What sets a rooster off?

[Break an Egg]

Quote:
Ever since my husband has been antagonizing our EE roo, he has been trying to attack me. I have to walk around with a rake too.

Antagonizing the rooster?


Cull the husband and retrain the rooster.





J/K

LOL you have just made my day. Thanks, believe me, I have thought about it

 

[cdtrum]

Ok.....first of all I would never intentionally be cruel or mean to my Rooster or hens and I'm sure that he mounts his hens plenty when I'm not out there.....I'm not a mad woman going around kicking my rooster off his hens.....I am quite aware that it is natural for him to mount them...I'll have to find where I read that you should do that when he does it in your presence to show him your the alpha...... I take great pride in how well I care for my flock.

 

[rooster-red]

Quote:
I agree with you on all points except for one little thing...

Kicking at an attacking rooster will tend to escalate his efforts, not deter him.

 

[rooster-red]

Quote:
Hope I didn't come across as suggesting that you were mean to him in any way, just stating that in my experience that it makes no difference if he mates in front of you or not.

 

[Salt and Light]

I'm new to this rooster business but the day a rooster "tells me what to do" is the day that I need to turn in my "man card".

 

[ILoveJoe]

Quote:
I have noticed that too. Mine is very grouchy in the mornings. Luckily he has never shown any aggression towards humans, his crabbiness is directed at the chickens, but this morning he was chasing around one of the BO so badly he got a time out! I locked him in the covered run all alone while the rest got to do their thing uninterrupted. I just let him out about 15 minutes ago and he is fine.

 

[cackle]

I had a thought today on the long drive home from work. I was wondering if anyone had ever used the watergum method like you use for dogs to stop a rooster from attacking. Just a thought... Have you used it? Do you think it would work???


Susan

 

[MaransGuy]

Quote:
Your seriously do not let your rooster mount your hens? If you are not going to let them mate then you should get rid of the rooster. You may think he's just "being naughty" but he is trying to fulfill a biological need that he was born with. It is not dirty, it is not filthy and it is not mean. To put the hens in front of him and then push him off when he mates is simply cruel. It is no different then him eating or drinking. These animals have needs and instincts that they need to fulfill and it is not just to be cute fluffly playthings for ourselves.

Denise, I am not saying that you are intending to be mean. You said that you had read that it can be done to establish your dominance over the rooster but that you do it because you "don't like seeing your girls being treated like that". My point is that your girls are only being treated like hens by their rooster, nothing more. Not allowing your rooster to mate with your hens for a dominance issue is one thing. Not allowing him to mate with them because you think it is not nice to the hens is not fair to the animals involved.