Silkie roo flogging my kids

[Sbutcher224]

I am sorry if I am posting this in the wrong place, I am very new here and haven’t figured out exactly how this site works. I have a silkie roo and 5 hens together. The roo came at me one time I kicked him out of reaction and he’s never been a problem again. But I have a 2 year old and 4 year old who he has flogged a couple times. I kicked him to get him off of them. I didn’t kick him hard enough to hurt him but I needed him off my kids!! I hate to get rid of him bc he was one of the first chickens I ever got and he’s beautiful. But I obviously want my girls to be able to play outside without being scared of “the mean white fluffy one” as my 4 year old calls him. He’s almost a year old so I was hoping he would chill out but he flogged my girl again today. Is there any hope that I don’t have to rehome him. We are vegetarian so eating him is out of the question lol. Another question, we hatched 5 silkie eggs for a friend that said they wanted them. Now they don’t. So now I have 1 more roo and 4 more hens. What are the chances they could live together? And am I just gonna have to deal with this x2 once the baby roo gets a little older? Idk if it matters but I have a mixed flock. The angry older roo has a silkie wife and 4 other ladies of different breeds. I hatched the 5 silkie babies. One roo and 4 hens and I have 3 new pullets I’ll be moving in with the baby silkies when they are big enough. Any advice is greatly appreciated!

 

[nuthatched]

Chop him. Your kids are worth more than a stupid chicken.
And if you have more cockerels in your chicks, no special treatment, no picking up, the petting, treat him like livestock.

 

[Aunt Angus]

I am sorry if I am posting this in the wrong place, I am very new here and haven’t figured out exactly how this site works. I have a silkie roo and 5 hens together. The roo came at me one time I kicked him out of reaction and he’s never been a problem again. But I have a 2 year old and 4 year old who he has flogged a couple times. I kicked him to get him off of them. I didn’t kick him hard enough to hurt him but I needed him off my kids!! I hate to get rid of him bc he was one of the first chickens I ever got and he’s beautiful. But I obviously want my girls to be able to play outside without being scared of “the mean white fluffy one” as my 4 year old calls him. He’s almost a year old so I was hoping he would chill out but he flogged my girl again today. Is there any hope that I don’t have to rehome him. We are vegetarian so eating him is out of the question lol. Another question, we hatched 5 silkie eggs for a friend that said they wanted them. Now they don’t. So now I have 1 more roo and 4 more hens. What are the chances they could live together? And am I just gonna have to deal with this x2 once the baby roo gets a little older? Idk if it matters but I have a mixed flock. The angry older roo has a silkie wife and 4 other ladies of different breeds. I hatched the 5 silkie babies. One roo and 4 hens and I have 3 new pullets I’ll be moving in with the baby silkies when they are big enough. Any advice is greatly appreciated!

You and I sound similar in our approaches. I couldn't kill my chickens, and I am a vegetarian. But my kids are all adults. If I had little kids, I'd rehome him and try again with the new cockerel. If he's a looker, you might be able to find a taker. And if you don't ask what they plan to do with him once they take him, you won't know if they butcher him.

 

[Sbutcher224]

Chop him. Your kids are worth more than a stupid chicken.
And if you have more cockerels in your chicks, no special treatment, no picking up, the petting, treat him like livestock.

Honest question… does treating them as livestock and not pets affect their behavior? I’m pretty new to chickens

 

[Sbutcher224]

You and I sound similar in our approaches. I couldn't kill my chickens, and I am a vegetarian. But my kids are all adults. If I had little kids, I'd rehome him and try again with the new cockerel. If he's a looker, you might be able to find a taker. And if you don't ask what they plan to do with him once they take him, you won't know if they butcher him.

You and I sound similar in our approaches. I couldn't kill my chickens, and I am a vegetarian. But my kids are all adults. If I had little kids, I'd rehome him and try again with the new cockerel. If he's a looker, you might be able to find a taker. And if you don't ask what they plan to do with him once they take him, you won't know if they butcher him.

Thank you for your response. I definitely can’t bring myself to kill him. I have a neighbor who says she takes in all birds. You’re right, what happens to him after I have found him a suitable home is not on me. I may have to talk to her and see if she’ll take my handsome angry guy

 

[HeatherKellyB]

Honest question… does treating them as livestock and not pets affect their behavior? I’m pretty new to chickens

This has been my experience, at least until they reach maturity. I don't do completely hands off, but I don't hold them a lot once I realize I have a cockerel. Half of the boys from my first year are jerks, oddly enough including a white Silkie, but ALL of the boys that I've added in the time after my first year (once I had more experience and confidence in caring for my birds) are amazing boys. Of course it could be a coincidence but I'll never know.

 

[Lenny loves chickens]

Honest question… does treating them as livestock and not pets affect their behavior? I’m pretty new to chickens

For the males yes for females do what you want lol

 

[nuthatched]

Honest question… does treating them as livestock and not pets affect their behavior? I’m pretty new to chickens

Don't worry, there's a steep learning curve. I'm not sure it matters with hens, but with roosters, yes*. Coddling a cockerel will make it too comfortable with you and when hormones hit, he has no fear of you and turns into a menace. Cockerels tend to be a little bolder so people mistakenly think: "friendly" or "sweetheart" and they hand feed, hold, pet and treat it like a pet, which turns into no respect, which turns into "You must be my equal, so I can flog you into submission".
You can retrain a rooster, sometimes but it doesn't always work.

 

[Lenny loves chickens]

Think of them as your kid your there master not there freind.

 

[Lenny loves chickens]

Actually I take that back that's a bad analogie