My rooster wants to fight me!

[Onnie1776]

I have 6 hens and 1 rooster. They are all mixed breeds and aged 6 months. The girls just started laying a few weeks ago and for the most part all is well. My rooster is a polish breed which I was told were pretty laid back. He has actually been fairly laid back until yesterday. It is like a light switch has been turned on. When I enter the pen to feed or take care of the chickens he runs at me and acts all aggressive. I actually had to kick him this morning to get him to back down. He’s being a total jerk. What should I do to get him back to normal? Gulp. Please don’t tell me this is the new normal

 

[B&E]

He is being normal......lol.
Maybe try a super soaker?

 

[unbaked pegga]

I have 6 hens and 1 rooster. They are all mixed breeds and aged 6 months. The girls just started laying a few weeks ago and for the most part all is well. My rooster is a polish breed which I was told were pretty laid back. He has actually been fairly laid back until yesterday. It is like a light switch has been turned on. When I enter the pen to feed or take care of the chickens he runs at me and acts all aggressive. I actually had to kick him this morning to get him to back down. He’s being a total jerk. What should I do to get him back to normal? Gulp. Please don’t tell me this is the new normalView attachment 1160129

I am here to tell you Roosters want to fight everybody and anybody that invades their “territory” . I have been spurred and flogged more than once by a rooster. That is why now I only have hens

 

[Rustyspokes]

Some breeds/species of aves are more aggressive than others. After switching focus to a gentler line it is a pleasure to enter a pen without the need of a garbage can lid.

 

[Onnie1776]

So I guess I better bone up on my fighting skills?

 

[sourland]

Don't 'fight' him. Kicking at or swatting will generally fire them up more. It's all about proving dominance, and sometimes that is not enough and rooster stew is the only solution. There are multiple threads on modifying such behavior. Search the forums, and good luck.

 

[Chickassan]

Well he's a teenager, they act up. Honestly i didn't get straightforward agression out of my cockrel i got attempted mating domination. The solution that worked in my case was to pick the fella up and carry him like a football while i did what needed doing. It did actually work he finally got that i was bigger and definitly not a hen. I don't know if it is your solution but since your guy is kind of small it might be worth trying.

 

[3-Bearss]

We are eating our two Polish Cockerels

 

[Sara Ranch]

It's puberty. He is going to be hormonal until he's about a year old. Then he should settle into his young man nice stage.

Until then, have patience.

When he runs at you, can you pick him up? The teenage roosters usually hate being cuddled and will avoid the contact (i.e. - running at you).

When he runs at you, can you turn your back on him and ignore him?

Would you consider feeding him first? If he's 6 months old, he may not have matured enough to offer the girls food....but if he has, this a plus. He will see you as providing to him and he can still provide for his girls. Therefore you are not threatening his manhood.

As many will say, you shouldn't be afraid of your cockerel (he's a rooster at 1 yr old) and you shouldn't be attacked or flogged (beaten with the wings) or bitten.

I have many roosters (including rooster flocks) and have dealt with the aggressive hormones with some of the things I suggested. I haven't been flogged or attacked by any of my cockerels/roosters. Not even the angry, adopted boys.

Please be patient and understanding with him. It's puberty for him.

 

[EggSighted4Life]

Hi, welcome to BYC!

So... his hormones have kicked in. It will probably get worse, in my experience. They hit a couple different hormonal stages on their way to roosterdom. And I have yet to see them actually get better. However, I will note that EVERY single one of my birds is an individual and each situation may be different.

I had ONLY 1 rooster ever try and go after me... and he was soooo friendly when young. Which helped to create the issue. I allowed him to sit on my lap and we hung out like partners... until his mating hormones kicked in and he realized not only did he not respect me but he also didn't "fear" me. Now I think fear equals respect in the eyes of a rooster. And then he tried to pull a hen off my lap. He would crow directly at me and follow me along the fence charging when I wasn't looking. The minute I looked at him he would ACT like he was doing busy work.

This boy was a rare breed and intended for breeding, outlasted all his brothers. A beautiful boy. I held out for a long time trying the dominance training so many are fond of.. I mean for months of not being able to turn my back. I REALLY liked this boy.

In the end, him and his bad attitude went to freezer camp! I wish I had done it sooner as it ALMOST ruined the whole rooster/cockerel experience for me. It took me a couple months not to be annoyed when my other roosters would crow, even though I love to hear the crowing. That 1 boy crowing directly at me for months on end still rang in my ears.

I keep a stag pen. So my hens aren't over mated and I can control my genetics a bit tighter with a wider variety of choice. Plus my hens free range the rest of the property with my dogs and the roos tend to get a little big for their britches towards the dogs. Since my dogs are trained to leave them alone I can't just let it happen. Stupid rooster all the sudden decide my dog chasing the same Frisbee he's been doing since day 1 is a threat and come to flog him from across the yard.

They say the meaner the roo the sweeter the stew. That might have been the best "Ditto noodle soup" I ever had... and I'm not joking!

It's true, teenagers have raging hormones. I've raised 2 humans, many pups, goats, and others. It does give you a little perspective. But IMO, it's not worth risking an eye or my sanity. Like I say it was ONLY ever that ONE boy. Said to be a non aggressive Swedish Flower. My other boys, a supposed "fighting" breed and much more rowdy among themselves as chicks and such... have NOT ONCE looked at me cross eyed! On top of that they call chicks to treats and don't fight every stag in the pen. It is IMHO completely an individual thing regardless of breed. How many times will I see people saying their "non broody" breed is indeed broody?! Breeds do have tendencies, but that doesn't make them rules.

Now, more often than not... my flock dynamics determine who stays or goes. I WON'T have a bunch of drama. And when someone is creating it, the relief and peace that comes after eliminating (rehome or freezer camp) them from my flock is sooo wonderful.

My flock is for enjoyment and if someone is stealing my joy, that defeats the purpose of me having chickens. Of course it isn't all peaches and cream. But I suggest setting and knowing your own boundaries and not letting an animal take that from you. I promise you this much, I won't let another attacker stay at my place for 6 extra months EVER again. This is after all MY life too. Though I don't yet know what my limit will be IF I face the situation again.

Since then though (that was my first rooster experience), learning how to handle and approach them from day one instead of like they are gentle creatures who I should walk around and not startle them to build "trust", I haven't had another nasty boy YET.

So my end suggestion is IF you aren't successful at reforming this boy and you still want a rooster... maybe let him go and start with a new guy. I wouldn't keep a roo if I didn't intend on breeding because they simply aren't a match for most predators in my area and more often than not just duck down to avoid it themselves or end up being a sacrifice. And my hens seem perfectly happy if not happier without them. I did have 1 boy who would run toward the trouble if he heard a commotion, but most do not.

Good luck, no matter what you decide!