Taming a rooster 🐔

[Folly's place]

I've had many cockerels and roosters, over many years. They have ranged from awful to wonderful, and there's no reason to keep the bad ones! I started trying to reform them, and learned that life is too short to put up with aggression, when there are good boys who never have bad thoughts available. And the jerks are never really 'fine', just more careful.
Mary

 

[hysop]

Every rooster deserves at least a chance to work with them to understand and change the negative behavior. But not everyone has the patience to do so OR they aren’t willing to risk the injury of their child.

My 2-3 year old used to chase my mean rooster and he would run, but guess what? One day the rooster stopped running, turned around and charged him. My son got a hole in his thigh. Thankfully it wasn’t his eye! (I was tending to my other son at the time and ran to save my son before he got spurred more than once).

So it’s not as easy as it’s being described. I eat all my roosters because I eat chicken. So, I no longer put up with a mean rooster and I don’t care to invest time reforming them, I will put my time in with them as chicks and cockerels but if by the time they become a rooster they turn mean, then they turn into pot pie because I hatch enough chicks now that I can replace a mean rooster for a sweet one.

 

[Angileen]

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”
???

Yes there is. I have 4 Roosters in my flock. 1 midnight majesty Marans, 1 lavender Orpington, 1 Buckeye and 1 black jersey Giant. All my Rooster are nonaggressive to humans. And very mild tempered with each other. Of course they were raised together. I had 2 very minor issues with my Midnight Majesty Marans when he was a Juvenile. I picked up one of the hens and she squawked bloody murder, he came running to the rescue and pecked me in the hand, pretty hard I might add. I know he was just trying to protect his lady but he had to learn not to be aggressive with humans and know that I was the top dog or chicken! So I put down the hen turned on my Rooster and picked him up and let me tell you he did not like it. I carried him around for about 5 minutes and then put him down. One other time he ran up to me and challenged me, I turned on him again and chased him around the coop. He has never so much as blinked at me since. He has turned out to be a fine Rooster who I know will attack predators if need be but not people. So when your Roo challenges you do not back down, try and hold him a lot and carry him around. Don't be mean or hurt him or he will just end up being afraid of you. If you run from him or allow him to peck at you he will think he is at the top of the pecking order, you have to make him believe you and your family are the top of the pecking order, That means your children will have to also work with him with your supervision of course. But don't allow your children to just chase your Roo or hens around just willy nilly it will just make them afraid of people and nervous. Only do this if they are being overly aggressive. Also not every peck a chicken gives you is meant aggressively. Chickens don't have hands so they use their beaks to explore and touch things. trust me you will know if a bird is trying to hurt you. When my Roo pecked me he drew blood. Also be careful when holding your chickens close to your face they seem to like to peck at things that are white. I got pecked in the eye once, hurt like the but the hen was just curious, was my fault, I am more careful now. Good luck with your Roo and let me know how it goes.

 

[Angileen]

Yes there is. I have 4 Roosters in my flock. 1 midnight majesty Marans, 1 lavender Orpington, 1 Buckeye and 1 black jersey Giant. All my Rooster are nonaggressive to humans. And very mild tempered with each other. Of course they were raised together. I had 2 very minor issues with my Midnight Majesty Marans when he was a Juvenile. I picked up one of the hens and she squawked bloody murder, he came running to the rescue and pecked me in the hand, pretty hard I might add. I know he was just trying to protect his lady but he had to learn not to be aggressive with humans and know that I was the top dog or chicken! So I put down the hen turned on my Rooster and picked him up and let me tell you he did not like it. I carried him around for about 5 minutes and then put him down. One other time he ran up to me and challenged me, I turned on him again and chased him around the coop. He has never so much as blinked at me since. He has turned out to be a fine Rooster who I know will attack predators if need be but not people. So when your Roo challenges you do not back down, try and hold him a lot and carry him around. Don't be mean or hurt him or he will just end up being afraid of you. If you run from him or allow him to peck at you he will think he is at the top of the pecking order, you have to make him believe you and your family are the top of the pecking order, That means your children will have to also work with him with your supervision of course. But don't allow your children to just chase your Roo or hens around just willy nilly it will just make them afraid of people and nervous. Only do this if they are being overly aggressive. Also not every peck a chicken gives you is meant aggressively. Chickens don't have hands so they use their beaks to explore and touch things. trust me you will know if a bird is trying to hurt you. When my Roo pecked me he drew blood. Also be careful when holding your chickens close to your face they seem to like to peck at things that are white. I got pecked in the eye once, hurt like the but the hen was just curious, was my fault, I am more careful now. Good luck with your Roo and let me know how it goes.

Also want to say some breeds are more aggressive than others. and maybe some can't be reformed but I think it is worth a try. It only took 2 sessions with my Roo.

 

[Angileen]

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.

I agree, My Midnight Majesty Marans pecked me once (hard) thinking he was protecting his girl. I turned on him, picked him up and carried him around for 5 min. He challenged me one other time and I chased him down. He has never been aggressive with me since or with strangers. He was still a juvenile when this happened so he probably wasn't as set in his ways but It only took 2 times for him to learn he is not the top of the pecking order. He has turned into a fine Rooster who I know would protect his ladies from predators. My avatar is a picture of him at 4 months old.

 

[centrarchid]

If you have limited experience experience with roosters, small kids, and a problematic rooster; then get rid of rooster until you find a way to resolve first two.

Rooster keeping is very high on my list of concerns, as a keep at minimum a couple dozen at any time. I do not write well, but do know what I am doing. My approach is not to engage the rooster in dominance games. Several of my roosters at any given time are needed to be able to operate safely around small kids that do not know chickens without the rooster being confined or restrained.

 

[Folly's place]

Cockerels raised in a flock that includes mature hens at least, and especially having mature roosters, will tend to be better behaved, because the adults teach respect. Cockerels raised with pullets the same age will mature faster, and don't get squelched, and have high opinions of themselves, not a good thing.
New flock owners haven't had the experience to read their behavior either, and often don't see what's going on, until things are out of hand. I've been there too, and have learned, and have no interest in keeping jerks who attack the giant (me!) who brings food, or any other human who may visit.
Mary

 

[centrarchid]

Despite having a lot of experience with roosters, I am not able to say rearing in a flock makes for better mannered roosters. It takes more roosters being treated in flocks versus other means to make proper comparisons than what I am able to muster. I am confident in how my behavior and to a lesser degree genetics impacts the rooster's behavior later in life.

 

[JacinLarkwell]

Hobestly, I've had chickens for almost 9 years and only had 4 actually aggressive roosters. 2 I put up with just because they were bantams and couldn't ever get high enough to get past my rubber boots. The standards we had one go after and thus get taken out by a cop who was over (no joke, totally thought we were screwed on that) and the other we just took out back and ended while his girls were penned up for the day

 

[JacinLarkwell]

Hobestly, I've had chickens for almost 9 years and only had 4 actually aggressive roosters. 2 I put up with just because they were bantams and couldn't ever get high enough to get past my rubber boots. The standards we had one go after and thus get taken out by a cop who was over (no joke, totally thought we were screwed on that) and the other we just took out back and ended while his girls were penned up for the day

But I also love my rooster and constantly handle them so they know I'm not a threat and this way I also know early if one might be trouble. I also remembered we had an OEGB bantam rooster that my grandmother claims would always attack her. (I think he was doing his mating dance because he would do it to a certain pair of boots we had)