Rooster randomly attacks

[shannon84]

I just went to go check, and it does seem a little weak??

 

[Intheswamp]

Laying feed should have calcium in it so even if one of the hens isn't eating the oyster shell she should be getting it from the feed. One of your ladies might just be laying a thin-shelled egg and it breaking when laid of getting broken as they step into or out of the next box.

I read a post by someone the other day that gave a half of a calcium supplement (of some brand) to a hen that had been laying a soft/thin shelled egg. They put the half of tablet inside some peanut butter and the hen inhaled it. They said that the next day the hen laid a normal, solid-shelled egg. It didn't say how long that one tablet made a difference in the egg shells of that hen but it did caution not to give the supplement regularly in that it could be hard on the hen's kidneys.

Maybe you could sprinkle a little oyster shell in with their feed and see if that makes a difference.

And, it *could* be that one of the hens are intentionally breaking the egg...does it look like most of the yolk and whites are there? No egg on the beak of one of them?

Just some thoughts...

Best wishes,
Ed

 

[shannon84]

Laying feed should have calcium in it so even if one of the hens isn't eating the oyster shell she should be getting it from the feed.  One of your ladies might just be laying a thin-shelled egg and it breaking when laid of getting broken as they step into or out of the next box.

I read a post by someone the other day that gave a half of a calcium supplement (of some brand) to a hen that had been laying a soft/thin shelled egg.  They put the half of tablet inside some peanut butter and the hen inhaled it.  They said that the next day the hen laid a normal, solid-shelled egg.  It didn't say how long that one tablet made a difference in the egg shells of that hen but it did caution not to give the supplement regularly in that it could be hard on the hen's kidneys.

Maybe you could sprinkle a little oyster shell in with their feed and see if that makes a difference.  

And, it *could* be that one of the hens are intentionally breaking the egg...does it look like most of the yolk and whites are there?  No egg on the beak of one of them?

Just some thoughts...

Best wishes,
Ed

. Thanks Ed! They do have oyster shell not regularly though. All the yolk is there. Was it a tums tablet?

 

[shannon84]

I read somewhere that people do that for an egg bound hen because it's loaded with calcium?

 

[Intheswamp]

. Thanks Ed! They do have oyster shell not regularly though. All the yolk is there. Was it a tums tablet?

No, seems like a Caltrate(?) or something...I can't remember exactly. But, I just did a search here on BYC and there are TONS of discussion about using a calcium supplement. Check this link out... https://www.backyardchickens.com/newsearch?search=calcium+supplement+tablet

Best wishes,
Ed

 

[shannon84]

Ok thank you so much Ed!!!

 

[Intheswamp]

If you try the supplement post back with the results! If you can, let them have oyster shell free choice all of the time.

Ed

 

[Beekissed]

I think beekissed very detailed posts are great, but also think that for some roosters, nothing will really work. Am I right in thinking that her flock has been managed for generations, and perhaps difficult temperments already culled out? IMO, genetics plays a very real role in temperament, and removing difficult/ nasty birds from the gene pool is necessary. Also, I'm over wanting to keep a bird who MIGHT take me, or anyone else, on sometime. Been there, done that. Mary

Nope....my roosters have not been "managed for generations".....this rooster I have now is the only one that I've bred here on my land that I actually kept past butchering age. Most of the roosters I've had were hatchery, some were mystery roosters from someone else, one came from a good breeder that most likely had been breeding for temperament, etc. No difficult temperaments culled out except for hens, but I still haven't kept roosters from my own hens until this year...usually all males I breed here are used in the fall for canning up, so never really get too far into sexual maturity before being eaten. Roosters I keep down through the years are all ages, all kinds of sources, all breeds, so no managing of their temperaments until they come here to me, be it as chicks or as adult birds.

