Can you give us that are inexperienced with raising roosters some tips on how to treat them. My last rooster was a jerk and I'm sure I played a part in that. I would like to do it right this time. How do you discipline your cockerel and what behavior do you consider needing discipline? Thanks!
One thing to realize is that chickens don't "get embarrassed" so any and all advice to pick them up and carry them around to embarrass them in front of their hens is pretty laughable. That's a complex emotion that one cannot attribute to chickens. Roosters do not even comprehend what carrying them around could possibly mean other than they are trapped by something and being moved from one place to another...means absolutely nothing to them other than potential danger.
When raising males from a chick leave them alone, give them feed and water and a secure place to live. No hand feeding, handling, petting or otherwise treating them like a pet or baby. They are a male animal, soon to be breeding, fighting and doing what roosters do all day that comes natural. As you move through their space, expect them to move away from you, walk right through them if you have to, but make them MOVE. If they take too long, reach down and give them a goose on the tail feathers. If you raise them properly, you should never get to see the wing dance, the hackles raised or any type of flogging maneuver. A well raised rooster is a good buddy down through the years and you can even have a closer relationship once you know he can be trusted. If not, then you have a job to do.....see below.
Any pecking of your hands when you reach for another bird or for him, gets a swift and light cuff to the head. Just enough to get his attention. If he does a wing dance in your space, advance on him and get him moving and keep him moving. If he's too fast, take a light rod of some kind and keep touching him with a tap to the head or back until he's moving away from you and wanting to stay away from you. Then lay in wait for him to return to that area and is relaxed, eating or doing his own thing, then start in on him again...tap, tap, tap, move, move, move. He's not allowed to be where you don't want him to be at any given time. This lesson should only take a matter of minutes, so don't think you have to do it for a long time or daily even.
All of this can be pretty enjoyable if you approach it in the right manner and you really shouldn't have to repeat this lesson more than once if you are doing it with intent and good purpose...if you are a nervous or scared person or "don't want to hurt my baby", you can forget it..it's likely you'll have many roosters who attack you down through the years and all the while people will tell you to kill them and eat them because they are bad. They aren't bad...I've never met a bad rooster in 40 yrs.
Pretty soon you'll notice he's looking over his shoulder for you and already moving away when you enter the coop or run. Keep him that way until you've established a mutually respectful relationship. He's not allowed to touch your body, you are allowed to touch his any time you wish...when he gets that in his head, you can start trusting him.
For roosters that have not been raised properly and are already flogging humans, the training is much more aggressive. What he does to you, you lay in wait and do to him...and you keep doing it until he doesn't want to be within a mile of you if he can help it. Don't run, flail, kick or shout if a rooster attacks you...those are all defensive, knee jerk reactions that will only invite him to do it again. Stand your ground, move towards him instead of away. If he moves away, let him go...but lay in wait for him to come back...have that rod handy. When he's in the coop or run and relaxed and least expecting it, surprise him with a little flogging of your own and don't stop until he's looking for the exit or trying to make one of his own. Done right, this lesson too will only have to be done once and only takes a matter of minutes.
After these lessons, you won't have to carry a stick with you or be on your guard at all times, just continue to own your space, your coop and your run and keep that rooster looking over his shoulder for you instead of the other way around. Hope all of this helps.
