Ugh... hurt my roo tonight. *Update* He attacked DH.

[SycolinWoodsChickens]

Whew! Feeling a little better.

Just checked on him and he's roosting with all the australorps tonight. My silly chickens sorted themselves out by color to roost tongiht (all the buffs are together too). They have never done that?!?!?

Anyhow, still welcoming more feedback. I think I'm getting confused because I keep hearing keep him, no get rid of him, no keep him. I know eveyrone has their own experience and opinion and I'm just too new at this to sort out the right one for me.

It's just your the top roo now, right?

I thought I was always the top roo. I just can't seem to convince him of that this week! You think kicking him, soaking him with water (forgot to mention that incident when he charged me from behind on Sunday while I was filling the water bowl in the yard), and netting him would have gotten that fact through his little pea sized brain.

 

[Ed62]

I have one just a few weeks younger than yours. About 3 weeks ago, he decided to jump at me. He put a pretty good scratch on my leg. Like you, I gave him a good boot. Since then, he pretty much keeps his distance. I can't catch him without a net either. If he looks at me with that "evil eye", I chase him around the chicken yard. As long as he plays nice, he's welcome to stay. If he doesn't, his easy life around here is about to end.

Ed

 

[Judy]

I don't want roos like that breeding. I don't know to what extent such traits are inherited, but the world is full of extra roos, and it's not that hard to get a good one.

We'll be processing two this weekend just because we have too many. I was out there today watching them to figure out which ones go. The one who pecked a hen to get the treat goes.... There are 4 and none are people attackers.

I know, you didn't want to hurt him even if he will be stew meat, but it was just an accident. It's not like you attacked him without provocation!

 

[Attila the Hen]

I don't know why I am responding. I am very new to keeping chickens and have only been at it a few months. I related to your comment about understanding cats and dogs but feeling lost about the rooster. I got this beautiful large guy and brought him home for the girls. He kept trying to bite me and went at me a few times. I went through the options of whether I should boot him or not but was told it would make him more aggressive. Anyway, I had things set up so that I had to handle all the chickens each night to get them in the coop. So I put gardening gloves on and wore long sleeves and ignored his nips. I also sat him on my lap and told him he was adorable and rubbed under his chin/beak. During this process he lost his dignity and is now a big soppy lovable character. Took him back to the guy I bought him from to get his wings clipped and the guy remarked on how calm he had become. Someone told me clipping his wings would calm him down but that's not why I had it done. All I know is that I love animals but I pay for the food and keep them in the life style they are accustomed to so I make the rules. He is still a very young rooster so maybe things will change. As I said I know little about raising chickens--I am enjoying learning about them.

 

[donrae]

I have a dog and horse background, also. Roosters really aren't so different. Actually, neither are teenage boys

Is his behavior something you'd tolerate from one of your dogs? Dominance is dominance, regardless of species. I'm not a follower of the hugs and cuddles school. I'm a follower of the get outta my way school. ALL my animals move away from me, I can push any of them, even the hundred pound dog or thousand pound horse, away from their food without fear. EVERY time you're around him, make him yield to you. Walk toward him and make him move away. Push him away from the food and guard it for a few minutes, not letting him eat. Don't let him mount a hen near you. Sometimes, just for the heck of it, chase him a little. You have a dog pack and probably watch their interactions and see how they establish dominance. I've had three to four free ranging roosters together over the last few years and watched their patterns. I saw my head roo get displaced by a new roo, saw him re-establish himself after the new roo went to freezer camp months later, saw the pecking order get re-established when a roo in the middle died. These are all things roosters do to each other, so I figure I'm speaking their language if I do it to them. It's my own version of chicken psychology, loosely inspired by dog psychology.........gotta love Caeser Milan

And, in case I come off too hard, my animals are not afraid of me. Neither are my kids. They do, however, all respect me. Everyone needs a leader, and on this little wet acre of land, I'm it!