Here's an example of roosters from all places and sources and how easy it is to manage them.....got 18 roosters of all ages, breeds, mixed breeds and types (BO, RIR/BO cross, leghorn, Cochin, silkie, Maran, and who knows the breeding on some of the mutts) one fall from free ads out of the locals. Two different pens of roosters that were completely unknown to me but there's no doubt folks were getting rid of many of these older ones due to aggression towards humans and even some of the birds that looked like they were just coming to age might have fit that category. One pen of 13 came from a fella who had been collecting free roosters all summer from various sources for meat but then killed a deer and didn't want to fool with killing the roosters any longer, so these truly were birds from all places before they came to me. The other pen of 5 was from a lady who was tired of looking over her shoulder at all these roosters in her run when she went in to feed....she had been flogged a time or two, even from the silkie.

They were crowing, fighting, and acting like a typical rooster would if penned with a bunch of other roosters that were not exactly in their pecking order already and taking feed in that pen was like walking into a room full of sharks in a feeding frenzy....until I restored order. I gave them a day to settle in before I started giving them lessons in manners....by the fourth day they were here they would all stand quietly in the corners of the pen while I emptied the feed into the feeder trough and they would stay there as I fiddled with the waterer, got down to do something here and there, and then finally left the pen. Then and only then would they advance towards the feeder and it wasn't the mad scramble of the first day, but a more quiet and calm procedure. And I noticed there was no more crowing and much, much less fighting during the day....only early in the morning a few would crow, but during the day no crowing. One would never have known I had 18 new roosters on my land, plus the one I already had.

I could go in those pens and catch a rooster without any of the others rushing in to try and flog me or the bird I had penned to the ground, I could have my back to the whole pen for various reasons and never have to worry about getting flogged, and I could handle any of them without fight from them. All in a matter of days.... and those birds stayed here for a month while getting fed on fermented feed and fattening up, so every day I entered those pens I could do it with confidence and trust that I wasn't going to be harmed in any way.

I never once even had to use any rod of persuasion or even a kick or loft to a body....just a red feed bucket waved a few times and intention. Intention is the biggest tool one can use on roosters....you need to stand, walk and move like you have control over them and anything that may happen. You must have a plan in place of how you will respond if they model any aggression towards you and then do it, in a calm and business like way, not in a frantic, angry or knee jerk response manner that causes one to flail about in panic. You must be convinced of yourself that you are bigger and more dangerous than that 2 ft bird ever will be and then convey that thought to the bird through body language, how you move, how you look at them, how you stand, how you talk even.

My sister used to carry a buggy whip out to feed her poultry, as she had several roosters, a few tom turkeys and even geese that were always attacking her when her back was turned as she dumped feed or water...they just stalked her everywhere she went. I went to visit her one day and faced a few of her bullies down and I could go anywhere in that flock without worry after a few minutes of that. They even remembered me from that one day and when I came back, I got the same reaction. They kept their distance and went about their business....and folks say chickens and turkeys are dumb.

Anyone can do this with any bird, I'm convinced of it.....all it takes is intention. It's no fluke and it has nothing to do with breeding mild mannered roosters for generations, but more to do with how you want things to go in your world and what you will tolerate, then being able to communicate it to the animal. That goes for all animals. People are often amazed at how mannerly and obedient my dogs are and think it must be some kind of mystery, that I've undertaken some intense training program or even had a trainer for them....but nothing could be further from the truth. I expect them to act in a certain way, I communicate that expectation and then I don't stand for anything less than what I expect. I don't have to beat them, punish them or yell at them to get that behavior...in fact, I never yell at a dog unless he's so far away I have to yell to call him back or give a correction, but that's never in anger. And I really don't even consider my dogs all that well trained...I have an uncle who can get a dog to do anything he wants, his dogs make mine look like unruly ruffians.

I think people have forgotten what it means to be strong, especially women, but I'm seeing it more now in men too....somehow being strong as a human being, having fortitude and purpose, has fallen out of favor and is thought of in a negative way. As a result we have many who think there is some mystery behind having mannerly animals on your land when it's just about exercising your dominion over them, which produces amazing harmony, between humans and animals and also between the animals themselves. They actually seem to enjoy having someone in control that is not them, much like little kids enjoy having boundaries and discipline...it seems to make them feel more secure and calm in their life.

In the end a chicken is....well....a chicken is chicken. A scaredy cat animal that is easy to intimidate if need be and very easily convinced of their own vulnerability in this world.

