How to show my rooster whos boss

[imogene08]

Now i just recently put a group explaining how my rooster was doing this strange thing to me turns out he was courting me and that i need to stop babying him he is still 6 months old and is gentle but i pick him up and pet him and they said it needs to stop and show im boss before he turns on me so what are some ways i can show him im boss but not mean and kick him but in a way he will still respect me
UPDATE still tries to court me! When he does i stomp my feet and chase him yelling and flabbing my arms that seems to be the only problem he gets out of my way never challenges me(yet)is he getting the point or no?

 

[haylee]

Just make sure you're always above him, which is easy to do since chickens are rather small.

Never put him on your shoulder, since that's making him feel like he's above you. Make a loud noise if he comes near you. Never show fear and maybe stomp on the ground near him, too. He'll learn sooner or later. I have never had a rooster, but these are tips I have heard from other chicken owners, so I think they are pretty reliable. Ya just gotta show him that you are th bigger, louder, and tougher "chicken" than he is.

 

[WalkingOnSunshine]

You need to think like a chicken.

1. In the chicken world, the alpha rooster gets the highest perch. Don't let him roost above your head height, and NEVER let him on your shoulder.

2. In the chicken world, the subordinate hens groom the alpha rooster. Don't pet and cuddle your rooster, that is telling him directly that he's the boss.

3. In the chicken world, the subordinate roosters don't mate the alpha's hens while the alpha can see them. If you see him mounting a hen, go kick him off. You don't need to be nasty about it, but put a toe under the tail feathers and gently kick him off every time until he stops. Those are YOUR hens, not his.

4. In the chicken world, if the subordinate rooster puts a feather out of line, they get disciplined. Have you ever seen a rooster discipline a hen? He'll squawk and chase her all over the place and peck her on the head. So if he does anything aggressive towards you, like sneaking up behind you or coming towards you with his head low and his neck feathers fluffed up, think chicken! Squawk and stomp your feet and flap your arms and chase him all over the place. If you can catch him, either hold him down in the dirt until he stops struggling, or pick him up and carry him upside down until he stops struggling.

I usually do this while telling him something along the lines of "Do you really want to get into this with me, Buster? Because I OWN your little fluffy butt, and I can do this all day long. I'm the biggest, baddest chicken you've ever seen and we can be friends, or I will be your worst nightmare. See that killing cone over there? You could go from the coop to the crock pot in five minutes, Buddy."

5. Don't keep an aggressive rooster. With any young rooster, they may try to dominate you once, and that's OK as long as he learns his lesson after you chase him around. But some roosters simply are very aggressive and don't learn, and they can be very dangerous animals. We have a Two Strikes and You're Dinner policy around here. Once, I'll chase you around and see if you learn, twice, and you're history by nightfall.

There are thousands upon thousands of very sweet, non-aggressive roosters in the world, and many of them are culled every day simply because the people can't keep them all. So if this bird turns out to be aggressive, you can probably try again with another rooster for free, as long as you're not looking for a show quality bird. For example, I only breed from non-aggressive roosters because aggression is partly genetic, and I don't want to breed aggression into my flock. But that means that half of every hatch are lovely young cockerels. I will put them on Craigslist for a week, but if no one wants them, they are culled. I am always thrilled when someone wants one of my boys for a flock rooster instead of their being killed, and I know many, many other people feel the same way.

Hope that's helpful! One last piece of advice--in the future, don't make friends with your rooster. Mostly ignore them. Make friends with your hens if you wish, but treat your rooster like the potentially dangerous animal he is.

 

[imogene08]

Thanks! ^~^ he knows i am the more dominate but can i still pet him once in a while? And sorry but i dont like that saying.-.

 

[WalkingOnSunshine]

Thanks! ^~^ he knows i am the more dominate but can i still pet him once in a while? And sorry but i dont like that saying.-.

That's because you don't have a friend who almost lost an eye to a rooster as a child. And because you don't have scars on the backs of your calves from a rooster.

I honestly, truly answer 3-4 posts per week here on BYC from people whose beloved pet rooster began to attack them at 9 months old. So you may not believe it, and your rooster may be one of the good ones. But just because your rooster is one of the good ones does not stop him from being a potentially dangerous animal.

