Rooster struck at husband, now me. What can I do?

[calboy147]

I don't really understand all i know about rooster behavior. My year old Brahma Rodger has seemed to develop a dislike or mistrust for my wife lately. I get along with him fine; and i do sit and handle him quite a bit. And if i sit in one of the lawn chairs and cross my leg, Rodger will jump up and roost on the arm or my ankle.
He tends to follow me around quite a lot as well. He has never displayed any aggression toward me but my wife and brother in law claim he goes after them nearly every day.
I tend to think he goes after my brother in law because he only sees him a couple times a month. And since my wife works six days a week and do to the shorter daylight she no longer releases the flock in the morning or give them their morning snacks, Rodger may not be sure she belongs here.
I really like him and he is a pretty good flock leader/protector as he didn't hesitate to go toe to toe with a large fox that had terrorized the ladies. The fox was dead in my drive but when Rodger came running he did not stop to check for vitals before flogging the fox.
So i have my wife grab him and hold him down every time he goes after her, as recommended by others at BYC.
Another quirk involves Rodger and my 6mos older Silver laced Wyandotte hen. She has gone from main hen to total outcast. seemingly because she absolutely refuses to submit for Rodger. She is like a Ninja to his Sumo so he can never catch her. And if he does manage to accidentally corner her she will fight him like a Ninja as well.
So now i worry about her because she is always foraging alone.
I even have to hide when i put out scratch for her or the others will see her and run her off.
I love having chickens because there is never a dull moment.

 

[kcan2]

I don't really understand all i know about rooster behavior. My year old Brahma Rodger has seemed to develop a dislike or mistrust for my wife lately. I get along with him fine; and i do sit and handle him quite a bit. And if i sit in one of the lawn chairs and cross my leg, Rodger will jump up and roost on the arm or my ankle.
He tends to follow me around quite a lot as well. He has never displayed any aggression toward me but my wife and brother in law claim he goes after them nearly every day.
I tend to think he goes after my brother in law because he only sees him a couple times a month. And since my wife works six days a week and do to the shorter daylight she no longer releases the flock in the morning or give them their morning snacks, Rodger may not be sure she belongs here.
I really like him and he is a pretty good flock leader/protector as he didn't hesitate to go toe to toe with a large fox that had terrorized the ladies. The fox was dead in my drive but when Rodger came running he did not stop to check for vitals before flogging the fox.
So i have my wife grab him and hold him down every time he goes after her, as recommended by others at BYC.
Another quirk involves Rodger and my 6mos older Silver laced Wyandotte hen. She has gone from main hen to total outcast. seemingly because she absolutely refuses to submit for Rodger. She is like a Ninja to his Sumo so he can never catch her. And if he does manage to accidentally corner her she will fight him like a Ninja as well.
So now i worry about her because she is always foraging alone.
I even have to hide when i put out scratch for her or the others will see her and run her off.
I love having chickens because there is never a dull moment.

Wow, great story about your Rodger! Love the name, haha. He sounds very courageous to count coup over an already-pre-dead fox

Ninja/sumo relationship is too funny! I still hope Ninja wins (and stays safe!)

 

[Granitestater]

I’ve had the same issue with a rooster I raised from one day old- I also was distressed because most people kept saying to give him away (which never bodes well for the rooster) or put him in a pot- ack! He is part of my family now! I’ve been involved with animals my entire life and it’s important to meet them where they are, not try to bend them to thinking like humans. A rooster has one gig in life, besides the obvious of fertilizing eggs. He is there to protect and defend his gals, from anything and everything. Once I started paying attention to that, I stopped thinking he now hated me and had the potential to be a psycho behind my back. I read articles on rooster behavior (there are some good ones on this site and online as well); this helped me understand how they fulfill their biological drive for protecting hens. I paid attention to exactly what I was doing when he came after me or my husband. The end result was either we were too near his hen or we were invading his defined territory by entering the coop or section of yard he occupied. When I stopped staring at him and moved away from the area he was agitated about, he was fine again. With the right treats, he will even let me in the coop to clean. That way he gets to look fabulous to the gals because HE found the snacks (yes, I give them directly to him for distribution). If there are no hens around, he becomes my old boy again.

Not to take any chances, I also purchased knee-high heavy boots and thicker denim to wear when working around him. I don’t kick at him or push stuff in his face, that just makes him feel he is under attack. As far as my hands, if I don’t have gloves on I don’t put them within striking distance. Remember, he doesn’t hate you but is just doing his very important job.

We now have a good relationship which I enjoy, he didn’t meet a terrible fate, and I still love him. I’m not sure my hens would survive a predator-laden environment without his constant watchfulness and willingness to take the hit as long as his hens survive. I just watch him sometimes and marvel at the work he does and how stressful it must be when everyone is outside and he’s trying to keep track of them as well as any risks. Can you imagine if it were us? We would probably be running around with an ax chopping at everyone!