Got 5 mixed breed cockerels of 10 mo. of age given to me the day before yesterday...they are out on the land right now, quiet and timid. One of them crowed once when he arrived, but I haven't heard any of them speak since then. Come November I'll be canning those fellas up in a jar but for now they are really pleasant to have around and seemed to learn in mere seconds who is in control here.... and it wasn't them. They seem comfortable with that.

 

[junebuggena]

Nope....my roosters have not been "managed for generations".....this rooster I have now is the only one that I've bred here on my land that I actually kept past butchering age. Most of the roosters I've had were hatchery, some were mystery roosters from someone else, one came from a good breeder that most likely had been breeding for temperament, etc. No difficult temperaments culled out except for hens, but I still haven't kept roosters from my own hens until this year...usually all males I breed here are used in the fall for canning up, so never really get too far into sexual maturity before being eaten. Roosters I keep down through the years are all ages, all kinds of sources, all breeds, so no managing of their temperaments until they come here to me, be it as chicks or as adult birds.

Here's an example of roosters from all places and sources and how easy it is to manage them.....got 18 roosters of all ages, breeds, mixed breeds and types (BO, RIR/BO cross, leghorn, Cochin, silkie, Maran, and who knows the breeding on some of the mutts) one fall from free ads out of the locals. Two different pens of roosters that were completely unknown to me but there's no doubt folks were getting rid of many of these older ones due to aggression towards humans and even some of the birds that looked like they were just coming to age might have fit that category. One pen of 13 came from a fella who had been collecting free roosters all summer from various sources for meat but then killed a deer and didn't want to fool with killing the roosters any longer, so these truly were birds from all places before they came to me. The other pen of 5 was from a lady who was tired of looking over her shoulder at all these roosters in her run when she went in to feed....she had been flogged a time or two, even from the silkie.

They were crowing, fighting, and acting like a typical rooster would if penned with a bunch of other roosters that were not exactly in their pecking order already and taking feed in that pen was like walking into a room full of sharks in a feeding frenzy....until I restored order. I gave them a day to settle in before I started giving them lessons in manners....by the fourth day they were here they would all stand quietly in the corners of the pen while I emptied the feed into the feeder trough and they would stay there as I fiddled with the waterer, got down to do something here and there, and then finally left the pen. Then and only then would they advance towards the feeder and it wasn't the mad scramble of the first day, but a more quiet and calm procedure. And I noticed there was no more crowing and much, much less fighting during the day....only early in the morning a few would crow, but during the day no crowing. One would never have known I had 18 new roosters on my land, plus the one I already had.

I could go in those pens and catch a rooster without any of the others rushing in to try and flog me or the bird I had penned to the ground, I could have my back to the whole pen for various reasons and never have to worry about getting flogged, and I could handle any of them without fight from them. All in a matter of days.... and those birds stayed here for a month while getting fed on fermented feed and fattening up, so every day I entered those pens I could do it with confidence and trust that I wasn't going to be harmed in any way.

I never once even had to use any rod of persuasion or even a kick or loft to a body....just a red feed bucket waved a few times and intention. Intention is the biggest tool one can use on roosters....you need to stand, walk and move like you have control over them and anything that may happen. You must have a plan in place of how you will respond if they model any aggression towards you and then do it, in a calm and business like way, not in a frantic, angry or knee jerk response manner that causes one to flail about in panic. You must be convinced of yourself that you are bigger and more dangerous than that 2 ft bird ever will be and then convey that thought to the bird through body language, how you move, how you look at them, how you stand, how you talk even.

My sister used to carry a buggy whip out to feed her poultry, as she had several roosters, a few tom turkeys and even geese that were always attacking her when her back was turned as she dumped feed or water...they just stalked her everywhere she went. I went to visit her one day and faced a few of her bullies down and I could go anywhere in that flock without worry after a few minutes of that. They even remembered me from that one day and when I came back, I got the same reaction. They kept their distance and went about their business....and folks say chickens and turkeys are dumb.

