INCREDIBLY AGGRESSIVE POLISH ROOSTER!!!! PLEASE HELP!!!!

[Chickensfan]

Hello,
I have a polish rooster named Hats. He has always been my all time favorite and always seemed very cute up until now. He has started attacking me and everyone else!
when he first attacked, I decided I did not want to risk him hurting anyone badly and put him in the coop, deciding that free ranging for him would be a no more. this was just after i had gotten rid of another aggressive australorp rooster who had bullied and attacked Hats. his spurs recently popped out, and they got through my father's thick and tough work pants. so only i can go in he coop now, but, i hate to admit it, i am really petrefied of him now! he crows and mates with the hens a lot around me, as if simply to annoy me. he stays in the coop with a few hens, (the rest i let free range) and everytime i go to the coop he tries to attack me through the chicken wire! he once tried to head butt me!
I do not believe in putting roosters in the pot simply because they are aggressive, so any other advice?
Thanks,
Marie

 

[Chickensfan]

(i have tried to give him the boot, but that just makes it worse)

 

[azygous]

Your cockerel, and I'm guessing he isn't a full-grown rooster, needs discipline and so do you. "Booting" a problem roo is not discipline. It's punishment. Punishment is no proper way to discipline and train your bird.

As cockerels come into their hormones between four to six months, they suddenly see their world in a completely different way from before when they were chicks. Now they are driven by instinct to mate and propagate and to protect their flock from outside dangers. The way in which you behave around your cockerel may be causing him to believe you are a threat to him and his flock.

Just as a problem dog needs to be trained along with its owner, so does a young cockerel. You need to examine the way you are behaving around your cockerel and identify those actions that are causing him to be mistrustful. Do you engage in sudden movements when you are around him? Do you handle the hens in a rough manner? Things like that can cause a cockerel to be aggressive. He thinks he's protecting the flock from you.

It's a two-way street disciplining and training a cockerel. You want to show him you are confident that he will find and grow into his role as flock protector. You do this by ignoring him as much as possible. On the other hand, he needs to respect your role as flock care giver.

If you take special care to walk slowly but deliberately and be very slow and careful in your actions around him, your cockerel should respectfully move out of your way as you approach him. If he doesn't do this, and he comes at you instead, you need to discipline him by immobilizing him. You may reach down and push him to the ground with his head pinned lower than his shoulders or you may pick him up and hold him under your arm in a football hold. The objective is to keep him immobile until her submits and stops struggling. This should be done without anger or violence or injury to the cockerel. It will only require a few lessons and he should get it. But you need to be consistent and patient and calm.

 

[Chickensfan]

Your cockerel, and I'm guessing he isn't a full-grown rooster, needs discipline and so do you. "Booting" a problem roo is not discipline. It's punishment. Punishment is no proper way to discipline and train your bird.

As cockerels come into their hormones between four to six months, they suddenly see their world in a completely different way from before when they were chicks. Now they are driven by instinct to mate and propagate and to protect their flock from outside dangers. The way in which you behave around your cockerel may be causing him to believe you are a threat to him and his flock.

Just as a problem dog needs to be trained along with its owner, so does a young cockerel. You need to examine the way you are behaving around your cockerel and identify those actions that are causing him to be mistrustful. Do you engage in sudden movements when you are around him? Do you handle the hens in a rough manner? Things like that can cause a cockerel to be aggressive. He thinks he's protecting the flock from you.

It's a two-way street disciplining and training a cockerel. You want to show him you are confident that he will find and grow into his role as flock protector. You do this by ignoring him as much as possible. On the other hand, he needs to respect your role as flock care giver.

If you take special care to walk slowly but deliberately and be very slow and careful in your actions around him, your cockerel should respectfully move out of your way as you approach him. If he doesn't do this, and he comes at you instead, you need to discipline him by immobilizing him. You may reach down and push him to the ground with his head pinned lower than his shoulders or you may pick him up and hold him under your arm in a football hold. The objective is to keep him immobile until her submits and stops struggling. This should be done without anger or violence or injury to the cockerel. It will only require a few lessons and he should get it. But you need to be consistent and patient and calm.

Hello,
He is not a cockerel. He recently turned 1 year old (April 7th), and I believe, they become full grown roosters at 1 year. Do I still do your advice the same?
Thank you so much,
Marie

 

[bobbi-j]

Hello,
He is not a cockerel. He recently turned 1 year old (April 7th), and I believe, they become full grown roosters at 1 year.  Do I still do your advice the same?
Thank you so much,
Marie

You can take Azygous advice to see if that works. If it doesn't, you can look up user Beekissed and read how she trains a rooster (getting ready for work so I don't have time to look it up). If your rooster doesn't get it, and keeps attacking you, you may need to consider rehoming him with full disclosure of his behavior, or putting him in your own freezer. Especially if you have younger kids living at or visiting your house.

 

[keesmom]

You can take Azygous advice to see if that works. If it doesn't, you can look up user Beekissed and read how she trains a rooster (getting ready for work so I don't have time to look it up). If your rooster doesn't get it, and keeps attacking you, you may need to consider rehoming him with full disclosure of his behavior, or putting him in your own freezer. Especially if you have younger kids living at or visiting your house.

Here it is. Took me a while to find it in a post. Maybe it should be made a sticky?

This is Beekissed's advice on rooster training.

"I'm going to give you a clue on "rooster speak"....holding him down doesn't mean anything to him. If you'll watch how roosters interact between dominant ones and subordinate ones, there is rarely any, if ever, holding a bird down for a long time when there is an altercation. There is very quick flogging, gripping by the back of the head and flinging him away or getting him down and giving some savage pecking to the back of the head or neck. No holding him down and nothing else. That's a rooster on a hen maneuver, not rooster on rooster.

