rooster went after our daughter

[Wendy'sChicksRock]

The world is full of so many good roo's I cant help but wonder " why keep a bad one" ?

 

[marilyn15]

I think he was having a moment, but I will not be "dumb" like before, and always be more cautious, tonight I went in the chicken yard and was feeding him by hand some grapes and blueberries and he was oh so polite

. He also would take grapes from my hand and literally almost drop them in front of the hens, it was kind of sweet that he was feeding his girls treats.....
I hope he stays that way, and he seems calm now that he is with his girls!
But we did not let our little one in near him knowing she just does not have the capacity yet to realize she needs to be gentle and slow with the chickens.

 

[vivan88]

It sounds terrible！！When I was a child，some roosters also went after me。Maybe they believe that children are weak！！！！！！！！！！！

 

[Happy Chooks]

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If you were a rooster and your genetics ingrained you to protect your flock (as just about everything eats chicken) and you saw this small thing running and jumping, flailing arms and legs and screaming like a banshee around your hens - would you not think it's a threat? It's just instinctual.

Now with that said, I don't think because the rooster flipped out once means he's a bad rooster. Even the best rooster can have a bad moment. But if it becomes a habit, then for sure get rid of him.

To the OP, no offense meant for your child - I have 2 boys and 1 of them screams like a banshee. The only one who can top him is my niece and her high pitched girl squeal.

 

[Enslaved-by-Ducks]

Marilyn15,
Every once in awhile I read about some IDIOT that has taken a stick to their Rooster and smacked him on the back...lightly or not, Never hit your rooster with an object. They NEVER forget you.
Like a parrot, ( which I have two ) if you even ever so slightly threaten him, they will never forget that " or you " and will attack you if you come near. I would too !!! I get that you love your rooster and are concerned with your child getting attacked and I get that we want to just get rid of them. That's not always the best answer. I " rehomed " three beautiful roosters because they were too aggressive with the hens and with other people. Yes it is so much more peaceful around here and the hens all have feathers on their backs once again but I soooo miss my roosters. I miss the crowing in the morning and their magnificant beauty. The lady I gave them to had them for about a week and they were all killed by predators. She never had a safe coop for her birds and let them roam around at night in the open. I found out later she had lost most of her flock on a daily basis from not taking care of them. Then she would just buy more birds. I don't understand the warped mentality people who think that they can just leave their animals unprotected at night or mistreat their animals because they mis-behave.
Would you kick your dog because he barks ? I hope not. There are ways to train your flock to obey and if you have kids around, you need to keep your roosters away from them at all cost. Regardless if they are tame or not. Please know that I had my Roosters eating out of my hand and I could pick them up and they would fall asleep in my lap. They had to learn who the boss was and by doing this, my roosters were as well behaved, with me that is.
My roosters would attack anyone who came near and this was expected since they didn't know them. They knew who I was because when they got aggressive with me, I would grab them and hold them. I would then walk aroung the coop with them in my arms and scratch their heads and talk to them. I did this every day. They stopped runnung from me and I could waklk in the coop and they would actually sit and wait for me to pick them up. I did get smacked once in awhile but then I would repeat the process. If you are wanting to keep your rooster, simply adjust your actions by theirs. Wear the same clothing when your around them. They are very smart creatures and recognize every thing you are wearing or not wearing. My roosters would attack me if I were wearing a hat. They didn't recognize me with a hat. I simply removed the hat and they were fine. If you want to rehome the rooster, please make sure the person is going to take care of them. I trust no one with my animals any longer and I wish like hell I hadn't re-homed my beautiful roosters......It is not safe no matter how trained your rooster is to have them around children. I would keep your child away from him at all cost and if you do this, you can keep him and enjoy the benifits of having a roo. They have a purpose and are only doing what they are born to do...ie.. Protect the flock, Keep things in order, supply you with a alarm clock, and fertilize your hens so you can hatch baby chicks for your child to enjoy...........Have a great day. and good luck.