Anyone can do this with any bird, I'm convinced of it.....all it takes is intention. It's no fluke and it has nothing to do with breeding mild mannered roosters for generations, but more to do with how you want things to go in your world and what you will tolerate, then being able to communicate it to the animal. That goes for all animals. People are often amazed at how mannerly and obedient my dogs are and think it must be some kind of mystery, that I've undertaken some intense training program or even had a trainer for them....but nothing could be further from the truth. I expect them to act in a certain way, I communicate that expectation and then I don't stand for anything less than what I expect. I don't have to beat them, punish them or yell at them to get that behavior...in fact, I never yell at a dog unless he's so far away I have to yell to call him back or give a correction, but that's never in anger. And I really don't even consider my dogs all that well trained...I have an uncle who can get a dog to do anything he wants, his dogs make mine look like unruly ruffians.

I think people have forgotten what it means to be strong, especially women, but I'm seeing it more now in men too....somehow being strong as a human being, having fortitude and purpose, has fallen out of favor and is thought of in a negative way. As a result we have many who think there is some mystery behind having mannerly animals on your land when it's just about exercising your dominion over them, which produces amazing harmony, between humans and animals and also between the animals themselves. They actually seem to enjoy having someone in control that is not them, much like little kids enjoy having boundaries and discipline...it seems to make them feel more secure and calm in their life.

In the end a chicken is....well....a chicken is chicken. A scaredy cat animal that is easy to intimidate if need be and very easily convinced of their own vulnerability in this world.

Got 5 mixed breed cockerels of 10 mo. of age given to me the day before yesterday...they are out on the land right now, quiet and timid. One of them crowed once when he arrived, but I haven't heard any of them speak since then. Come November I'll be canning those fellas up in a jar but for now they are really pleasant to have around and seemed to learn in mere seconds who is in control here.... and it wasn't them. They seem comfortable with that.

Exactly! I walk a 70 pound pitbull mix with one finger hooked on the leash. I'm 5'1", and barely 90lbs. People are amazed. It's all about how you carry yourself, and your mindset. However, there are some roosters that are just plain mean and crazy...

 

[jenniferlamar70]

Nope....my roosters have not been "managed for generations".....this rooster I have now is the only one that I've bred here on my land that I actually kept past butchering age.  Most of the roosters I've had were hatchery, some were mystery roosters from someone else, one came from a good breeder that most likely had been breeding for temperament, etc.  No difficult temperaments culled out except for hens, but I still haven't kept roosters from my own hens until this year...usually all males I breed here are used in the fall for canning up, so never really get too far into sexual maturity before being eaten.  Roosters I keep down through the years are all ages, all kinds of sources, all breeds, so no managing of their temperaments until they come here to me, be it as chicks or as adult birds. 

Here's an example of roosters from all places and sources and how easy it is to manage them.....got 18 roosters of all ages, breeds, mixed breeds and types (BO, RIR/BO cross, leghorn, Cochin, silkie, Maran, and who knows the breeding on some of the mutts) one fall from free ads out of the locals.  Two different pens of roosters that were completely unknown to me but there's no doubt folks were getting rid of many of these older ones due to aggression towards humans and even some of the birds that looked like they were just coming to age might have fit that category.  One pen of 13 came from a fella who had been collecting free roosters all summer from various sources for meat but then killed a deer and didn't want to fool with killing the roosters any longer, so these truly were birds from all places before they came to me.  The other pen of 5 was from a lady who was tired of looking over her shoulder at all these roosters in her run when she went in to feed....she had been flogged a time or two, even from the silkie. 

They were crowing, fighting, and acting like a typical rooster would if penned with a bunch of other roosters that were not exactly in their pecking order already and taking feed in that pen was like walking into a room full of sharks in a feeding frenzy....until I restored order.  I gave them a day to settle in before I started giving them lessons in manners....by the fourth day they were here they would all stand quietly in the corners of the pen while I emptied the feed into the feeder trough and they would stay there as I fiddled with the waterer, got down to do something here and there, and then finally left the pen.  Then and only then would they advance towards the feeder and it wasn't the mad scramble of the first day, but a more quiet and calm procedure.  And I noticed there was no more crowing and much, much less fighting during the day....only early in the morning a few would crow, but during the day no crowing.  One would never have known I had 18 new roosters on my land, plus the one I already had. 

