Rooster worries!

[CarlaJeanchickenlady]

See I am in tears thinking of him becoming food! He is not aggressive in the sense of it being constant and I can go out at all times and he is never agresssive and that one time is the only time

 

[CarlaJeanchickenlady]

But I am now so nervous reading all this! I know one girl who has seven roosters and said they don’t give her any Troy me do I had settled in my worry when he was younger but now I’m terrfied!

 

[Sunshine Flock]

I don't recall reading his age.

This is my first year with chickens, and I was so hoping for a rooster, no matter how he turned out in terms of behavior. He's a love, but only in that I adore him for his roosterly qualities — and I don't have furless, featherless, pawless children.

At three weeks Henry's behavior become very much that of a rooster. It was practically an overnight transformation, and I enjoyed watching it emerge. When he started sexually maturing (not sure how old he was, but he's still in that phase at seven months), he became aggressive toward me and the dogs.

He attacked my ankles, and it sure hurt. And he was fixated on two of our dogs. So the safety issue (for him) was a big concern. Then he was attacked by a coyote and is currently recovering, so I don't know if his doggy fixation will lessen over time, since he has months of healing ahead of him.

I will say he definitely stepped down with his chicken house protectiveness, once I learned to stand my ground. Or it could be a matter of Henry outgrowing that behavior, or a combination of both.

But everything changed once I watched a few videos and did some reading and realized that by running and stepping back, I was actually encouraging this behavior.

I'm more tolerant of animals being what they're designed to be. I'm not fond of attempting to suppress these characteristics. But roosters don't tend to fare too well, and that's because they can be difficult creatures. I keep telling my husband that we need to learn Henry with no expectations of training the rooster out of him. But do learn to read him carefully and anticipate his actions and reactions.

It's cause and effect with roosters.

The rooster's ultimate goal is to protect their hens, so a child's wiggly, playful behavior may trigger a protective reaction. It's quite possible your rooster will soften over time, depending on his age. But you could practice your own reaction toward him until you feel you have a good read and response with him, and then teach your children.

And during this time you could create a separate fenced area for him and allow him access to a hen or two. Personally I feel it's workable; it's just a matter of learning how to work with him, teaching your children how to behave around him and standing their ground, and how to deal with him should he attack again.

I have a long poled tool I use for removing spiderwebs. It has a fluffy blue head on it. I think it's called Mr Longarm. The hens and Henry respond to it when I'm herding them more than any other tool, such as a rake or broom. You hold it out to one side and their excellent peripheral vision causes them to react. I use it with Henry near the dog yard all the time, but more and more I've been simply observing his behavior (prior to the attack a few weeks ago) and noticing that he doesn't always rush the fence and try to attack Linus through the fencing. It depends on what Linus is doing and his reaction. Over time my need to run out and intervene lessened, because Henry began to react less.

But it will probably always be a problem, so I have to be attentive when the dogs are out in their yard.

Just some things to consider that may help you in your decision.

 

[Sunshine Flock]

See I am in tears thinking of him becoming food! He is not aggressive in the sense of it being constant and I can go out at all times and he is never agresssive and that one time is the only time

I personally wouldn't let that one time determine his future. But you and your children do need to learn how to behave around him and how to read his behavior and what to do in response to him. This is possible. I've done it and with practice and quiet observations and family talks and planning, you can too.