Because your rooster is attacking you, you are the subordinate in this picture. You are getting dominated by your bird simply because you are walking where a subordinate isn't supposed to be walking when a dominant is in the area. What you never see is a dominant rooster getting attacked by a subordinate rooster unless there is going to be a definite shift in power, at which time the sub will challenge the dom and win...or lose. So far you are losing and not even challenging.

If you want to win this battle, you must go on the offensive, not the defensive. He who attacks first, and is still claiming the area when the other guy leaves it, is the winner. Some people never have to go on the offensive because their movements in the coop are so decisive that they move and act like a dominant and a 2 ft. rooster is smart enough to recognize a dominant attitude and behavior...which is likely why he's never attacked your husband. Most men move more decisively than do women and children and they rarely step around a bird, but walk through them.

Carrying him around also doesn't mean anything to him...it just doesn't translate at all. His environment is that coop and run floor and that's where you need to speak to him, in a language he understands. Because they are quick on their feet and can evade you, you need a training tool like a long, limber, supple rod of some kind...cutting a nice switch from a shrub or tree that will lengthen your reach by 5 ft. really helps in this. Don't use a rake or broom because they are too clumsy and stiff and can put the hurts on the guy when you don't really mean to.

When you enter your coop, walk with decisive movements and walk directly towards your rooster. Move him away from the feeder and the rest of the flock and keep a slow, determined pressure on him until he leaves the coop. The stick will help you guide him. Then...wait patiently while he gets his bird mind around what just happened. He will try to come back in the coop...let him. When he gets a good bit into that coop, take your switch and give him a good smack on the fluffy feathers under his tail if you can aim it well. If you cannot, just smack the floor near him very hard and fast until he hops and runs and keep at it until he leaves the coop once again. Repeat this process until he is too wary to come back in the coop.

Feed your hens. When he tries to come to the feeder, you "attack" him with the switch...smack the wall by the pop door just as he tries to enter. If he makes it inside, pursue him with the stick either smacking the floor or tapping him on the back or the head until he leaves in a hurry. Make him stay outside while you sit there and enjoy watching your hens eat. Use the stick to keep him from the flock..just him. Don't worry about the hens running and getting excited when this is happening...they will get over it. This is for the future of your flock and your management of it.

When the hens have had a good tucker....leave the coop and let him come back in. Go out later and walk through that flock and use your legs to scatter birds if they get in your way...top roosters do not step to one side for any other bird in the flock. You shouldn't either. Take your stick and startle him with a smack on the floor next to him when he is least expecting it...make that bird jump and RUN. Make him so nervous around you that he is always looking over his shoulder and trying to get out of your way. THAT'S how he needs to be from now on in your lives together. Forget about pets or cuddles...this is a language and behavior he understands. You can hand feed him and such later...right now you need to establish that when you move, he moves...away. When you turn your back, he doesn't move towards you...ever.

Then test him...take your stick along, move around in the coop, bend over with your back turned to him, feed, water, etc....but keep one eye on that rooster. If he even makes one tiny step in your direction or in your "zone", go on the attack and run him clear on out of the coop. Then keep him out while everyone else is eating.

THAT'S how a dominant rooster treats a subordinate. They don't let them crow, mate or even eat in their space. If the subordinate knows his place and watches over his shoulder a lot, he may get to come and eat while the other rooster is at the feeder...but he doesn't ever relax if he knows what is good for him. At any given time the dominant will run him off of that feed and he knows it, so he eats with one eye toward the door. If he feels the need to crow, it's not usually where the dom can reach him...maybe across the yard.

If your rooster crows while you are there, move towards him and keep on the pressure until he stops. He doesn't get to crow while you are there. He can crow later...not while you are there.

It all sounds time consuming but it really isn't...shouldn't take more than minutes for each lesson and you can learn a lot as you go along. And it can be fun if you venture into it with the right attitude....this is rooster training that really works if you do it correctly. This can work on strange roosters, multiple roosters and even old roosters...they can all learn. You rule the coop...now act like it. Carrying is for babies...you have a full grown rooster on your hands, not a baby."

 

[bobbi-j]

@keesmom - Thanks for digging that up! I agree that it should e a sticky.

 

[IdyllwildAcres]

Hello,
I have a polish rooster named Hats. He has always been my all time favorite and always seemed very cute up until now. He has started attacking me and everyone else!
when he first attacked, I decided I did not want to risk him hurting anyone badly and put him in the coop, deciding that free ranging for him would be a no more. this was just after i had gotten rid of another aggressive australorp rooster who had bullied and attacked Hats. his spurs recently popped out, and they got through my father's thick and tough work pants. so only i can go in he coop now, but, i hate to admit it, i am really petrefied of him now! he crows and mates with the hens a lot around me, as if simply to annoy me. he stays in the coop with a few hens, (the rest i let free range) and everytime i go to the coop he tries to attack me through the chicken wire! he once tried to head butt me!
I do not believe in putting roosters in the pot simply because they are aggressive, so any other advice?
Thanks,
Marie

never mind

Gary

 

[azygous]

Since your roo is now grown, it may be that much more difficult since he's got his notions of you fixed in his little brain. He's also developed some very bad behavior that may be hard to break, too.

But if you don't want to butcher him or rehome him, you really have no choice but to try the things I and @Beekissed have laid out for you. It requires 100% commitment and consistency, and you may be able to turn him around.

To leave the situation as it is now is very dangerous. Bad roosters can do some serious damage and you or others may end up in the ER.

You need to work on your attitude and behavior. If you continue to be afraid of your roo and do not modify your behavior, he will sense he has the upper hand and you won't get anywhere with your program of training.

 

[Chickensfan]

Thank you all so much! I will try all of the advice you have given me!
Marie