Roosters that attack

[sundance]

I love my roo(T-Rex) but I am the only one that does. He attacks everyone else. Sunday he was trying to attack my DD mini pins in their yard. She has a fenced yard for them to play in and T Rex was pecking thru the fence.He runs my pitt back in the house every time he sees Mia, I have been fighting everyone in the family about getting rid of him, but I think I'm gonna have to cave in and do without a roo. I really wanted to keep him long enough for one of my hens to go broody to set some eggs but don't think they are Everyone told me that RIR's were nasty, great layers but bad roos. marrie

 

[enola]

Araucanas are not usually for "fighting" chickens. Especially for the fights that money is bet on. Game cocks are used for fights. A game cock would whip an Araucana so fast the Araucana wouldn't even know what hit him !

 

[bulldog-girl]

We were given two "pullets" and one turned out to be a roo. He started out fine, in fact he was handled from a chick. However he is now tricky and has flown at my and my daughter. I won't let anyone go down to the henhouse without a stick. I intimidate him on purpose every time I am there and tell him who is boss.

I was thinking this was working pretty well until yesterday, I had let them out for free ranging, watered and fed them, then turned around to go back to the house. He came at me from behind. Luckily he does not have spurs. I am thinking about re homeing him. We now have three more roosters from a straight run batch and they are so far behaving wonderfully. I would like to keep one. I am watching them all to see who is the most gentelmanly. Then the rest are going to be rehomed.

I can't watch my back every minute and the flock love to free range so I don't want to lock them all up for one loose cannon wandering around. I appreciate his protectivness but if he ever hurt one of my family or friends, my hubby has threatened freezer camp as well.

 

[Sunny Side Up]

Quote:
I think it's worth a try. I think this works with some roos, but not all of them. But some folks find success with their individual bird and falsely assume it will work with EVERY one.

I know I recently used the term, but I try NOT to label roosters as "mean" or "bad". Animals aren't malicious, but just responding to the world as they see it. Some are more wary or fearful, some will choose fight over flight when they feel threatened. Some are born with this temperment, some become this way after harsh treatment. Some chicks can be persuaded to be more friendly with frequent handling, some will never tolerate it. Some can be changed with certain types of training & handling, others cannot.

So go ahead and try to reprogram your roo. An old experienced chicken keeper told me she holds her feisty roos under one arm & holds their heads down with the other until they keep it down on their own. Only then does she raise their heads and sets them down. I do this with my gander when he tries to nip me.

 

[undermywings]

I have a couple of questions to add to this post.
How many of you have had success in re-homing your mis-behaving roosters?
I think if we are even able to find someone willing to take our attacking roosters, we cannot be sure they are given to a good home such as happened to poor rebecca10782's rooster family.
Would you be willing to take a chance on taking one in?
Sometimes a new environment will temper a rooster but not always.

 

[MissJames]

My roo was great until puberty hit.Now he attacks me ,but not my husband. This weekend he left long scratches on my leg and several bites and bruises.I'm scared to go in the coop .He's a big RIR.I used to just go in the run and sit with them,but now I can't even take in food and water safely.

 

[cackle]

Quote:
I don't go into the chicken coop during the day. I wait until they have been let out for free range time to go collect eggs. My RIR is awful to people but takes great care of his girls. I watch him pick up treats and give them to a hen. He watches the sky and calls them in at bedtime. I have the grandkids scared to death of him and that is a good thing. If I take the kids out during free range time we all carry big sticks and walk in a pack.

Now my silkie rooster is a swwet heart and I only had to drop kick him once for him to know who was the main roo.

 

[Peeper7]

Drop-kicking almost worked for the one RIR who flew at me...then I picked up a brick...funny he seemed to change his mind ?

....I think I would be carrying a baseball bat... If we had kids around I would be quite happy with them being nervous of the rooster -- but I'm the one with the chicken feed bills...

I have not had to deal with a nasty rooster for 30 years. I'd better have a talk with the batch in the brooder....

 

[bonitapatrita]

wow, everyone, thanks for all your thoughts and input on this topic- and thanks to the one who brought it up.
I am going to keep working with my almost year old rooster. I pick him up as much as i can. I have a few big sticks available around the yard and right by his pen. In the evening I have been picking him up and just holding him. He seems to really relax when i do this. I think a lot of his reaction/ behavior is caused by fear. Also, i noticed that when I am wearing my big black chore boots he will attack them/ me , and when I am wearing my normal tennis shoes he is lees likely to jump at me. he is quite nervous. getting a hold of him a giving a big hug calms him right down.
Also, this morning, one of my araucana "pullets" made what may be a crow. Here we go again. This gives me a chance to see if I can raise up a better mannered rooster, I guess. I have almost given up on finding a new home for the roosters. It is a little like finding a home for a stray cat. (We have six cats here at home.) - the problem with being an animal lover, I guess.
Everyone please keep the tips coming. Also, anyone here in Michigan near Grand Rapids/ battle Creek, Kalamazoo area, I would love to trade visits and advice. God Bless all of you.

 

[*GEL*]

I remember as a kid, my mother having problems with one of our roosters........everytime she would go in the pen, he would dive bomb her. She started taking in the handle to an old hoe that had fallen off. One day, she went in, handle in hand. This time he came at her from the front and she smacked that rooster just like a baseball and a bat - clear across the pen - he smacked the fence, fell down and came at her again.......that was all she wrote for that rooster. When my dad got home from work and she told him what happened, we had chicken for dinner that Sunday. LOL, he really was a mean nasty rooster. As a kid I didn't even have sympathy for him (and I had sympathy for ALL animals), he used to try to get to me in the coop when I was collecting eggs, I was terrified of him - but HE REALLY hated my mother.

They (the flock) were Leghorns.