Anyway, I hope this was helpful- just don’t give up! You seem to have a bond with him so appreciate him for the beautiful guy he is. I’d love to see his picture if you could take one- this is my beautiful Billy.

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I love your explanation of the roosters behavior; your Billy is beautiful; I have 2 roosters and they respect me and we get along fine. The alpha one does not like to be patted or held but has never pecked at me. Has butted the back of my legs a couple times when I was holding a grandchild that he saw as a threat but if just me no problem. He will eat out of my ungloved hand without hurting me. Occas. I will pick him up to give him some contact and if I hold his wings down he will just tolerate it. I don't push it too long tho cuz he likes to be free and watch his flock. The second guy lets me pick him up no prob. but if on his perch at bedtime will peck my as well as the girls. I do get irritated with him for pecking the poor girls who just want to cuddle in, be warm and sleep. But its a chicken thing.
The roos are growing large testes inside so their testosterone level is getting higher and higher so they really cant help being aggressive. A vet that was neutering one of my other roos at 6 mos. was amazed at the size of the testes inside him. Seeing the aggressive behavior of these 2 towards the girls I know their testes are huge and are putting out lots of hormone.
Please people they are not mean; they are just victims of their hormones. Best to try to work with them as best you can. Best of luck to all.

 

[Granitestater]

@minaayindra

Lol! Yes I agree: the ax would be out!
I just got home and fully read your very helpful post and Billy is awesome! Here is my guy:
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I bet he is confused and that is why he strikes out. Also like the person said if the persons hands are too close or on top of his head he may see it as a threat. There are some good explanations of rooster behavior and causes that I hope you get to read. Also remember the testes are growing in those less than a year and testosterone levels are rising with associated behavior. He is a sweet looking roo. You are lucky to have him!

 

[Granitestater]

Always have children around my place so NO aggresive roosters allowed.
Nasty roosters dont last one day here, no excuses, no second chances, no forgiveness.
Off to boot hill they go.
Even if i dont have any kids and its just me...same story. Why let a bad acting rooster wreck your happy chicken tending experience? Ile pick up any hen or rooster whenever i please.
(I always do this after dark anyway, no problems.)
Like others have said, there are plenty of good behaving rooster to choose from.
People think since they raised him from a chick it holds some bearing on his behavior. Not so. Is the 2 day old calf the same animal as when he is a 4 year old bull?
Would you behave equally the same aroud both age groups?
To many people have let a nasty rooster situation get so far out of hand that they sware off chickens all together.
Its sad

Sad for the life of the roo too; he is a victim of his hormones when all is said and done.

 

[Granitestater]

Usually it seems sudden, because reading early signs takes experience.
Wear at least jeans and boots out there! He will be able to hurt you through the jeans, but not as much, and his spurs are still small.
Mary

What about the spurs Mary? Have you experience with trimming them? At what age? My 2 boys seem to be growing slowly at present. They are 10 mos. My first chickens. One girl has feathers off back now.

 

[Granitestater]

It isn't random,it just seems that way.
When males reach an age where they are physically ready to be a rooster the way they react to nearly everything changes.
Pats become challenges, treats become submissions, ankles become the girl next door.
The hardest part for most people is that it is very rarely gradual.

Good explanation; the normal aging process of a boy chicken; they do still like it when you come with treats tho!

 

[RuralKing_Chicken_Chick]

The other day my husband was feeding my two chickens and he said that the rooster flew at his hand when he tried to pet him. I didn't see it, but today when I was feeding the chickens, my rooster struck at my hand...twice.

I'm not sure what to do or how to nip this behavior to get my precious boy back...

I'm a little bit emotional about it because I have been going through some health issues and the chickens have been one of the few joys in my life right now.

Hopefully it's not too late and he is doomed to be a mean rooster from now on...help!

My boy did this when he was hitting his Teenage hormones. It lasted a month or so. Whe he would even think about nabbing my hand I would just pick him up and carry him like a football. Or I would make him sit on the ground or my lap and just pet him. And well my sweet and loving boy has never been better. He still get “onry” streaks but what teenage boy doesn’t????

 

[Naser]

I would leave him alone and ignore him, I would wear protective glasses when near him, never let children around him.

 

[Debbanne]

The other day my husband was feeding my two chickens and he said that the rooster flew at his hand when he tried to pet him. I didn't see it, but today when I was feeding the chickens, my rooster struck at my hand...twice.

I'm not sure what to do or how to nip this behavior to get my precious boy back...

I'm a little bit emotional about it because I have been going through some health issues and the chickens have been one of the few joys in my life right now.

Hopefully it's not too late and he is doomed to be a mean rooster from now on...help!

Hopefully you can find a way to stop him but may not be able too. My husband has a similar problem with our rooster and he is ready to put him on the chopping block. They can become unsafe to your self as well. We have ducks and our goose will go him too but he still chases our ducks. Hope this helps?