I love horses--I've kept stallions. They are my dear friends. But I always have to be aware that they have the potential to cause injury, more than other horses. Bulls are the same way, and so are roosters.

 

[dollarbill]

I love your attitude! Seriously, i love it! I also love the two strikes and your dinner rule. Hahaaa! Thats great. Also sounds like sound advise even tho ive never owned a rooster. db.

 

[imogene08]

Sorry.but i dont think i really need the whole lecture part i know what i need to know dont change my mind and i honestly sorry for you friend or what ever but thats you not me so k? Bye.-. Plus i dont baby him im showing him im in charge and i asked for ideas not statements

 

[haylee]

Sorry.but i dont think i really need the whole lecture part i know what i need to know dont change my mind and i honestly sorry for you friend or what ever but thats you not me so k? Bye.-. Plus i dont baby him im showing him im in charge and i asked for ideas not statements

Yeah, he is YOUR rooster, so you do get to do whatever you want with your rooster. So as long as he knows who's boss most of the time I think it should be fine if you pet him every once in a while, I know many chicken owners personally that pet their roosters and hand raised them with cuddles and everything and they just made sure the rooster knows who's boss and the rooster never turned on them. As long as you don't let him think you're the lower ranker, everything should be fine.

 

[JackE]

Sorry.but i dont think i really need the whole lecture part i know what i need to know dont change my mind and i honestly sorry for you friend or what ever but thats you not me so k? Bye.-. Plus i dont baby him im showing him im in charge and i asked for ideas not statements

You seem to know it all already, why ask anything? That rooster isn't "courting" you. He's testing you now to establish dominance. Keep going the way you are, and you'll find out.
Jack

 

[nova022]

You need to think like a chicken.

1. In the chicken world, the alpha rooster gets the highest perch. Don't let him roost above your head height, and NEVER let him on your shoulder.

2. In the chicken world, the subordinate hens groom the alpha rooster. Don't pet and cuddle your rooster, that is telling him directly that he's the boss.

3. In the chicken world, the subordinate roosters don't mate the alpha's hens while the alpha can see them. If you see him mounting a hen, go kick him off. You don't need to be nasty about it, but put a toe under the tail feathers and gently kick him off every time until he stops. Those are YOUR hens, not his.

4. In the chicken world, if the subordinate rooster puts a feather out of line, they get disciplined. Have you ever seen a rooster discipline a hen? He'll squawk and chase her all over the place and peck her on the head. So if he does anything aggressive towards you, like sneaking up behind you or coming towards you with his head low and his neck feathers fluffed up, think chicken! Squawk and stomp your feet and flap your arms and chase him all over the place. If you can catch him, either hold him down in the dirt until he stops struggling, or pick him up and carry him upside down until he stops struggling.

I usually do this while telling him something along the lines of "Do you really want to get into this with me, Buster? Because I OWN your little fluffy butt, and I can do this all day long. I'm the biggest, baddest chicken you've ever seen and we can be friends, or I will be your worst nightmare. See that killing cone over there? You could go from the coop to the crock pot in five minutes, Buddy."

5. Don't keep an aggressive rooster. With any young rooster, they may try to dominate you once, and that's OK as long as he learns his lesson after you chase him around. But some roosters simply are very aggressive and don't learn, and they can be very dangerous animals. We have a Two Strikes and You're Dinner policy around here. Once, I'll chase you around and see if you learn, twice, and you're history by nightfall.

There are thousands upon thousands of very sweet, non-aggressive roosters in the world, and many of them are culled every day simply because the people can't keep them all. So if this bird turns out to be aggressive, you can probably try again with another rooster for free, as long as you're not looking for a show quality bird. For example, I only breed from non-aggressive roosters because aggression is partly genetic, and I don't want to breed aggression into my flock. But that means that half of every hatch are lovely young cockerels. I will put them on Craigslist for a week, but if no one wants them, they are culled. I am always thrilled when someone wants one of my boys for a flock rooster instead of their being killed, and I know many, many other people feel the same way.

Hope that's helpful! One last piece of advice--in the future, don't make friends with your rooster. Mostly ignore them. Make friends with your hens if you wish, but treat your rooster like the potentially dangerous animal he is.

Excellent advice. I posted to it so I will have it available to link to should anyone else ask the same question. Again, excellent advice.