I could go in those pens and catch a rooster without any of the others rushing in to try and flog me or the bird I had penned to the ground, I could have my back to the whole pen for various reasons and never have to worry about getting flogged, and I could handle any of them without fight from them.  All in a matter of days.... and those birds stayed here for a month while getting fed on fermented feed and fattening up, so every day I entered those pens I could do it with confidence and trust that I wasn't going to be harmed in any way. 

I never once even had to use any rod of persuasion or even a kick or loft to a body....just a red feed bucket waved a few times and intention.  Intention is the biggest tool one can use on roosters....you need to stand, walk and move like you have control over them and anything that may happen.  You must have a plan in place of how you will respond if they model any aggression towards you and then do it, in a calm and business like way, not in a frantic, angry or knee jerk response manner that causes one to flail about in panic.  You must be convinced of yourself that you are bigger and more dangerous than that 2 ft bird ever will be and then convey that thought to the bird through body language, how you move, how you look at them, how you stand, how you talk even. 

My sister used to carry a buggy whip out to feed her poultry, as she had several roosters, a few tom turkeys and even geese that were always attacking her when her back was turned as she dumped feed or water...they just stalked her everywhere she went.  I went to visit her one day and faced a few of her bullies down and I could go anywhere in that flock without worry after a few minutes of that.  They even remembered me from that one day and when I came back, I got the same reaction.  They kept their distance and went about their business....and folks say chickens and turkeys are dumb. 

Anyone can do this with any bird, I'm convinced of it.....all it takes is intention.  It's no fluke and it has nothing to do with breeding mild mannered roosters for generations, but more to do with how you want things to go in your world and what you will tolerate, then being able to communicate it to the animal.  That goes for all animals.  People are often amazed at how mannerly and obedient my dogs are and think it must be some kind of mystery,  that I've undertaken some intense training program or even had a trainer for them....but nothing could be further from the truth.  I expect them to act in a certain way, I communicate that expectation and then I don't stand for anything less than what I expect.  I don't have to beat them, punish them or yell at them to get that behavior...in fact, I never yell at a dog unless he's so far away I have to yell to call him back or give a correction, but that's never in anger.   And I really don't even consider my dogs all that well trained...I have an uncle who can get a dog to do anything he wants, his dogs make mine look like unruly ruffians.  

I think people have forgotten what it means to be strong, especially women, but I'm seeing it more now in men too....somehow being strong as a human being, having fortitude and purpose, has fallen out of favor and is thought of in a negative way.   As a result we have many who think there is some mystery behind having mannerly animals on your land when it's just about exercising your dominion over them, which produces amazing harmony, between humans and animals and also between the animals themselves.  They actually seem to enjoy having someone in control that is not them, much like little kids enjoy having boundaries and discipline...it seems to make them feel more secure and calm in their life. 

In the end a chicken is....well....a chicken is chicken.  A scaredy cat animal that is easy to intimidate if need be and very easily convinced of their own vulnerability in this world.  

Got 5 mixed breed cockerels of 10 mo. of age given to me the day before yesterday...they are out on the land right now, quiet and timid.  One of them crowed once when he arrived, but I haven't heard any of them speak since then.  Come November I'll be canning those fellas up in a jar but for now they are really pleasant to have around and seemed to learn in mere seconds who is in control here.... and it wasn't them.  They seem comfortable with that. 

I can't say I agree with every point you've ever made but I agree with so much in this post. I also agree that it's about a certain energy. A confidence in the way you move. I love Ceasar Milan the dog whisperer. He has that way about him. I don't have any problems with my roosters or dogs etc.. Im not afraid of them because we'll they are chickens lol. I do give love and affection but I also feel like I demand a certain amount of repsect. Our little bantam roo has challenged my oldest son and my middle son. I put an end to that really quick. He doesn't do that anymore. He probably senses that he will be somebody's dinner if he misbehaves that way. We have 4 dogs and they also respect me. 3 being large dogs one bully breed doberman who is actually the best behaved then the lab or husky mix lol. The chihuahua is the most unbehaved one but these little dogs think they are people lol. It's my daughter dog so as far as I'm concerned it's her responsibility..