there, until I have time to edit it more, and add more to it:

Let me just say first that I am speaking from years of experience. I have about a dozen roosters right now, am not afraid of any of them, they are all tame, and even the one "mean" (meaning overly macho) rooster is easy to deal with. Even my 2-year-old niece has been taught "the ways of the rooster", and is totally unafraid of them!

It's actually much easier than most people think. There are very, very few roosters that can't be taught to respect you, but even those rare few truly mean ones can be dealt with easily, even the 'meaner' breeds, such as barred rocks.

Simple steps are: Don't ever be afraid of him, make sure he knows who's boss (without hurting him), and tame him down.

First off, the # 1 step, and the VERY MOST IMPORTANT STEP, is to NOT be afraid of the rooster: if you are, many roosters will simply take advantage of what they see as a weakness.

This applies to many different animals too. And as they say with dogs, you don't have to train the dog, just the human. As I said, there are almost no roosters that can't be taught to at least respect you. There are very few feisty ones that will continue to attack, but you should easily be able to deal with them.
Even if you're still afraid of him, don't act like it: DO NOT back off, do NOT run away, don't throw things at him, as that will make him even more mean. It may take some getting used to, but once you really get to know the rooster, you won't be afraid of him anymore.

Step #2 and #3 is to tame your rooster as much as possible. This serves the dual purpose of making him 'know who's boss'. This is much easier when he's very young, and gets harder the older (and more stuck in his ways) he gets, but it's usually doable. Pick him up whenever you can. Then, pet him, rub his wattles, carry him around, etc. It seems to 'humble' them (or just humiliate them!) and show them who the 'bigger rooster' is. It also shows him you're not afraid of him. Feeding him a treat here and there does a TON to make him tamer. Just don't make the mistake of treating him like a total baby: many people do this with their dogs, then are afraid of them. They simply have different 'rules' of behaving, so treating them TOO much like humans usually doesn't work well. Once you're used to him and would never be afraid of him though, you can treat him like as much of a baby as you want!
Whenever a rooster is acting like a bit of a smart-alec, or even makes the slightest move to attack, I pick him up, make a bit of a fool out of him in front of the hens, and sometimes shake him up a bit if he's being a bit mean (without hurting him of course).
If I DO encounter a mean rooster, I have a bit of a 'matador session' with him, sidestepping whenever he tries to attack, then grabbing him. Not saying you have to do this, but once you're used to roosters, it's quite useful, as, again, it makes the rooster respect you, (and is actually quite fun

.

If you have kids, make sure you get them used to the roosters so that they're not afraid of them. If the rooster is really untrustworthy, you may even wan to teach the child how to dodge and grab the rooster if he attacks, and supervise them so no one gets hurt. An unstable rooster who's not used to people will attack when he gets the chance, while a well-adjusted rooster will not. Even the well adjusted rooster will sometimes attack if someone is afraid of him, such as if someone runs whenever he makes what they consider to be 'a move to attack them' (most people seem to be afraid that even nice chickens will peck them - I have a friend that was afraid of baby pigeons!

). Of course, don't ever leave a little kid unsupervised with the rooster.

A few people who don't know better might say this is the 'wimps' way to go about it: taming your rooster down and even treating him like a pet, but it's NOT. It's actually recommended by many chicken experts, and by far the best way. If your rooster is afraid of you and you're not afraid of him, that can work, but he'll be scared of you and take any opportunity to attack you when your back is turned. It's much better to get him to actually be tame and even like you. Most of the roosters I have are so tame I can simply walk up to them, pick them up, and pet them, all without ever getting attacked.


As I said, it's much easier than most people think, and if you try, you can have quite a nice rooster, and maybe even a nice pet.

Yes....I know, I know, you may say "but MY rooster is way beyond hope!". I don't think there is ANY rooster beyond hope. Even if he can't be tamed down much, I certainly think (know?) that he CAN be made at least manageable. As I said, it's not the rooster, it's the person. Now that I'm no longer afraid of any rooster, I think "why the HECK was I ever afraid of something that tiny?!?!?!!?"

