Rooster Training Advice

[BantyChooks]

@aart @BantyChooks ok this convo makes me feel better. I was considering rehoming him and assuming I couldn’t handle a rooster right now if he’s going to attack me, but he’s only just started acting this way. Maybe I can regain his trust and not let him see other people picking up hens. Should I still hand feed him? Should I continue to casually pick up non-fussy hens? Or lay off of that for a while? Should I let him mate in front of me?

If he does jump at me what method of punishment should I use?

It really depends on what you want to try. You've certainly gotten quite the spread of advice. Pick something and stick to it, and then cross your fingers that it works. Personally? I'm not going to limit myself on interaction with other flock members based on any other bird, and I'm not going to limit that bird's interaction with the flock. Correcting an action doesn't necessarily correct the mind, especially when there can be many motivations for a single behaviour; if it's not aggression, and it gets an aggressive response from you, he's going to be frightened. It takes time and experience with chickens to be able to pick out the differences that can't really be written down. Breed matters. Setup matters. Unconscious body language matters.

I don't feel comfortable making any more recommendations without knowing exactly where your bird is in the scale of tractability around humans. Maybe start by spending several hours out there, not interacting, but watching from a distance. Look at how he moves when he's relaxed, when he sees food, when there's a disagreement with the hens. Listen closely to differences in vocalizations. Write it down, if it helps. The point here is not to see what he does around humans, it's to pick up on his natural cues as they appear in his day-to-day life. You won't be able to pick up on abnormal behaviours if you don't know normal.

 

[BantyChooks]

Anyone that dispenses information from this point of view is someone to listen to.... about anything they’re willing to talk to about

Maybe not me. I'll talk anyone's ear off if they give me half a chance.

Thank you for your kind comments.

 

[LizzzyJo]

This^^^

I handle my birds just enough for them to know they 'won't die' if I touch them.
I handle females more than males, but the males learn 'noone will die' and will come up to investigate a females squawking then relax as soon as they see their girl is in good hands.

One of the best examples was when I picked up a pullet and she made a huge fuss, Woody came racing into the coop and literally slid to stop when he saw it was just me.

The subtle and confident movements and a calm voice really helps when 'training' and handling birds of either gender.

Haven't read this in it's entirety, but @BantyChooks has always had pragmatic views filled with copious common sense.

Today went really well with a lot of interaction and the roo being sweet as pie. I had to push a pullet into the run (to lock up from free range) and the roo heard her yell and came running at me then I looked at him and stood a bit higher and he actually did ‘slide to a stop’ just like you said! The he wandered away! I was so happy with that tiny little boost

 

[aart]

Today went really well with a lot of interaction and the roo being sweet as pie. I had to push a pullet into the run (to lock up from free range) and the roo heard her yell and came running at me then I looked at him and stood a bit higher and he actually did ‘slide to a stop’ just like you said! The he wandered away! I was so happy with that tiny little boost

Good Job! I think you have the right 'attitude'.
I find that lots of presence, if not interaction, really helps....I just make frequent visits out to the run and coop moving slowly and calmly 'thru' the birds so they get used to my presence and stay out of my way.

 

[Criticalicious]

I would add that I try not to feed roosters from my hand most of the time unless I know they are super sweet, and especially not if he's acting protective with his girls. Better to toss some treats in front of him and let him call his girls and brag about finding it for them. A good rooster will let the girls eat first, plus it's adorable to watch.

 

[Ralph Suniga]

Ok here something I do to tame down my game roasters I use Vaseline petroleum jelly every other day this calms them down when I am handling hens and pullets he comes at when the cry out he is there protector when using the Vaseline put a little on his comb and wattle then a little on his feet he’ll love you for that if that dose not work place him in a brood pen when working with your birdsbut always start with him first

 

[Shezadandy]

When my roosters are young I'll pick up various hens in the coop - some of which will make a huge fuss before settling down. If a rooster starts fussing about the commotion, I take the hen right by him while she calms down, still in my arms. I've never had a problem with any of them when it comes time to pick someone up. My thinking is predators don't bring the hen back to the flock and rival roosters trying to steal a moment with the girls don't walk over and do it right in front of them either … that said, I don't bother trying to catch anyone outside unless there's a big health emergency, but there are a couple that like a good pet.

Last night for the horrible hot night and again tonight I'll be bringing some girls who have a hard time with the heat into crates to cool down, and I can literally go right next to any rooster, pluck the hen off the roost and he won't even bother looking.

 

[lolson69]

He’s doing his job. Protecting his ladies!!

 

[ecorso]

In most cases it gets better, but not if you kick, ie fight him. If he is going to actually hurt you when he runs at you, be prepared and block him with a piece of cardboard, plastic can lid. The idea is not to fight him, as he will see you as a competitor, but to let him understand that he cannot hurt you. It is pointless to even try. You may even start by offering him a treat before you go to the hens. None of my roosters charge at me or anyone else when I pick up our hens in their presence. They may have an instinct to do it and may start to run over, but stop themselves before actually reaching me. I never pin them down and try to dominate them or they will think they need to try to dominate me. I do pick them up, carry them around, play with them, not just the hens. If you need to, you can separate him while you spend time with the hens, but once past the teenage stage, he should understand that you are not his competition. Ours all have, even the ones that we received as young adults with bad habits. They learned pretty fast. Their prior owners couldn’t touch their hens, but as soon as they got to know us, they were fine with us handling their girls.just don’t act like another rooster. On a side note, the mother hens that raised their own chicks were able to take charge over their boys even after they towered over them without aggression. They didn’t have to act like another rooster to be in charge. You are the mother superior of mother hens. Whenever you set a chicken down, do it very slowly, gently, but firmly so they don’t try to jump out of your arms. Only let them go when they are quiet. They will learn how you are gentle, kind, not scary, but very much in charge, which is good because they can trust you with their hens and chicks.

 

[Awestruck]

I got my first batch of 'pullets' 2 years ago, and one of them ended up being a rooster. In fact, it is one of the worst breeds for having a rooster. When the chickens were about 5 months, Ginger started showing his colors. It only got worse. He thinks the girls are his and he doesn't want me to do any interfering whatsoever. Nor does he want anyone else who comes into the chicken yard to interfere.
Everyone has gotten attacked by Ginger, who goes out there. I actually got him under control by working with him. When he attacks me, I got down on his level and start walking toward him. Then he usually goes the other way.
But in the late winter, that didn't work. He became so aggressive and he would attack me regardless of what I did in response. So, I ended up wearing a rain jacket outside for protection when I went out there. But, that became really hot especially in the heat of the summer. But what did work, was wearing a yellow beach towel around my neck.
The chickens are terrified of this towel, because I would use it on them. When the towel goes over their heads, they end up stunned. After they experienced the towel, any time I picked it up, they would go the other direction.
But Ginger even overcame his fear of the towel after a while. But all I have to do is to open it up and remind him that the towel can easily go over his head if I choose to use it. It has worked wonderful for months now. And if he does try to attack again, he gets the towel. Maybe you can towel train your rooster so he won't attack again. You might have the sweetest rooster around, but instinct tells them that you will harm his girls, and he will have none of that!