I’m intimidated by my rooster.

[2 Acres]

TLDR; I’m afraid of my rooster and he won’t let me close to the hens. I need to check one specifically for some health issues I am worried about.

We got chicks last May so he’s almost a year. I got the rooster specifically to take care of the hens. And he does. He’s an amazing caretaker and he’s gentle with them. He had a great upbringing! Lots of human interaction between myself and my teenage kids. But now he’s very defensive of his flock…as he should be.
He hasn’t attacked anyone but he side eyes anyone coming towards the coop and run. If you towards him, he flaps his wings then flies up with his feet first and he’s very large!! It so intimidating.

Two weeks ago he did this to me when i went to change his water. I fell over backwards and landed flat on my back, water from the bucket all over me. Freezing cold. (too bad i didn’t have a camera running!) It was kinda funny but jokes aside, my back still hurts and i’m dealing with it every day.

I have heard to grab them and hold them down to establish dominance. I don’t think there is any way I could grab him safely.

I think one of my hens has something going on with her vent and i haven’t been able to pick her up to check her. I don’t necessarily want to do it at night. I have time in the day but can’t get close.

Please help! I don’t want to get rid of him, I just want to tame him a bit so i can sit in the run or check the health of them all. View attachment 4070788

Pretty bird... If you can entice it to go into the coop first, then you should be able work with your girls.

 

[McChooky]

Separate him from the hens so he can't see or hear them. If he still tries to attack you cull him. Don't let him get around the kids and don't turn your back to him.I'm going thru some aggression signs with mine but he hasn't tried to flog me yet.

 

[2 Acres]

we are so boring. His name is Roo!

I currently have 2 roosters. One is a 5 year old French black copper Maran named (wait for it) "Roo". He was given to me by a cousin who had show birds. A defect in one eye disqualified him. When I got him he was so timid he never crowed or showed any aggression. My cousin had 5 of them penned up in a a small enclosure.

Then I got a black Copper Maran off Craigslist. I named it "Doc" (as in Doc Holiday) and brought it home. Then Roo magically found his voice. Sadly "Doc" fell ill.

So if anyone has seen my ramblings on this forum... Roo sired a rooster last fall, from one of my Dominique hens . That would be "Tiny".

Tiny is still learning the ropes and limits. He is definitely all rooster, and "loves" the ladies. He keeps Roo busy running around, making sure Tiny isn't being too aggressive.

 

[Altairsky]

Twilias advice does not work. In fact it's dangerous advice.
Roosters attack for many reasons, you need to figure out which is the reason he attacks.
- they attack because they think you're a predator
- they attack because they think you're another rooster
- they attack because they think you're a stubborn hen they need to mate
Once you figure out why he attacks, you might think of a solution, though most solutions don't work except the culling one.

If you really feel intimidated, that's a big stimulus for him to attack.

 

[Slothinc]

But you can also use a broom! (just don't whack him, of course.)

? I'm puzzled. What's the broom for, then?

The only thing I could think of was “the broomstick method”

 

[McChooky]

Twilias advice does not work. In fact it's dangerous advice.
Roosters attack for many reasons, you need to figure out which is the reason he attacks.
- they attack because they think you're a predator
- they attack because they think you're another rooster
- they attack because they think you're a stubborn hen they need to mate
Once you figure out why he attacks, you might think of a solution, though most solutions don't work except the culling one.

If you really feel intimidated, that's a big stimulus for him to attack.

If all my hens come running up to greet me and I hand feed them treats my rooster gives me the stink eye.The only times he's nice is when I walk up to him and set the treats down in front of him so he can call the girls.They have a fragile ego lest we forget.

 

[Perris]

If you towards him, he flaps his wings then flies up with his feet first and he’s very large!! It so intimidating.

Two weeks ago he did this to me when i went to change his water. I fell over backwards and landed flat on my back, water from the bucket all over me. Freezing cold. (too bad i didn’t have a camera running!) It was kinda funny but jokes aside, my back still hurts and i’m dealing with it every day.

I guess the word 'move' should be between the 2nd and 3rd words of your quoted text (else 'run'), but what I most note from this (and seems to have been completely overlooked by most responders) is that you were most upset about *being soaked with cold water* from the bucket after falling back in fright. You do not say that he took the opportunity to land on you and attack you with claws and beak or any of the other overly melodramatic scenarios imagined by various responders here. And that you can see the funny side of it. And I think you are suggesting it was your being surprised by him that caused you to fall back, which in turn suggests it was not expected. So you weren't intimidated before, but are now.

If this is a correct interpretation, you are asking for help with your nerves. Animals can sense fear and it heightens their nervousness and fight/flight response. I would suggest only going into the coop when you are calm and collected and able to make calm soothing noises while you go about your business there, not making eye contact but keeping your peripheral vision on him, essentially ignoring him, and certainly not provoking him. If you put down some treats in a corner away from where you want to be and let the flock enjoy them while you are doing whatever it is you're there for, he will hopefully go there to supervise. I would not take one of his hens away (for whatever good reason) during the day while he is doing his duty of guarding them. Night-time is the time for that, as others have said.

I speak as someone with (currently) 5 roos and 2 cockerels. I have never been attacked by any of them. But they are not confined; we can all move out of each other's way. I do not think they think I am another roo. I think they know I am a friend and provider and, let's be frank, predator, because I take a lot of their eggs. But I also let some hens sit every year so they also know not all their mating is in vain. Maybe they view my egg-taking as a kind of tax collection. Anyway, they don't view me as a rival, of that I'm sure.