I have a mean silkie rooster

[Kmajta88]

Hello! My name is Kim and I'm new here. I hope I posted this in the right forum topic. Since I'm new I wasn't sure, so if it's not right I apologize I bought 3 adult silkie roos, 2 adult silkie hens, and 8 silkie chicks (ranging from 3 weeks-2 months old) a few months ago. I already had 10 bantam hens, 3 bantam chicks, 10 keets, 3 adult guineas, and 5 peacocks. Well, the next day I let them all out to free range. I was checking on some other chicks I had in a pen and I felt something fly at the back of my legs and scratch at me. I turned around thinking...what was that?! I noticed the one adult silkie rooster (about a year old) coming at me. I had nothing to defend myself with so I just ran away. I couldn't think of anything else to do at that moment. I've only had 1 mean roo my whole life and that was when I was 6 years old. So I'm not used to roos being mean. I thought to myself, okay he's new here, maybe he thought I was a threat or something. It happened AGAIN...and again...and again. It got so bad I had to carry a broom with me to go into the coop to collect the eggs. One day I came home from town, and he ran down to my car and watched me, then followed me to the house. He would follow me everywhere, almost like he was stalking me. Out of everyone that lives here, including my 6 year old son, he would only stalk/attack me. I don't understand why this little silkie is so mean, especially to just me. All 3 of the roos were running my hens to death, so because of that and the meanness from the one, I decided to put them in their own pen. The one that would attack me...well, if I'm walking by the pen, he follows and throws himself up against the wire around it. He will try to peck me also. I have already decided I have too many roos (I have 8 that I can sex right now, I also have 8 two week old chicks) so I have to get rid of them. I have 1 millie fleur roo I'm definitely keeping (His name is Chickaroo and he comes when I call him etc.) Basically I took all of the chickens I stated in the beginning of this thread as a favor because the lady that had them was moving and couldn't take them with her. I plan on getting rid of all the roos anyway, but I'd still like to know why this roo is mean. I don't want to sell him to someone else and he attacks them as well. Sorry this thread was so long! I'm happy to be here and I have more questions to come! Thanks everyone!

 

[mymilliefleur]

Welcome Kim! We're glad to have you!
Aggressiveness can be hereditary. It can also have to do with the rooster being poorly handled and spoiled as a chick/cockerel. Maybe you remind him of a previous owner who didn't take very good care of him?
Personally, I would put him in the stew pot ASAP. Even though he only attacks you, he may learn he can attack other people as well. I would be especially worried about your son.

 

[jjaazzy]

I had a silkie like that too. Charged the coop door when I approached. I'd move to the side and out he would come. The heat in Florida did him in before i had a chance to make any big decisions. when I have young roos if they start side stepping me they get the boot. I don't hurt them but I don't let them think they are the boss of me. I have way too many people on and off my property, the boys have to behave. So far only had to have a chat with one Roo the rest are good. Like brat kids let them think their behavior is cute one time, your create a monster.

 

[MustangChick]

I, too, had a silkie roo like that. He attacked anyone and everyone. He was the worst with my granddaughter. We tried catching him mid-air and holding him upside down by his feet - all the way to the time-out box. we tried kicking him softly, but with enough force to send him back. I raised him from just a few days old-holding him nightly. He should have been gentle...he wasn't. When it came time for my 1-year-old grandson to walk the yard with me, the roo got the axe. Just couldn't break his aggressive behavior

 

[Kmajta88]

So sorry it's taken me so long to reply to this thread! I've been so busy with all of my birds and have gotten some new additions! Now I'm dealing with an 11 week old guinea with conjuctivitus...ugh! So I got rid of the aggressive roo and 2 other silkie roosters that wouldn't leave the hens alone. I mean they were constantly mating them!! I explained his behavior to the lady that bought him, and told her he only attacks me and no one else. And she still wanted him, so hopefully she's doing okay with him. If not, I definitely don't blame her for getting rid of him. I absolutely love chickens, but I must say I'm not a chicken expert. Is this behavior common with silkie roosters? Or does it just depend on the individual roos? I recently bought quite a few silkies and some smooth sizzle silkies and I think they're mainly all roos! If that's the case I'm going to be devastated because I'll have no choice but to sell them.

 

[Gibs]

Sorry to hear about all the trouble you've been through! In my experience, Silkies are usually among the LEAST aggressive breeds - the hens go broody very easily and will mother just about anything (including ducklings!), and the roosters usually wind up pretty low on the pecking order. But of course there are exceptions, and it sounds like you got one.

Depending on the temperament of a rooster, it can be possible to re-train them with a variety of techniques that amount to showing him you're the "boss" - things like marching straight up to him and making him run from you, first thing, whenever you go in there... taking a stick and hitting the ground near him so he jumps and runs... using the stick to keep him separated from the hens and the food... using the stick to tap him on the back of the head like another rooster would peck him... basically just never letting him crow, breed a hen or take his eye off you while you're present.

BUT! Regardless of how they're raised, some roosters are just total sweethearts, and some are just MEAN. Puberty for cockerels is a big old attitude lottery! I recently had a Cuckoo Marans cockerel whom I raised with a group of chicks three weeks younger, and therefore much smaller, than him. Gentle giant, lovely little boy, never pecked at me or any of the girls... and then puberty hit and he became the meanest, nastiest creature I've ever met. No amount of training could stop him from jumping at us when our backs were turned - luckily, he made a really good soup.

Anyway - there's no reason to expect that all of your Silkie boys will turn out to be brutes, but there's also no reason to expect that handling them will make them turn out gentle. It really is up in the air with roosters - all you can do is treat them well when they're young, and be prepared for anything when sexual maturity comes. Best of luck!

 

[alessadry]

I would think running away from a rooster is not a good approach even though it's the most instinctual one in moments like that, because by doing so one risks reinforcing the rooster's chasing/attacking behavior. Rooster 1, human 0.

Once the rooster learns that charging you gets you running, he will do it again and again, just like dogs who bark and lunge the mail carrier and the dogs think their behavior is ultimately what sends the postman away.