 

[marilyn15]

My husband and i thoroughly agree with you. My husband and I do not just buy animals and think we know everything, hence that is why I am on here asking for advice and information. But we do take serious care when it comes to our animals and children. I look at it this way, we have 2 dogs and she could very easily been bitten by one of them, i.e. sticking her hand in their food bowl while they are trying to eat, or messing with a Momma and her pups. So that being said we do pay attention and I agree that he is doing what is his instinct as a rooster. EVer since that incident he has been the perfect gentlemen, I thank the Lord that she was not seriously injured, (he would have been a dead Roo) but it was a lesson learned that we need to pay a closer eye, and if she is outside the Roo stays in his run/coop. Easy solution, problem solved.
We do let her sit with us in a chair and we hand feed the hens and Romeo, so it all works out good and everyone as learning along the way!
And no you did not offend me one single bit! I do not know a two year old that is not full of energy!!!
Thank you for your help and comments always appreciated.


Quote:
If you were a rooster and your genetics ingrained you to protect your flock (as just about everything eats chicken) and you saw this small thing running and jumping, flailing arms and legs and screaming like a banshee around your hens - would you not think it's a threat? It's just instinctual.

Now with that said, I don't think because the rooster flipped out once means he's a bad rooster. Even the best rooster can have a bad moment. But if it becomes a habit, then for sure get rid of him.

To the OP, no offense meant for your child - I have 2 boys and 1 of them screams like a banshee. The only one who can top him is my niece and her high pitched girl squeal.

 

[marilyn15]

I agree with everything you just said, and thank you for responding. WE are doing just exactly that. I tend to the flock in the morning and unfortunately they are not allowed to free range until we are outside in the early afternoon because we had lost 9 last year to predators (still makes me so mad!!! and sick!!!) but that is how we learned. So I tend to them in the morning and let them out of their coop ( they have a windows and a doggy door for ventalation) and so they can go in and out of the coop to their run. My husband built them an extremely safe large coop. We currently have 18 in our flock, one Roo Romeo and he is a beauty!
That being said even though he is polite and sweet we know that animals have instincts and can turn at any moment. We had let our guard down at that time and our daughter came running by him and all his hens right with him so I can not blame him for reacting. Plus it was getting late and he was in the process of gathering his girls to go in for the night. So we definitely do not let our daughter run around him and he does not free range when she is outside unless we are sitting in our chairs feeding them treats......
For now we are keeping Romeo, we already had one Roo killed by a predator awhile back when he was in our older coop. We do not want that to happen to Romeo!
And for now everyone is happy and good! Thanks for the help! I never want to lose another one of our flock again!


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[Enslaved-by-Ducks]

Maryln, I'm glad you have decided to keep Romeo...he needs a good home and you sound so attentive to him. I know you won't regret it. just keep him away from others and you will be fine. If he trys to spur you, just try and figure out what made him react...change of clothing, a hat, sunglasses...all these things will confuse him. BTW, your avatar picture made me laugh because I have the same beautiful Araucana you have. Her name is Ginger and she lays green eggs...she is my FAVORITE hen and she looks exactly like your hen..........TTYL
Quote:
If you were a rooster and your genetics ingrained you to protect your flock (as just about everything eats chicken) and you saw this small thing running and jumping, flailing arms and legs and screaming like a banshee around your hens - would you not think it's a threat? It's just instinctual.

Now with that said, I don't think because the rooster flipped out once means he's a bad rooster. Even the best rooster can have a bad moment. But if it becomes a habit, then for sure get rid of him.

To the OP, no offense meant for your child - I have 2 boys and 1 of them screams like a banshee. The only one who can top him is my niece and her high pitched girl squeal.

 

[marilyn15]

awww thank you soooo much, we really do love our chickens and it just would not be the same without Romeo! Plus his two favorite girlfriends are Juliet and Mystery. They are Easter Eggers. And thanks for the compliment on my avatar, that is Small Fry God rest her soul.....she was killed by a coyote last year with my two other hens Scout and Jem. They were my first hens and my favorite, I could go on and on. I guess everything happens for a reason because it made us realize how to be more aware when they free range. I still have small fry as my avatar but was going to change it but could not figure out how to? They were so sweet, could hold them and pet them all the time. We hold Romeo often and try to handle as many as we can daily. Thanks for all the help. I am really loving all this!


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