Suddenly aggressive rooster: I need help

[Dialo]

I'm looking for help on figuring out why my rooster has suddenly become so aggressive and any possible solutions on how I might be able to help him or calm him down in the very least. I'm not sure what breed he is specifically (a smaller rooster with feathered feet) but he's always been extremely sweet and gentle natured although admittedly rather timid, but for two or three years now he's never had a mean bone in his body...

Nothing has changed much about his nor my hens lives, they roam freely around my spacious back yard, well protected from any wild animals and predators and its just him and two hens (a rhode island red and a barred rock Plymouth) and everything was fine until these last few days, a few days ago I was walking amongst them in the evening like I normally do, feeding them treats and watching them run around the yard and while I was walking I had accidently kicked him not knowing he had charged at me, and having not seen it I thought nothing of it besides me not paying attention to where I was going. Yesterday morning I actually did see him try to charge me while I was walking but he quickly backed off and left me alone afterwards and didn't repeat this action again until this morning when I went out to check on them as I usually do to see if they need water or food refills. This morning I wasnt even a moment down the staircase leading from the house into the back yard and he had jumped me, I shooed him off thinking he'd let up (he's had a bad habbit of trying to mate with everything from rocks to peoples feet before so I didnt think too much of it) but after he ran off for a few seconds he came back when my attention wasnt fully on him and he tried again, I once again shooed him off and he started puffing up his neck feathers and raising his neck like youd often see roosters do before fighting one another.. I don't know what caused the change in him so suddenly, I've raised them since they hatched pretty much always gave them treats, I've always held them gently and carried them around and talked to them softly, I've hand fed them from time to time since they where little.. never had this problem before with any of my chickens or roosters before (although the last batch I got two years ago where all aggressive chicks and mainly killed one another long before even making it outside to be around him) but they've never been human aggressive, this change in him is just startling really.. I have no idea what to do anymore, some animals can sense a decrease in a persons health but my health has been poor for over a year now so I dont believe that's the problem here.. But I'd like any advice I can get, he's my baby and I'd hate to have to get rid of him or worse but I'm out of options unless I can figure something out.

 

[chickengeorgeto]

I have always maintained that people fighting roosters are made, not hatched. For what ever reason he now sees you as a problem and to be fair to your rooster he has NEVER seen you as a benefactor.

There are a couple of exceptions to the made not hatched idea and the major exception is a grossly inbred rooster, IOW one who is just chicken poop crazy but at 4 years old your bird doesn't fit the mold for that diagnosis. Are any of your hens sitting?

 

[Dialo]

No, my hens don't even lay eggs for whatever reason, they never have either. So eggs aren't the problem, I wouldn't doubt there was inbreeding given where most chicks come from though in the stores around where I live at, although as you said that's likely not the problem either at his age.

 

[MartinsPoultry]

@Dialo try a time out period with him. If you catch him while he jumps you place him in a dog or cat carrier. Then upon letting him out you grab him and pin him down to the ground, pinch that extra skin on his neck near the wings. Now mind you he will pitch a royal bwitch fit but do not let up. Only let him up after he has completely calmed down, if done while he is worked up then to him he has won. This action of pinning him is you reclaiming your roll as top "rooster" which is what he is needing right now. I'm in the process of doing this with an English Orpington rooster and if these techniques do not work well he will make great chicken noodle soup and broth for my fiance when he has his surgery next month.

 

[Kiki]

You may find this post helpful:
#34

 

[Dialo]

Aye, my problem is hes so timid and fast though, its nearly impossible to catch him unless its night time and he's roosting on his favorite perch but even then.. I doubt currently he'll go down gently. Ill try this if I can though, I have him in a larger pen right now where I kept my chicks when they were really young, but even in there he's highly aggressive about getting out and charging at me again. Hopefully it can work though.

 

[lazy gardener]

Excellent, Kiki. You saved me the extended process of trying to find that!

 

[bobbi-j]

Aye, my problem is hes so timid and fast though, its nearly impossible to catch him unless its night time and he's roosting on his favorite perch but even then.. I doubt currently he'll go down gently. Ill try this if I can though, I have him in a larger pen right now where I kept my chicks when they were really young, but even in there he's highly aggressive about getting out and charging at me again. Hopefully it can work though.

Read the post KikisGirls linked for you. It's a lot easier than trying to catch him.

 

[bobbi-j]

You may find this post helpful:
#34

Excellent, Kiki. You saved me the extended process of trying to find that!

I was just going to look for that post myself.

 

[Dialo]

Thats normally somethi,g you're often told not to do though with animals, and I did try that earlier which is what prompted him to continue trying to attack me. I often do similar with my rhode island red because she's a mean witch to the younger barred rock I have, even if she only has one useable leg she will attack the craps out of the barred and chase her everywhere, so needing to show a dominance and keep her away from the other hen is usually a thing Ive done before, which did eventually calm her down but it didnt work on this guy.