Topic of the Week - Aggressive Roosters: What is the best way to handle them?

[bobbi-j]

I think we are starting down the road of not knowing natural chickens behaviors again.

You may be right - which is why it's good that people who haven't been around chickens all their lives can come here to learn. Maybe an explanation of what "natural chicken behavior" is, would be helpful.

 

[kysilkies]

I

I think I have a bad roo then ! He chases the older hen down and she has submitted but he excludes her from food , the coop ect
And he keeps putting everyone in the coop ! Like 3-4 times a day !! I'm not sure what's up !! He's been fine with her since he was 10 weeks old . However we lost the alpha hen so to speak which was "Clara's " best friend and all of the sudden the chicks took over and they aren't friendly !!

It's interesting when you find out which bird was actually the glue holding the coop together, we assume it's the rooster! ;-)

 

[newhamplover]

Years ago my husband had a herd of Santa Gertrudis cattle. They were beautiful cattle. Red, the bull, was a wonderful bull. Was Red an aggressive bull by some's standards, you better believe it. That was part of his job. My husband, Grandad, & myself could approach him & do most anything we wanted with him. Put fly powder on his back in the pasture, etc. Could anyone else do that? Only a fool. Would Red have seriously injured anyone or any other animal who approached his herd....in a heartbeat. He was an outstanding bull who did his job.

 

[ShrekDawg]

I

I think I have a bad roo then ! He chases the older hen down and she has submitted but he excludes her from food , the coop ect
And he keeps putting everyone in the coop ! Like 3-4 times a day !! I'm not sure what's up !! He's been fine with her since he was 10 weeks old . However we lost the alpha hen so to speak which was "Clara's " best friend and all of the sudden the chicks took over and they aren't friendly !!

It sure sounds like it! Mating with out permission, excessive mating, too rough, etc. Is one thing (and bad behavior too) but any rooster that excludes flock members from food and from the coop is DEFINITELY a bad roo and should probably be rehomed or culled from the flock. Or maybe he will griw up and mature. How old is he?

 

[bobbi-j]

I

I think I have a bad roo then ! He chases the older hen down and she has submitted but he excludes her from food , the coop ect
And he keeps putting everyone in the coop ! Like 3-4 times a day !! I'm not sure what's up !! He's been fine with her since he was 10 weeks old . However we lost the alpha hen so to speak which was "Clara's " best friend and all of the sudden the chicks took over and they aren't friendly !!

How old is the "roo" you are talking about? If he's under a year old, he's a cockerel, and still immature. That is a whole different ball game than a mature rooster.

 

[ShrekDawg]

How old is the "roo" you are talking about? If he's under a year old, he's a cockerel, and still immature. That is a whole different ball game than a mature rooster. 

I agree with this too

 

[Mountain Peeps]

Even though I've never had a rooster, I've learned about them from my grandparents.

One of my tips for toning down the behavior of an aggressive rooster is to separate him from the flock for a day or two. This will force him to chill out since he won't have the authority to boss the other chickens around, nor you since he will be confined and isolated. Sometimes roosters get so caught up in themselves that they need to be put in "time out" for a little while as they learn their place again.

Add him back to the flock and make sure you observe the chickens' behaviors to make sure nothing goes wrong. Hopefully, through the separation process, it will have caused him to relax a little and not be as aggressive.

 

[Lisa Wood]

I

I think I have a bad roo then ! He chases the older hen down and she has submitted but he excludes her from food , the coop ect
And he keeps putting everyone in the coop ! Like 3-4 times a day !! I'm not sure what's up !! He's been fine with her since he was 10 weeks old . However we lost the alpha hen so to speak which was "Clara's " best friend and all of the sudden the chicks took over and they aren't friendly !!

You are so worried about your older hen, why not seperate them? Ok, all mine are 13 weeks, raised together. He doesnt find food, but he will back off treats I am hand feeding, and wait untill the girls take treat, then he takes last. They are not free ranged, but he us protective, has to know where they are and what they are all doing, and he also makes sure they are in coop at bed time. If one is missing, somehow he knows. He doesnt catch them when he chases, but he does jump her bones from behind for a sneak attack. He did it this morning, and it upsets me cause she acts like it hurts. BUT I picked her up and went over her, (while he watches me) and he left no mark. And they raise a ruckuss when I pick them up, and I am not hurting them. BUT this is the first time I have heard someone else disagree with nonconsentual sex (rape?) The only times I have seen other animals jumped by a male, the female put him in his place. My roo is going for my little legbars, cause the big girls can fight him off. Then again, how much is a learning curve with him? He is only 13 weeks?

 

[Lisa Wood]

Even though I've never had a rooster, I've learned about them from my grandparents.

One of my tips for toning down the behavior of an aggressive rooster is to separate him from the flock for a day or two. This will force him to chill out since he won't have the authority to boss the other chickens around, nor you since he will be confined and isolated. Sometimes roosters get so caught up in themselves that they need to be put in "time out" for a little while as they learn their place again.

Add him back to the flock and make sure you observe the chickens' behaviors to make sure nothing goes wrong. Hopefully, through the separation process, it will have caused him to relax a little and not be as aggressive.

This worked for us inadvertantly the first day we got them. We recd ten, all of which we believed to be female. One started pecking at everyones elses EYES! Not knowing a thing about chicks, we freaked out. Thought it was mental. None of the other chicks did this. After my husband kept me from ringing his little neck, we put him in a seperate cage for a few hours till he piped down, then returned him. He had never peckef an eye again. Not once.

 

[Lisa Wood]

You may be right - which is why it's good that people who haven't been around chickens all their lives can come here to learn. Maybe an explanation of what "natural chicken behavior" is, would be helpful. 

Yes yes yes please! With cherries on top!