To cull or not to cull...

[Breezy_Living]

Quote:
How aggressive does he need to be before you decide for sure? When he scars your son's face? When your son is too afraid to even go outside? When he turns on you? I'd get rid of him immediately. If you want fertile eggs, get a nice roo. They can be found. I don't know if it's a breed trait or not, but the only BR roo we had here was very aggressive. He went away.

You're absolutely right, and I'm not sure why I was wavering. If the rooster had done worse to my son today he would have been culled today.
There is a reason I locked him up after the incident... I wanted my son to play freely on a nice day and have fun with the hens as he always does (the hens, our other animals, and people all have a harmonious relationship).

 

[Breezy_Living]

Quote:
I appreciate the advice, but I have actually tried something like this.
The roo has no problem whatsoever with my husband and I but I think it's that my son's size is so close to his, my son is viewed as a contender or a threat.

 

[Long Last Farm]

I can only speak from my limited 2 yr experience with rasisng chickens. We had a rooster that little by little, got more aggressuive,even though we tried MANY techniques to try to get him to change his behavior. Taking care of the hens became very stressful for all involved--including the HENS. We gave him to a farmer up the road with FULL disclosure on his behavior ( There were also no small children at the new home). Suddenly, the whole "vibe" in the barnyard was different--much calmer. We were able to enjoy the birds instead of always being on the lookout for aggression. Since then, we also had to cull another aggressive rooster for the same reason. It's not easy to cull, but it worked for us and our family ( and our hens!)

 

[teach1rusl]

No ifs, ands, or buts for me. If I had a small child at home, that roo would be gone. If I ate my birds, he would be supper. If I didn't, he'd be rehomed (most likely for someone elses supper). I don't think of it as the rooster being mean - but I couldn't/wouldn't have that risky behavior around a small child.

 

[turtlebird]

Rarely do children and roos mix, simply due to the child's nature and stature. I don't know, maybe some people out there have some incredibly mild tempered roos that are a non-threat to children, but I would never take the chance. While I think it imperative to teach children to respect roos with distance, it is unreasonable to not let your child run free in the yard and play/explore - right? I think that roo would go. Expect some changes in your flock behavior. Someone may try to become roo!

 

[Lindz]

Yeah I would have to get rid of him. I have 3 young kids, 7,6 and 2. My 2 year old loves to see her chickies. And if he ever did anything like that I would rehome him, or stew him. I wouldn't think twice about it. Luckly our rooster loves us and the kids. Hes never made one advance to the 5 of us, and has let my daughter pet him. He comes up and graises our legs when he wants us to pet him. There is a ton of good boys out there, I hope you can find one that will be nice to all of you.

 

[sourland]

The safety of children comes first. I think that you are headed towards the proper decision. It's not worth risking possible injury to your son.