Rooster not sharing treats with hens, acting aggressive!

[Auntiejessi3]

Segregate him til you can make a decision.

Agreed! Put him in a dog crate or the like, so you and your hens don't have to worry about him anymore.

 

[Ridgerunner]

He is just over a year old

He is past the age where the hormones of an immature cockerel are controlling his life. It is common for a cockerel's behavior toward the girls to change when he gets past those hormones. But that is mostly about forced mating and learning proper technique. The tid-bitting with the food and other behaviors are different. He does not have the proper instincts as to how he should behave toward the hens.

I personally do not accept a human aggressive rooster. They are a danger to you and others. Some people would keep a dog that attacked them and tried to do damage. I would not and will not keep a dangerous rooster.

we do have another rooster. ...... Suggestions?

My first suggestion is to eat him, kill him and dispose of the body, sell him, give him away. My family's safety is worth more to me than a rooster.

Alternatively keep him locked up where he cannot harm the hens or anybody else. And heaven help the person that has to feed him and take care of him.

I'm not as unsympathetic toward you as I sound. But good animal husbandry sometimes means making decisions you do not like. I don't like killing any chicken, even the ones I raise to eat. I try to make decisions for the good of my family and for the good of the overall flock. I can't see how this rooster is good for either.

 

[aart]

I would hate to cull him he’s a beautiful bird.

This is where the Romance meets Reality in chicken keeping.

 

[Mrs. K]

He is not going back to a nice bird. It will become worse and worse, and he is probably ruining the whole chicken experience.

Sometimes when people don't want to cull him, a problem is that they really don't know how. Here are fail-proof directions that can be done without a lot of fancy tools.

In the dark, pull him off the roost, wearing a sweatshirt and gloves if needed. In the dark, he will hardly be even aware of what is happening. Hang him by the feet, put his head on the ground and place a shovel or broom handle across the neck behind the head, step on both sides gently under your toes, and jerk up. Wild flapping means he is dead. I think this as one of the most hands off way of dispatching, because there is no cutting or bleeding.

You can bury the carcass, put it in the garbage, or cook him up after cleaning him and resting him in the fridge.

Mrs K

 

[FrostRanger]

A rooster that aggressive to humans and garbage with his hens needs to be culled. Beautiful or not, there is no reason to put up with him. There are too many nice roosters who would love to live with you and your ladies to waste time with a jerk rooster. Not only will he be a menace to you, but his sons are more likely to be a menace as human aggression is genetic. Don't just think about him, think about the future of your flock

 

[Love Donkeys]

We would put him in the freezer. To re-home may make him worst.

Life is to short to put up with a miserable, dangerous animal!

 

[spaceylocust]

Agree with everyone here who said cull him. My first rooster ended up being mean as a snake. No amount of "retraining" worked. His offspring were also mean (even the girls). All of his genetics were culled and went to freezer camp. They did make delicious crock pot meals.

I have had several more roosters and all have been nice and friendly. We don't handle them or hand feed them. He has a job to do. We respect each other. He doesn't try to make me into a hen and I don't try to make him into a pet.

It's a pleasure to walk through the chicken areas without having to watch my back. No more stress and no more puncture wounds.

Good luck with him! Be kind to yourself--not every rooster is a keeper.

 

[Nym]

No children but we do walk our cats outside and keep a fair distance away from the hens and him. He does try to run up on us at times but we have been able to see him as he tries to "sneak " up on us

I had a cockerel doing the 'sneak' thing on me and my dogs. He already left a gash on my left calf even though I was wearing heavy work denim. He stalked me all day, even at a distance when I was hanging laundry out. That afternoon at lock up he went for my dogs. I had a roo return deal with the breeder I purchased the chicks from, so she came and collected him. His two remaining sisters are not permitted close to me. Take care! Edit: During the conversations with the breeder, she said she kept an aggressive rooster for breeding I wasn't sure of the genetic factors until I joined BYC.

 

[FrostRanger]

Jeeze! I'd never buy birds from her again. Why aren't his sisters allowed to approach you? Are they aggressive too?

 

[HollowOfWisps]

Edit: During the conversations with the breeder, she said she kept an aggressive rooster for breeding I wasn't sure of the genetic factors until I joined BYC.

Some people are absolutely bonkers
.