Rooster Question

[cafarmgirl]

So he'll probably always be a manfighter, then, and he won't become any gentler as he gets older?

Well you can try working with him a bit. He's only a little over 9 months old right? Work on getting it thru his head that you are the boss, not him. I have never, ever put up with a rooster attacking, flogging, pecking or otherwise getting in my space and being aggressive. I think ignoring that behaviour just encourages them to ramp it up even more since you don't put them in their place when they do it. My current RIR roo got me with his spurs, just once. I grabbed up my barn rake and ran his rooster butt out of the barn and all around the pasture until he was running for his life and squawking like a hen. I then gatherd up his hens in the barn and I kept running him off when he'd approach, in other words "MY hens, NOT yours"! I never hit or kicked him but I do carry a barn rake for my own protection and to encourage his movement away from me.

When he is in the barn and being decent I still make him move out of my way and give me plenty of space, I don't ever move out of his way. This type of "training" went on as needed for a few months and as he got older he settled down. He is now really quite decent and stays out of my space. Once in a long while he needs a behavior tune up but most of the time we get along just fine.

 

[ClareScifi]

Oh, absolutely not, centrarchid! My boy is Irreplaceable! I would never, ever consider replacing Baby with another. Baby is one-of-a-kind, pure fun and personality. He is so good to his hens. Perish the thought!!!!

I hope he lives a long happy life.

He enjoyed the fresh arugula I picked for him this morning. He can't help his hormones and behaviors. He's just doing his job. I wouldn't want a wimp of a rooster, anyway. That would be an oxymoron. He was a sweet, gentle tame little fellow when I raised him. He'd even fly up and sit on my head, and he loved to play tag. He'd run with his head down, so cute and full of joy.

But then he grew up and took on his adult responsibilities, so I think I did my job well as his StepMama. I was afraid the hens would never take to him, but they sure do love him. It was hard for me to let to, but I finally was able to do so, for everyone's own good, and now it works well.

Granted, I can't pet him or be around him because of his excellent beak, but that's okay.

The only thing I worry about is if he were to suddenly get sick and I had to rush him to the vet. But maybe he'd let me pick him up without too much of a fuss. He is super intelligent and seems to know when I am trying to help him and such.

He has been an absolute delight. I will be very sad when he dies.

 

[ClareScifi]

That's interesting, Cafarmgirl, but I wouldn't want to hurt his self-esteem. He is super cocky, and I kind of like that about him. As long as no one gets hurt, I think I'll let him be who he is.

 

[angela120]

I hand-raised my rooster. He used to fly into my lap and just sit when he was a few weeks and up to a few months old. He's a year old now, and we went through a phase where he got a little meaner as he got older, but I think he was just trying out his dominance. Plus, I don't let him dominate now, though I've never hurt him. I still go outside with a broom in the morning sometimes b/c he seems meaner in the morning if I don't open their coop early enough and in those days I don't let them out of their fenced-in "safe" area, but honestly the only time he is ever mean to me is if he thinks I'm messing with his hens. He has attacked me twice, and those 2 times weren't bad and weren't necessarily unprovoked. Otherwise, I or my husband can go right up to him with no problems. I wouldn't give up on yours just yet. He might not ever be the friendliest in the world, but if he's like mine (really good to the hens and a blast to be around) then I think he'll be okay. However, you do have to show him who is boss (and you don't have to hurt his self-esteem by doing it). You might want to become friends with your broom like I did, though.

 

[ClareScifi]

I tried the broom bit, but it just inflamed him. Ditto with a watering gun. What worked best was the lid to the garbage can, used as a shield,or throwing down my car keys to distract him.

Better yet was super heavy pants and shoes.

I took a personality test once and scored only 12% on dominance, and I am a Pacifist, and my Rooster can sense this. HAHA.

That's okay. He can be my alter ego, and I will live vicariously through his super-dominant personality.

