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

[leafhopperfarm]

Hey Lisa, thanks for your reflections.

I am happy to talk more about the word rape in context to human anthropomorphizing onto animals and our perceptions. There are many human communities removed from our first world (academic or otherwise) culture in which men routinely choose the women they will marry without that woman's consent. In those societies, there is often no concept of rape, though in our own first world, highly educated societies, we see these "primitive" actions as wrong. We encourage the education of people, especially women, in "sub-standard" situations (like child brides), and help to raise the standards of living all over the world through literacy and women's education.
Now, we cannot do the same with dolphins, or silver back gorillas, or chickens (though some people try). I'm sure a hen or two have been forced often, even "gang raped" in some instances, but the "victimized" hen does not process this experience as we humans do. She does not have years of therapy and the need for condolences from her aggressors. The hen gets up, shakes off, and moves on to feeding, drinking, scratching, and maybe some egg laying. This is an important distinction which separates humans from our animal counterparts. For the hen, survival trumps the emotional narrative we would put on that bird, or dolphin, or lioness who has just had her cubs eaten by the new male in town. The entire pride gets why (genetic superiority), and will recover in ways no human mother or family who looses a child to violence ever can. It's amazing, and greatly underestimated by our human emotions, which we constantly project on our animals to better feel them. It's natural for us, but not the animals, and that's the distinction I would like to make now.

cheers!

 

[Cari C]

Shezadandy, thank you for the idea! I tried, but did not succeed, my yard just kept getting bigger & bigger!! I had a 3x3 piece of plywood, but he just flew over it every time. I herded him like a steer, got into my feed area, but it has a pony wall, and again, over he went. I can not believe how fast he is.

 

[Cari C]

You can call me whatever you want or is easier, I don't mind either way

and it's okay! I can certainly understand that, some people on Facebook are just plain crazy! Haha generally the people here are pretty nice so no worries, though occasionally someone may come off as a bit rough but they usually only have good intentions

You're welcome! He sure is a handsome fellow. And don't worry, you're not an idiot! Everyone was or is new once, i just got my first chickens in October. All good. And besides, you're asking great questions and trying to learn plus seem determined to help this fellow so he can stay, perhaps because of your background, which is wonderful. A lot of people would just give up on him and rehome or cull, or resort to harsher methods.

He sounds like a wonderful rooster and definitely one worth trying to rehab and keep around. I think at this point he is young and maybe testing his boundaries rather than fully aggressive yet so that might help too and hopefully with boundaries established he won't try to challenge anymore.

Definitely do keep us updated!

Kelsey, and the rest of you who have given your help,

Day 1 of trying to catch and carry my rooster was a mixed bag. My backyard is much bigger than it was before I decided to do this and he is much faster than I thought possible. I put on my rain boots to protect my feet and oddly enough it was raining too. Anyhow, I had a towel with me and used it quietly, to herd him into my feed area. It only has a 4' pony wall and over the top he went, twice. I never ran after him, but he made me work and I realized that he could get behind my smaller coop, that was disheartening. I blocked his entrance, but he flew over that too. Our cat & mouse game went on for at least 15 minutes, neither of us acting aggressively, I was cool as a cucumber. He ended up running into my larger walk-in coop, I followed and shut the door behind me. He made a huge fuss, bashing the wire trying to get out, and I dropped the towel over him, I was not tentative about picking him up at all, but he was so worked up the towel didn't last one second, he was like an animal caught in a trap.

I decided he was going to hurt himself and I stopped, waited for him to settle then I opened the door and stepped out. He walked out a few seconds after I did and that was all she wrote. I stood for a bit, making sure he was ok, not overly stressed and then I finished my chores and walked in the house.

Comments are welcome.

@ Cari C in Phoenix: I so very much empathize with your rooster situation. Here is what worked for me, and I am the greatest Wuss I know. I have been stalked, attacked, and almost crippled by roosters whom I never provoked, intended harm, or threatened. I was not afraid of some, and of others I was terrified. Not only do I abhor the thought of picking up a rooster and carrying him around for a bit, I don't have time for it. Nor the patience. Nor the the speed to catch them. And I'm tentative. Unless I am wearing chain mail armor, I CANNOT walk through a challenging rooster. (Wearing protective clothing does help, however, but who wants to in Phoenix heat). When it got to the point where it was Me or Them, I decided I needed to do corrections that counted, and putting the fear of the almighty into them helped a lot. But who wants to become a cock fighter if he doesn't have to be one. I started using a fishing net to manage them. EASILY I could manage them - push them off the hens when I was feeding, corral them into and out of pens, catch them, move them, whatever - with the mere flex of my eyebrow and a wrist. And yes, they would move out of my way when they saw me coming. BUT, they could revert at any time - and I always had to have my net with me, even if for just my peace of mind. And I still had to watch my back. Sooo, in the long run, I ended up eating the most incorrigle and saving two of the most promising for breeding, in pens I never have to enter to feed and water. In other words, if you don't need them, get rid of them. If you have to keep them, treat them as wild animals in a zoo, under lock and key, and never trust them. I DO have plenty of very decent Roos whom I keep solely because they are great pets and good to their hens. Here's a pic of one come to visit in the basement.

