I’m really torn about what to do with our rooster. He is a one year old speckled Sussex and he’s big and beautiful. My wife and daughter, who is 6, are dead set against getting rid of him. We free range our chickens and he’s an excellent rooster when it comes to my hen/s. We’ve had him and one hen for a year and they get along great and he’s very protective of her and will “dig” stuff up and cluck to her to come and get it. We just introduced three new hens over the last couple weeks and he’s already started watching over them as well. The problem is that he’s jumped me three times now when I’ve had my back turned. I’m worried that as he gets older he will become even more aggressive and I don’t want to have to watch my back every time I’m out in the yard. He’s never once shown any aggression towards my wife or daughter but I would really hate for him to jump on my daughter. I would also love to “raise” some chicks next spring if we can so I kind of hate to get rid of him. Do I stick it out and just make sure to carry a big stick or do I cut my loses now and ship him off to a farm somewhere? Any advice?
when he does it there are some things you can do I held my rooster upside down until they stopped flapping and they stopped after the third time, others spray the offending roo with water but I don't want a wet bird running around and getting a cold, another way is to hold down the bird, you can chase him with a large coat on this one is nicknamed hazing because it shows you are dom. and he better back down every time, the final way is to give him a good solid kick in the chest hard enough to push him back but not hard enough to hurt him - this last one is similar to another rooster giving him a kick, I had to use this one on my ameraucana roo - I never hurt him and he always walked away with nothing other than hurt feelings. My mother carries a rake or post with her when she goes out and he doesn't go near her even when her back is turned.
This is what I have done and it really works. I had a roo who just all of a sudden one day started trying to challenge me. He would put his feathers up and his wings out like he was going to come after me. I keep a broom near the coop. Every time he came near me I would swoosh the broom by him. Keep in mind I never hit him, I dont believe in that. He would back off real fast and it took less than a week of this and he never challenged me again. Give it a try. I believe in trying everything before re-homing them. Hope this helps Marie
Kicking them makes it worse. If you are gonna hit him do it with a stick or broom. Carrying them by there feet for a minute also works.
I love my SS hens, but have had mixed results with SS cockrels. Some have been wonderful, and some have turned into real jerks. You can try the 'attitude adjustment' methods, but at some point it may be time to give up on him and move on to another boy. Please don't wait until someone gets hurt! Mary
Get yourself a Nerf dart gun, a small one you can keep in your pocket. Keep it loaded. When you need to be in the area where the rooster is, keep it in your hand and ready to use. It'll be lots of fun. I'm betting it will also solve your problem without any injury or pain for the rooster. The thing is, your rooster has gotten it in his tiny brain that you are a threat to him and his hens. He is trying to let you know he's the dominant one, not you, and he'd prefer if you weren't there. So you need to change his mind. In addition to showing him you're not going to take his any longer, you would do well to examine what, if anything, in your behavior might be responsible for him losing trust in you. For example, some roos are very touchy about sudden, jerky movements, especially around the hens and in proximity to him. Do you have a habit of upsetting the hens when you need to handle them? Or it could be something you wear that has him upset. Can you recall his attacks occurring when you were wearing the same article of clothing each time? If you're coming up zero, compare your behavior around the chickens with your wife's. Since the roo doesn't seem to have a problem with her, how does your behavior differ from hers ? It took me learning from my mistakes with my first three roosters to finally figure out how to peacefully coexist with the rooster I now have. Basically, I have learned that the minute a young cockerel's hormones begin to surge, from that point on, he gets ignored, with the rare exception of occasional very brief handling out of necessity. It shows him that I trust him enough not to care how he conducts his business, and that I expect him to reciprocate. It's a matter of my behaving in a confident manner while I go about my chores and when I handle the hens. There are some excellent tutorials on rooster training here on BYC. Use the search to find them. You'll learn a lot about what makes roosters the way they are. They're fascinating creatures.
It worked for me not for everyone, that is why I gave so many suggestions, there is not a fit all for everyone, not every case will be the same.
