Trouble with rooster.

[ChickenThunderdome]

We have 14 hens and a Houdan rooster. All of them are 14 months old. The Houdan has been attacking me both inside and outside of the run repeatedly. I'm a 6ft tall man and to me it seems stupid to attack another animal 20 times your size but this idiot does it.

Today I let the chickens out to enjoy foraging and he immediately attacked me slicing my leg open.

My wife loves the chickens but I'm close to just putting some birdshot into him and being done with it. But we've raised them from chicks and I'm willing to do whatever before that option but he's frankly becoming dangerous.

My wife occasionally holds him and he doesn't seem to attack her but he still comes after me and I've held him a few times as well. Likewise ALL 14 hens are becoming bare backed.. they look horrible as he's mating with all of them repeatedly.

Any suggestions? Is this just a young rooster thing?

First time owner.

 

[sourland]

This can be a young rooster thing, and they can grow out of it. Other times it simply becomes worse and they become flat out man fighters. I would be concerned that one day he might attack your wife. An attack to the face could scar or even blind. Keep an eye on that injury to your leg. Rooster's spurs are generally dirty and loaded with bacteria. If you have children, I would say get out the shotgun.

 

[LikeTurkeys]

I would say cull. At 14 months he should no longer be experiencing young rooster hormones and is becoming set in his ways. Plus he is damaging both you and your hens. Why suffer?

 

[Punkybrewster]

I despise a flogging rooster.
Put him in a stew pot. It wont get better.

 

[50-45-1]

Not to be tolerated!
Get out the shotgun and give yourself and those poor hens a break.
Later you will wonder what took you so long.
Lots of good roosters to be had. No reason to keep a bad actor.

 

[lomine]

I'm guessing he doesn't see your wife as a threat to "his" flock, maybe even counting her among the hens. You, on the other hand, are seen as competition. I see no reason to put up with that kind of behavior. I say cull him and unless you plan on hatching eggs don't replace him. Flocks don't need roosters.

 

[LadiesAndJane]

He needs to go. Should be easy to find another nicer rooster if you need one, people GIVE them away.

 

[ChickenThunderdome]

Thanks for all the helpful replies.
I'm going to give him one more chance, try grabbing him and holding him as the wife did for an hour each day. If that does not work then it's cull time.

 

[Chickassan]

He's your wife's rooster, you got dumped my dude lol.
Let her be the keeper and you do laundry.

 

[ChickenThunderdome]

She doesn't want him either, just based on how horrible the hens look due to his constant mating.

That said, I'm the type that runs into roads to help turtles across, so I don't believe in taking a life unless absolutely necessary.