Should I risk it?

[Johnn]

Next time I get a broody I am hoping to be able to use my own eggs but the problem is that my cockerel (who I hatched out last year) has turned out to be aggressive. I heard that aggression can be passed through the genes, so it kind of puts me off using my eggs. But my cockerels dad is lovely, so should I risk it??

 

[sumi]

I'd say go for it. I had a hen that was very "otherwise" but she was a fantastic layer and I hatched quite a few of her eggs. All her kids were great. Very friendly and nothing like her, except she passed her good laying gene on to her daughters. I also had a wonderful broody hen who's daughters were, sadly, nothing like her.

 

[Johnn]

I'd say go for it. I had a hen that was very "otherwise" but she was a fantastic layer and I hatched quite a few of her eggs. All her kids were great. Very friendly and nothing like her, except she passed her good laying gene on to her daughters. I also had a wonderful broody hen who's daughters were, sadly, nothing like her.

I'm kind of hoping he is going to snap out of it and it is just his hormones playing up because he is young. I will probablies still keep him if he doesn't snap out of it because I doubt anyone would want a aggressive cockerel and I would rather a nice cockerel got a home instead of him and I cant bring myself to cull him, he was my first chick!

 

[sumi]

I know what you mean. The chick in my avatar was my special roo for a long time. He was the sweetest thing. Until he hit his teens... Overnight he turned into a nightmare. I couldn't walk across the yard without him attacking me. I'd stroke him and he'd be all loving and suddenly take a chunk out of my arm. He managed to get one of my hens stuck in the fence once and while I was trying to free her he started attacking me. You should've seen my arms after that drama. I kept slapping him and he kept coming back, biting and scratching me. I was a mess. I loved that roo so much, but that incident was the final straw. I rehomed him.

If you do a search here on you will find some threads on retraining aggressive roosters. Maybe there is something you can do to sort him out.

 

[Johnn]

I know what you mean. The chick in my avatar was my special roo for a long time. He was the sweetest thing. Until he hit his teens... Overnight he turned into a nightmare. I couldn't walk across the yard without him attacking me. I'd stroke him and he'd be all loving and suddenly take a chunk out of my arm. He managed to get one of my hens stuck in the fence once and while I was trying to free her he started attacking me. You should've seen my arms after that drama. I kept slapping him and he kept coming back, biting and scratching me. I was a mess. I loved that roo so much, but that incident was the final straw. I rehomed him.

If you do a search here on you will find some threads on retraining aggressive roosters. Maybe there is something you can do to sort him out.

Aww, that's sad. I am going to start carrying him around because its the only method I haven't tried. When he gets all up in my face I just feel like *****-slapping him!

 

[sumi]

I hear tucking them under your arm or carrying them around by their feet helps. Haven't tried it myself though, so I can't say if it works. Good luck!

 

[Johnn]

I hear tucking them under your arm or carrying them around by their feet helps. Haven't tried it myself though, so I can't say if it works. Good luck!

Thanks