 

[AllAlaskan]

I had the same problum a couple weeks ago. One of my chickens finally started laying and that very day, my "gentle" Rooster I got a month before had gone nuts on me. I went out found the egg and got excited took it inside then came back out filled up the feeder, then went back inside filled up the water bucket and went back out, as I was emptying out the water dish (its actually an old pressure cooker so its heavy alluminum) he came at me bit me with his beak hard enuph to draw blood and tryed to get me with his spurs but missed......he jumped back like he thought he was out of reach...WRONG I clocked him good with that dish lol, he flew back a few feet jumped back up and ran at me wide open again so this time he met my size 9 1/2 Mens boot and flew a good 6 feet and hit the ground got back up and came at me yet again. This time I raised my arms and yelled at the top of my lungs. That was enuph to scare him into submision after the first 2 attacks. Since then he has calmed down, but has tryed to sneek up on me a few times since. As soon as I lift my foot he turns and runs. They are smarter than some people give them credit for. He knows when my foot comes up whats coming next lol. I dont abuse my animals but at the same time i will NOT tolorate an aggresive Roo. I may end up having to remove him because I want to be able to take my Kids out there to help me collect eggs once I start getting a decent amount and dont feel comfortable with him int he pen when I have my 4 year old out with me. For now I dont let my 4 year old son in the coop but I think I may have to pull the roo out for a while. I dont know if it will work but im hoping maby some solitary confinement will calm him down.

 

[Barry Natchitoches]

Quote:
I have two EE roosters (the father and his son), and both of these roosters are really good birds. They are great with the hens, and although they are not much for wanting me to hold them, they do behave themselves really well, are pretty gentle overall, and even eat treats out of my hand.


Of course, I have had these boys since they were babies (the son was "born" in my guest bedroom inside my house), and I raised them from early chickhood to be gentle birds, and to respect me as alpha roo.

 

[nitefyre]

I have 2 roos with 15 hens one I hand raised from a chick and one I got, when it was about 2 months old, I have never "cuddled" either roo or even picked them up very much as that is socializing them too much to people, I have have a business like attitude toward them and can do anything to any hen and any place in the run or coop. They know I am boss and respect that I'm human and they are NOT, if your bird thinks your a bird it will challenge you like one and you will never feel safe around them draw the lines he is a roo you are not! You are human and He is NOT. Now when it comes to the ladies they are a bit spoiled but they still respect me.

 

[spish]

i have 15 roo's right now..ranging from 6 months to 3 years old....all different breeds.

the 'tamer' roo's are most definatly the Brahmas, you can walk up to them pick them up and cuddle them (and their ladies!) and they wont bat an eyelid.
then i have a barred rock roo, a cuckoo marans roo, 2 australorp roos and a whole load off EE roo's (there is even a really cool marans/EE roo, it is total marans with the exception it has a muff/beard!
they ALL know im boss, and every now and then i give them a little reminder.

heres a few of the things i personally do to keep them in their place:

i hold them back while I 'eat' first (i'll fill up the feed troughs and chase off the roo's while i pick about in the grains as if i was eating, you have to really chase them away to reinforce this, only when i am done can they come forward.)

they are NOT allowed to mate with the ladies if im about, if they try i knock them off the ladies and chase them away.

if they try to challenge me they get a rap on their backside and chased away, i 'grab' at their tail feathers (but dont pull the feathers out!!)

i never ever ever ever ever cuddle/kiss/treat like a baby when they are small. as hard as it is to resist cµuddling that cute little treat, dont pick them up/handle them too much. i ve found the molly-coddled/cuddled roosters raised from chicks are the worst for aggression as opposed to 'treated like a chicken not a baby' rearing.


so far ive never had to dispatch a roo or give one away due to aggression. i have had to split two up (top roo 'hamster' who is an EE and his rival 'Thor' top australorp roo) but these were introduced as adult roo's not when they were young. so far all roo's introduced together before the 'newcomer' was too old, have gotten along great and all live together in the fields (bar Thor who has his own pen with 2 other roo's, a silkie and a appenzeller spitskuif, and a few girls.)

 

[SycolinWoodsChickens]

Ok, well I'm gong to say we tried but Stewy is going to freezer camp this weekend. Tongiht when my DH was in the yard Stewy attacked him and would not back down until my DH basically punted him across the yard.
Now the roo is limping and we've decided that since he has attacked me, our pet sitter and my DH he has to go. We are worred about someone else being hurt over the holidays by him.

I want to try again in the Spring with a different roo. I think I'll even try a different breed. This hasn't been a first good experience at all.

Maybe next time will be better?

Just to recap for those who are interested. We tried everything. He was not handled like a pet. We walked him around the yard when we wanted to make him feel less dominant. We went after him when he mated in front of us. We picked him up while we did chores. We kept him away from food when the girls were eating. He even got water dumped on him when he flogged me when I was filling the waterer in their yard. I've booted him. My DH has booted him. Still tonight if my DH hadn't hurt him he would probably still be trying to spur him.

At least I know where my chicken stock is coming from for our Thanksgiving dinner.