Taming a rooster 🐔

[DAYtime]

My rooster is starting to get aggressive and I don’t want him hurting the kids. Is there anyway to tame him as I would hate to lose him because we hatch our own eggs and he does take care of his “ladies”
???

 

[hysop]

These two articles really taught me a lot:

https://www.backyardchickens.com/articles/understanding-your-rooster.75056/
https://www.backyardchickens.com/articles/dealing-with-and-taming-aggressive-roosters.74600/

 

[Freeloading slacker]

One way we tamed our rooster is by separating him from the rest of the flock and hand feeding him mealworms, corn, and the occasional bread.

 

[Chicken101-07]

I had success with one mean rooster,don't expect him to not attack you at first,yes it does hurt really bad when he gets you with a spur just have patience,first thing I did was carry a stick large enough,then I let him get used to me,I was the only person that went inside to give the coop water and food,that's the only way for him to gain your trust,if there is different faces every day he won't get used to someone,did it for around a few weeks,I got to the point where I didn't have to carry the stick,he still attacked me if I gave him my back so I carried treats,drop them in the ground if you see him about to charge you,if that doesn't work,hit him softly in the comb to show him who is in charge,it will happen a few times,don't expect it to work in like 1 week,it takes time just have patience and you will gain his trust,it took me around 2 months to gain the trust of mine,he is now comfortable around me,tips:if the hens are comfortable around you it will get easier since he will know that they trust you,if they are not, there is a high chance he will see you as a threat,try to handle him every day if you want it to work faster.and no I did not change how the rooster sees people,he trusts me and I know he won't attack me,yes he still sees people that he doesn't know as threats and yes,he will attack them.look at it like a relationship,your partner is the rooster and trusts you with things like handling a hen in front of him.he will not trust other people he has never met before.if you have kids let the rooster get used to you,then bring out the kids but make sure they stay close to you,as time goes he will get used to them too.

 

[Folly's place]

Welcome!
The short answer is 'NO!'
How old are your children, and do they have friends over? How old is your rooster?
There are good articles on this site about rooster management, including one by @Beekissed and the issue for you is that while it's possible to have a human aggressive rooster learn to avoid an individual adult, he will still try every other human he meets, and children can't deal with this.
Mary

 

[grnidone]

Welcome!
The short answer is 'NO!'
How old are your children, and do they have friends over? How old is your rooster?
There are good articles on this site about rooster management, including one by @Beekissed and the issue for you is that while it's possible to have a human aggressive rooster learn to avoid an individual adult, he will still try every other human he meets, and children can't deal with this.
Mary

I disagree with this.

You can tame them.
Children can handle this, if they are taught.

 

[Folly's place]

It depends on the age of the children, and the degree of rooster aggression. And liability when other people come over. Some roosters are never safe for anyone!
Mary

 

[grnidone]

The children (and everyone else) needs to learn to chase the rooster.

Yes. I said that.

Dominate roosters chase. Submissive Roosters run.

The first thing you (and everyone else) needs to do every single time you see him is make him move out of YOUR way.

Intentionally walk to him and do not stop. If you run into him or step on him, so be it.

If he stands his ground CHARGE! Flap your arms and stomp your feet and chase him completely away from the coop. If you turn and he chases after you,spin around and chase chase chase.

Do this with the kids: teach them to chase chase chase.

At first, you will need to help the kids out. Take their hand and you both walk to the rooster together and chase/ herd him around.

He should get out of your way, always.

You NEVER avoid him. He should avoid you.

If he can’t get out of your way, he should at least look the other way or turn sideways. That is acceptable.

Now, keep in mind, you WANT him to be successful.

So, understand that when the sun is on the horizon, his testosterone is at its peak. (Morning, Night)

This is natural because this is when predators will be out.

So when you start this training process — and this is a process you always for the rest of your days follow — you should start in the afternoon when his levels are lower.

If he avoids you, reward with treats. If not, the chase is ON!

NEVER EVER avoid or run from a rooster. If you ever have never do it again.

Soon, you’ll get to a point when all you need to do is take a step to him and he will turn sideways. Then, you can reward him with raisins or mealworms or whatever.

But it isn’t like Caesar Chavez who heals a dog in one setting. IT TAKES TIME.

It will take more time if you have ever run from him. NEVER run from a rooster.

The most stubborn Roo I had took me 5 months of CONSTANT watching behind my back and chasing. (By then, it was the principle of the thing and BY GOD I was gonna win.)

He is now one of the sweetest roosters ever. And I trust him with my 3 year old niece.

She also knows to chase chase chase.

Added: The rooster that took 5 months of training is NOT one I would breed.

 

[BigBlueHen53]

Welcome!
The short answer is 'NO!'
How old are your children, and do they have friends over? How old is your rooster?
There are good articles on this site about rooster management, including one by @Beekissed and the issue for you is that while it's possible to have a human aggressive rooster learn to avoid an individual adult, he will still try every other human he meets, and children can't deal with this.
Mary

I agree with Mary. A rooster can do an adult serious harm, never mind a child, whose eyes are practically on a level with a rooster's beak. People talk about a rooster's spurs, which can do considerable damage, but I (65 yo woman at the time, with no fear of my rooster because I had never had any reason to fear him) received an extremely painful injury to the bone just below my knee from his beak. He flogged me from behind in a surprise attack, which so startled and amazed me that of course I turned to see what had hit me. He then threw himself at me again, raking me with wings, talons and spurs, and knocking me so hard below the knee with his beak that I almost went down. It felt like a grown man had smacked me with the curved end of a carpenter's hammer with full strength. I swung my cane at him in self defense and managed to protect myself as he continued to come at me several times. I'll tell you the truth, I was trying to knock his head off but he kept at me. I was terrified. It was like a nightmare. I was screaming for my husband. I finally managed, I think, to close a gate between us or somehow get to safety. I was crying with rage, shock and pain. Once in the house I put ice on my knee and washed away the blood on the back of my leg, and when I recovered my senses, my DH and I went out and took him off the roost, for it was then about sunset. He'd been, to all appearances, a pretty fair roo for about 4 years but that was his last day. Afterward, DS confessed that he was afraid of him because the roo chased him on occasion but never indicated that he'd been attacked. His son, my current rooster, has been nothing but a gentleman to humans and hens alike. - no doubt because his sire was such a jerk. There is just, IMO, no excuse for dangerous, pushy, violent roosters with bad attitudes. Especially in the care of novices who have children and no idea or no time to rehabilitate them. Such an animal is a recipe for disaster. Better to have no rooster than a dangerous, untrustworthy one.

 

[BigBlueHen53]

I disagree with this.

You can tame them.
Children can handle this, if they are taught.

Someone has to be knowledgeable enough to do the teaching. Safety first, last and always!