Time to rehome aggressive rooster?

[Mrs. K]

On identifying a cockerel, generally speaking, if I ever think…hmm, is that a rooster, they generally are. If they have much redder combs than their flock mates, they are cockerels.

But I have had chickens for decades, and three years ago I did not identify a cockerel until he was more that 4 months old. I swear he grew the tail, the saddle feathers and the crow over night.

So it is a far from perfect. Do make a real plan for what you will do with them NOW, before you have trouble. And the reality of keeping both in a peaceful flock is not probable.

 

[McChooky]

On identifying a cockerel, generally speaking, if I ever think…hmm, is that a rooster, they generally are. If they have much redder combs than their flock mates, they are cockerels.

But I have had chickens for decades, and three years ago I did not identify a cockerel until he was more that 4 months old. I swear he grew the tail, the saddle feathers and the crow over night.

So it is a far from perfect. Do make a real plan for what you will do with them NOW, before you have trouble. And the reality of keeping both in a peaceful flock is not probable.

"I swear he grew the tail, the saddle feathers and the crow over night"

You have a Jen who became a Jim!

 

[2 Acres]

I have a rooster who will be a year old in April. I got him as soon as he was off heat and raised him from 5 weeks old, handling him often and socializing him around my dog and cats before introducing him to the flock. As he matured, he definitely asserted dominance - around 6 months old he killed an older rooster. Not long after he chased a hen into the woods trying to mate with her (she never came back). He had a few times where he had to go into rooster jail to cool his jets, but eventually things settled down. He has 6 hens now all to himself.

They have a 6ft x 15ft run and a 100 sq ft. pasture that they’re sometimes allowed out in depending on weather, etc.

He was very friendly with me and other humans until in late October my brother was kind of teasing him - he had gone in to feed the chickens and he sort of out his boot out, like “air-kicking” the chickens away to “shoo” them back from the gate… well the rooster didn’t like that and attacked my brother in defense of his flock. Since then he’s attacked every person who comes near him, including me. Even when I go to get the eggs in the mornings, he pecks my hands through the fence. I’ve tried everything - standing my ground, carrying him around, waving my arms, bribing him with treats - he still attacks me every day and sees me as a threat. He’s drawn blood on me a couple of times. Has anyone had a situation like this and had success with re-training a rooster to be nicer? Is it too late for him?

That said, he’s a great flock protector and I’m confident he could fight off or run off a small predator. He even challenges the 90lb dog…

Worth it to try to keep working with him? I’m bummed because he was chill until my brother scared him… but it’s pretty annoying, I can’t feed them without having a whole confrontation with him, and sometimes I just want to close my fence without leather gloves on/without bleeding…

Thanks for your feedback.

Twist off his spurs and pin him down. Wear a football helmet just in case.

 

[The Moonshiner]

Wear a football helmet just in case.

And video it, we must have a video

 

[cassie]

The only responsible way to rehome an aggressive rooster is in a crockpot. Don't wait until he hurts someone and don't pawn him off on someone else. Keep in mind that one trip to the ER will pay for an awful lot of chicken feed.