Even so though, you should always treat your rooster with the proper respect....he may not hurt adults anymore, but roosters often see small children as a threat, or a rival, so you should try to get your kids used to him, and watch him for signs of 'going over to the dark side', in which case you'll have to spend more time working with him.



Good luck, and please, if you have questions for me or anything, don't hesitate to ask. I really hope this helps some of you.

Wow, now I feel like a total smart-alec....sorry.

Just that I really, really, REALLY hate to see nice roosters go just because they're mean (in other words, just going by their instinct).

Hmmm.....maybe I should've created a whole new thread for this, "How to deal with an aggressive rooster"? What do ya think?

 

[mEGGieS]

I have had my year old Ameraucana Rooster (Chandler) now for about 2 months. The lady I got him from never had any issues with him, and I hadn't either... until today. Chandler came at me feet first and attempted to wing beat the crap out of me. Luckily, I was wearing my muck boots and was in a corner of the coop, so when he lunged I kicked the snot out of him sending him backwards. He repeated this for about 3 minutes, every time I raised my arms to appear bigger and blocked/kicked him away. Thank God for rubber boots, I didn't feel a thing, except for an immense sense of anger and the thought of chicken noodle soup. In the end he gave up and I, like an idiot not knowing what else to do, pranced around with my imaginary wings flapping and crowing- literally. I know that I have made some mistakes with him as I am still learning 'chicken.' I am so happy to be able to read that although I am a wee bit crazy, I did the right thing in backing him down. I catch him on a regular basis (numerous times a week) and hold him while I wander about the coop. However, Chandler needs to learn very quickly that I rule WHOLE farmyard, and attacking me is going to end with him being beaten to a pulp. Just ask the dog who refused to heel and ended up being on the bottom of an on-all-fours pinning, staring, and growling match or the cow who liked to kick that got turned into hamburger- man were those delicious!

 

[AnnieSantiago]

Chicken and Dumplins!

 

[bobbi-j]

We have a gorgeous Americauna Rooster. He was a surprise because we ordered 6 hens. I guess we were lucky to get only one because not only did we not get our order of 6 Americana hens, we got one Spotted Sussex, an Easter Egger and two Ameraucana! Anyway, our Roo was raised like a baby. We hand fed him, cuddled him as a baby and I think instead of making him like us, it made us look weak. I have a daughter who is WAY too attached to him even though we sat her down at the beginning and said we would give the rooster a chance but if he started hurting people he would have to go. We have tried everything and he is the meanest bas##rd I have ever seen. He has torn off the feathers of the hen's backs, I have had to keep him away from my young nephews when they come over because they are not much bigger than him and my other daughter almost had here eye taken out when he went for her face ( and this is not the first time) when she was collecting eggs and feeding and watering them. So I sat other daughter down last night and told her that she needed to get used to the idea that he is probably going to go. She LOST it. She is begging me to give him more time because of the long winter (although they have plenty big run and are let out when weather would permit) that he is just a teenager (will be 1 in june) and that this is a phase. I really hate to break her heart and I am not happy, but I think he has to go. My husband has been extremely patient because he knows how attached she is to him but I dont think there is any other thing we can do. So I would be interested in any training ideas too.

YOU are the parent. YOU (and hubby) are the adults. That means YOU get to make the decisions. There is no way that rooster is going to settle down. He would have been gone the INSTANT my child’s face was attacked. Your daughter will get over it. Your hens will be happier and your flock so much more at peace. I would say the time for training this one is past.

The time for training is BEFORE they start attacking. It starts the instant you know you have a cockerel on your hands. That’s when you quit cuddling, hand feeding and babying them and start showing them you are the boss. If he is between where you are and where you want to be, you walk through him to get there. If he challenges you, meet that challenge with confidence. Walk toward him until he backs down. Move him away from the food, water and treats whenever you want to do so. Touch the hens if you can do so without chasing them. Just keep moving him along whenever you feel like it. I have raised my roosters this way for several years and have not had a mean one since.

Again, you need to get rid of this rooster. If your daughter wants a pet, encourage her to make friends with one of the hens.