Roosters Aggressive to Little Boy - Help!

[sourland]

Thank all of you so much for your insights. Yes they are young birds, and I had a feeling that they were starting to get a little sure of themselves with this new behavior. The boys have been loving all over them since we brought them home with no issues, and now it is a different story. I knew that I was going to have to get rid of four of them soon, but I was trying to figure out if I should get rid of all of them since all it takes is one to go after my little boy. I'm getting the feeling from all the posts that a hens-only camp is the best way to go until my boys all get bigger. Thank you again!

Excellent, logical decision. I applaud you. Taking risks with children should not be an option. Kids come first.

 

[nickie]

Even with only hens you MUST be vigilant with the respect all animals rule. Little eyes are shiny and birds like to peck at shiny things. NEVER NEVER NEVER allow your children to put their faces up to the chickens, or yourself for that matter.

 

[Wishing4Wings]

I know everyone has their own methods, but the story of "the little cockerel was soooo sweet and lovable then he turned aggressive when he got older" gets repeated here over and over.

When kids are a bit older, whenever we raised chicks, we allowed the chickens to be chickens. We taught the children to walk into the chicken area with a stick. We do the same thing now with the grandkids. Nothing particularly menacing, just something to always take with them. I know a lot of folks like to make pets out of their chickens, but in far too many cases the cockerels simply do not lend themselves to this. The cockerels can be precocious as chicks and thus, people often mistake this for being "friendly". But when a cockerel becomes a rooster, his hormones and his genetic pre-disposition kicks in. They are designed by nature to be breeders, dominant, watchful, wary, and sometimes, even protective of their hens. This is their DNA. This is their purpose, via nature.

We do not schmooze up the young cockerels. We are bigger and we stay bigger in their eyes. We respect them and they respect us. I go about my business and expect the roosters to do the same.

Can this go into an article or permanent reference area somewhere on the site? I've tried to say this many times, but you've said it better, and you have the experience to back it up.