He got picked on as a baby by his StepMama Hen and two roo brothers, and I think he never got over it. They bullied him, and I had to raise him myself by hand. His StepMama hen nearly pecked him to death when he hatched. Had I not intervened he would have been killed. The brother roos went after him after she did, seeing the blood, nearly cannibalizing him.

Now that he's big and grown up the StepMama finally accepted him. I think he revels in the fact that he now dominates her, but in a nice way. He's never mean to the hens. I think once he got big and saw that he could command authority and no longer be the low man on the totem pole, he decided to go for it, and show us all that he is #1.

I really don't mind being his hen. I'm just glad he didn't ever decide to try to mate with me. For a time, I was afraid he was going to do so. I've read such stories-- of hand-raised roos mating with their raiser's boot or on top of their head. That really scared me. But when his hormones hit he took to the pullets. He got it backwards a few times, but he finally figured out the procedure. The StepMama hen knocked him off the younger hens a few times to show him who was boss, but she finally succumbed to his charms as well.

I'm just glad for the sliding window so I never have to get pecked again. He is physically gorgeous. Just looking at him alone is enough for me. I don't have to get anywhere near his beak to be satisfied with him.

 

[cafarmgirl]

That's interesting, Cafarmgirl, but I wouldn't want to hurt his self-esteem. He is super cocky, and I kind of like that about him. As long as no one gets hurt, I think I'll let him be who he is.

Yeah, funny thing about that, when you've just had a roo sink his spur right through your jeans and leave a lovely and very painful, little blue hole in your shin..... at that moment you really don't give a rat's behind about some rooster's self esteem!!

I consider the time spent "training" my current roo well worth the effort. I now have a very nice roo, excellent with his hens, I don't get spurred, pecked, chased or flogged. He only approaches when I call him, carefully and wearing his best manners, to have a piece of bread occasionally. My husband and I can both handle him if needed, I was able to take him to the vet when he was sick. As well as medicate him twice a day every day for 10 days. Those are the times you don't want an angry, unmanageable bird, very inconvenient!

 

[centrarchid]

Yeah, funny thing about that, when you've just had a roo sink his spur right through your jeans and leave a lovely and very painful, little blue hole in your shin..... at that moment you really don't give a rat's behind about some rooster's self esteem!!

I consider the time spent "training" my current roo well worth the effort. I now have a very nice roo, excellent with his hens, I don't get spurred, pecked, chased or flogged. He only approaches when I call him, carefully and wearing his best manners, to have a piece of bread occasionally. My husband and I can both handle him if needed, I was able to take him to the vet when he was sick. As well as medicate him twice a day every day for 10 days. Those are the times you don't want an angry, unmanageable bird, very inconvenient!

Trim roosters spurs. I use hacksaw for purpose. Simple, takes just a couple minutes. Leave about 1" of base. Will need to be repeated periodically.

 

[dragonlair]

So, are you just taking the sharp point off the spur? My 3 yo roos spurs aren't but maybe 1 1/4" long. I have 2 up and coming Buff Orp roos who will be taking care of the flock soon. Since they get pretty large compared to my current roo, who is 1/2 bantam, probably trimming the spur tips would be a good thing, or will they grow large enough to leave a good base?

 

[centrarchid]

So, are you just taking the sharp point off the spur? My 3 yo roos spurs aren't but maybe 1 1/4" long. I have 2 up and coming Buff Orp roos who will be taking care of the flock soon. Since they get pretty large compared to my current roo, who is 1/2 bantam, probably trimming the spur tips would be a good thing, or will they grow large enough to leave a good base?

Cut tip to dull. Smaller cutting jobs require finer hacksaw blades to avoid shattering base. I am not familiar with trimming bantam sized spurs so a bantam enthusiast is best consulted for that.

 

[dragonlair]

My current roo doesn't need them trimmed, he is very non-aggressive towards humans, I was just trying to set in my mind how much to cut off.

Would a pair of hoof nippers work instead of a hack saw?