Is it ok to spank our roo?

[Beekissed]

I've only had one~a bird that had been given to me at the age of 6 mo. ....I changed his mind in approx. 5 min. time. No more problems. Later we ate him as he was too large and too rough on the hens, but I had had no more aggression from him after his retraining session.

 

[ChickyLoo]

Quote:
Ohhh he is so beautiful

just can't help myself I love roos! It will be interesting to see what happens when we raise our own. We plan on giving them lots of belly rubs early on

& follow him around the yard on our terms too. With Rocky I size him up before entering the run. If he's nearby I have the water bottle aimed at him & tell him to behave while walking. If he starts to wind up, flapping wings or puffing up he gets several streams to the head. He then walks away leaving me to do my chores. He won't randomly attack, only if one of the girls squawks so there is plenty of time to get my squirt ready if needed. So far he needs a reminder every few days but he us 2yo so this could take a while.

 

[ChickyLoo]

Quote:
Was this the one you cuffed

or did I miss another approach? Because of my limited experience I wonder how large is too large?

 

[R_Chickens]

Here's what I just posted in another thread about the same problem.

https://www.backyardchickens.com/forum/viewtopic.php?pid=6781086#p6781086

Definitely worth the read!

- JC

 

[Beekissed]

Quote:
Was this the one you cuffed

or did I miss another approach? Because of my limited experience I wonder how large is too large?

No, my old RIR had to be cuffed once when I took a hen off the roost next to him and he pecked me...I know he wasn't thinking, he was just reacting, because it was the first show of aggression he'd had up til then. I just cuffed him quickly and went about my business. When I reached for the next hen, I noticed Sue the Roo had his head tucked neatly under his wing and wasn't about to stick it out again!

One other time I was picking up a hen and Sue did the dance towards me...this earned him another quick cuffing around the head and he immediately took himself elsewhere. No more problems. I knew he was just trying to protect his gals, so I didn't count it as true aggression and Sue and I had a great relationship thereafter. He understood I wasn't to be messed with and I understood he was a sweet old guy just trying to keep up with 30 girls.

The large roo in question attacked my egg basket one day as I made my way out to the coop...also his first attempt at domination. He hadn't been raised by me, so his training hadn't yielded a mannerly chicken. His first attempt was also his last...I have a very flexible, fiberglass rod that I used on him...sort of bounced off his feathers but he got the message. I just waylaid him as he came in the coop and surprised him with an attack of my own. I continued to "spank" his feathery bottom until he figured out how to get out the pop door. I fed my girls and every time he stuck his head inside the pop door I thwacked that rod against the door frame, right in his face.

Then I let him in but kept touching him on the back with my rod until he was nervous as a cat in a room full of rocking chairs, not letting him eat until everyone else had all they wanted. After he ate, I surprised him when he came out the pop door with another thwack against the door frame....makes a loud, startling noise and makes a roo jump a mile. After that Mister Big Stuff walked a country mile around me while I was in the yard. Everytime he would advance towards me after that I would stomp my foot in his direction and he would high-tail it out of there!

He weighed a good 15 lbs and would cause wing damage to my old gals when he mounted them, as he was young and inexperienced and would take forever trying to get his balance before he mated. Imagine a huge guy trying to stand and balance on a basketball...that's what he looked like. As I already had Sue the Roo, I didn't need the extra bother of this big, too-randy youngster trying to smash my good old gals.

He had testes the size of golf balls which could explain his increased need to breed and his feeling froggy towards me that one time.

 

[Backyard Barb]

I had a tom hen. She would get really nasty some times. Pick up sticks and clack them them in her beak and spit them out. "Im tough! SEE!!!" She has bit me an a few other people a number of times. I had to kick her off a few times and it seemed to increase the aggressive behavior. I switched to an intimidation strategy. When ever she wanted to pick a fight I held out open my coat and stood over her. . . She would back away. Seems to have worked. Might work with a rooster.

Barbara

 

[feliciamckee]

Quote:
Yea! What she said!!!

 

[elainag]

im no expert or nothing, but i do know that most if not all animals including humans are territorial, so in this case you need to show him who is the boss

i havent experienced this with a roo, but i would say that without abusing him nor hurting him you should prove him who is the boss and that you are
not afraid by lightly push him away.

i have done this with my dogs and goats, of course they understand more than a roo so i also screamed at them while pushing them away, my buck used to buck my kiddos all the time till i told my kids to also buck him back!! now he doesnt do it any more, since a roo is way smaller and has a smaller brain, i would say no screaming is necessary, and a light kick or push will work...

thats my opinion and personal experience, hope you find a solution and you all get along!!

 

[littlegorb]

i have a RIR that gets nasty with my boyfriend, but not me. he picked him up once, by the legs and gave him a little carnival ride, round and round a few times, then put him on the ground. he behaves much better now and was NOT hurt.

 

[Chicken.Lytle]

Quote:
IMHO, that is not a humane way to handle a chicken.