What a handsome guy and thank you for sharing your experiences! I really appreciate the honesty.

 

[Cari C]

what I recommend is next time he comes after you, just catch him mid air if you can and hold him. Also when you pick him up and hold him every day, you can try talking to him and/or offering treats to help calm him down and show you're not a threat. I don't think he'll peck you or it shouldn't be too bad. My hens squat when I pick them up, which makes it very easy and hard to get pecked, but I'm not sure a rooster would squat. But if you pick him up from behind instead of the front it will make it harder for him to peck you, hopefully. What I usually do, which I learned from a friend recently, is I just tuck them up under my arm. Sometimes they even settle in and they can't get away or peck as much. And oh sorry about that! I thought I saw mention of a husband but I may have mixed it up with another post or simply assumed. Sorry! But anyway, I can definitely understand why you'd be bummed about that and I'm sure the horse is too. And that's yet another reason why you need to get the rooster under control or get rid of him one way or another. I think the towel would probably help or the method below. If you can corner him it may be easier. You're very welcome! You seem like you're pretty tough and not likely to give up on him so I think you have a pretty good chance of helping him, especially since he doesn't seem too bad yet.

but you do need to try to convince your son to try all this too, although maybe after you get him under control. Another thing you can try if this doesn't work or in addition to this is penning him up or crating him, it might deflate some of his ego and when you out him back he might behave better.
He's a gorgeous roo!
Great idea!

I forgot to ask this question - Do you think it would do any good if I went out there as they start to roost for the night and pick him up off his perch, hold him for a bit? I know I can do that, but would it count? I kept thinking about you saying try to catch him in mid-air, as he flew by my head, and I laughed. I am not very athletic and he apparently is!

 

[Shezadandy]

Shezadandy, thank you for the idea! I tried, but did not succeed, my yard just kept getting bigger & bigger!! I had a 3x3 piece of plywood, but he just flew over it every time. I herded him like a steer, got into my feed area, but it has a pony wall, and again, over he went. I can not believe how fast he is.

Yes, that is definitely the challenge! When I started out catching them in this manner, it was in a smaller 12x17 rectangular introduction pen with a net over the top, so it's nothing like the size of your backyard! Eventually mine got more catchable- they'll still run around the whole big main run (lots more room to run- I am not faster than a chicken!) but once they feel cornered (I don't mean that in a fear-based way) they stick their faces in the corner and wait to be picked up. I call it the "fine, you got me" stance. Or they run into the coop and I shut the door.

I've got a couple of pullets that will jump straight up 6 feet and have no problem tangling with your hair, so while your guy is definitely bigger and heavier, I understand your problem. Those two I can catch at night in the dark off the roost- the board is ineffective-- maybe one of those nets that other people have posted about. Those same girls will come over and follow me around- but try to catch 'em and GONE- like catching a greased pig.

I guess that's my next suggestion- wait til it's dark and bring him off the roost. If you succeed in that, I would suggest when you put him back, don't try to put him back on the roost. Place him on the ground or if you've got a half step somewhere for them- lifting them up and away from your body makes taking a wing to the face a much stronger possibility because they're trying to regain their balance. If you give him a little flashlight guidance he'll probably find his way back up.

 

[Shezadandy]

I forgot to ask this question - Do you think it would do any good if I went out there as they start to roost for the night and pick him up off his perch, hold him for a bit? I know I can do that, but would it count? I kept thinking about you saying try to catch him in mid-air, as he flew by my head, and I laughed. I am not very athletic and he apparently is!

Ah- sorry, didn't see this post before answering above- IMO yes, it would count because you've got your hands on him. It sounds like tonight was a successful exercise even if the objective wasn't met. You moved him around and he didn't come after you.

If you do get him off the roost and he's squirmy- try holding him backwards. Not upside down, facing backwards. A couple my hens are sooo much calmer held and carried this way. Maybe like some horses like to ride backwards in the trailer? This gives me reasonable control over a big chicken- if they kick, it's far enough from my body and in a spot where I can usually control the legs, and keeps the wings pinned- and the beak isn't near your hands or face. It also puts you in a good position to squat and put the feet on the ground while you've still got a good hold on the wings- without your face being in range of the beak as you bend forward to let him go.


Fingers under the body between the legs


There's the head between my elbow and back.

 

[Cari C]

Day 1 - night time edition. I waited for my son to come home to document. Everyone was sleeping, I took Tobias from his roost and held him and pet him. I forgot that I used to pick him every night and put him in the coop when he was younger. I miss those days. Excuse my tired old self in the photo, please and thank you.

 

[Shezadandy]

Day 1 - night time edition. I waited for my son to come home to document. Everyone was sleeping, I took Tobias from his roost and held him and pet him. I forgot that I used to pick him every night and put him in the coop when he was younger. I miss those days. Excuse my tired old self in the photo, please and thank you.

 

[Cari C]

Thank you, shezadandy!

how do I get the tag line at the bottom that most of you have, with your animal info?

 

[Shezadandy]

Thank you, shezadandy!

how do I get the tag line at the bottom that most of you have, with your animal info?

If you go to "My Profile" which is right above your screen name on the top right, then scroll down to the 2nd to last section "My Signature" you can add what you'd like there.