Mean rooster

[Amy's Animals]

A friend who wasn't allowed to keep roosters gave me a beautiful, young Rhode Island Red roo. He used to be really scared of people when I first got him a few months ago but now is a little over confident. Whenever I turn my back on him he chases me and always follows me around along the fence and things like that. So today he actually attempted to charge me, so I charged him. He was flabbergasted and hightailed it before I could do any physical pain. Then about 5 minutes later he apparently regained his confidence and I could hear him run up behind me, so I turned around quickly and kicked him square in the breast, he ran off squawking. Is there anything I can do about his aggressive behavior or is he ready for dinner?

PS- I treat all my chickens really well, all of them are hand tame except for ones that I just got, and that rooster. I don't ever mistreat them, except for that rooster, but that was out of self defense, I'm not about to have a rooster hanging from my leg that weighs 1/10 of me. I have a silkie rooster as well in a different pen but he has never shown anything like the RIR does.

 

[MidnightChickenLover]

I have had three roosters up at my house, one Welsummer and two Silkies. My silkies have attacked family members a few times but they are usually very sweet. The Welsummer was nasty, he would start charging from the otherside of the pasture. The best thing I suggest is to catch him and pet him a lot. My Welsummer (Aka Roger) was sweet and calm when we held him. I ran out of patience and but him down at the farm where he actually became useful (helped kill a fox that was after the chickens). How old is he? If he is already matured, than I have a feeling your not going to be able to do much with him... I've never had a RIR rooster though.

 

[Amy's Animals]

he has been handled a few times but not much because he weighs at least 10 pounds and is very strong. He hasn't been showing meaness until just recently. He was hatched this spring, not sure when. I'm guessing he was about 7-8 months old when I got him.

 

[MidnightChickenLover]

Handling and feeding him by hand will most likely help you out. He most likely reached maturaty so his hormones and everything are now "cock oriented". He'll be more protective of things and the best thing to do would make yourself one of his possestions. Good luck!

 

[Amy's Animals]

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Do you know if its a hereditary trait to be over protective? I'm thinking of just keeping him till I have his offspring and just eat him or get rid of him and then hand raise his chicks and pick the sweetest rooster of the bunch. I'll have to get rid of him anyway to avoid inbreeding one time or another.

 

[MidnightChickenLover]

Some of it is hereditary, and some of it is the way they are brought up. I'm not an expert on breeding chickens so someone else would be better at that advice. I think that you would most likely get a lot if not all similar personnalities. Cross breeding into a different breed of hen would most likely change things up a bit because of different strains, plus it would be cool seeing the results, but if your breeding for show I highly do not recommend it (duh!

)

 

[rufus]

He is just a rooster being a rooster. Sometimes they are not too bright. Remember, they know you from about 18 to 24 inches up from the ground. You are just shoes and knees to him. If you go into the chicken yard wearing something different like slacks or shoes, they don't know you. I always wear the same thing, so the rooster doesn't bother me. He chases after my wife though. She wants me to get rid of him.

No way, that rooster keeps her out of the back yard and away from me.

Anyway, life is too short to take guff from a rooster. Chase him around the chicken yard and let him know who is boss. I can't run very well now, so I put on the hose and chase him with the water. He hates that.

I sit out in the yard in a chair watching the chickens, and he will come over and look me over. I can see in his mind he is thinking "can I take him today." It aint gonna happen.

Rufus

 

[MidnightChickenLover]

All my male fowl many go after women.. what's up with that?!

 

[Amy's Animals]

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I dont have any 2 laying birds that are of the same breed, so that shouldn't be a problem. I think I might get a buff orpington barred rock hybrid rooster from one of my friends instead. No, I don't breed for show. I breed for colorful good layers.

And Rufus,
Thanks for the advice! I know exactly what you are talking about, I'm not afraid of him at all either, he will never win from me. Altough I do think he has a pretty good idea what I look like up top because he is always giving me the one-eye. I already chased him around the yard today because he came after me again, he was scared absolutely poop-less. I will try the hose too if this isn't enough, I don't know of any chicken that likes direct water, yet they go and stand out in the rain. I'm thinking it must be the difference in water pressure

 

[MidnightChickenLover]

Yeah, I'm only interested in good layers, but for some reason my "layer hens" aren't and my silkie is...

Thanks for the advice rufus, I'll have to try some of that too.