Is my rooster aggressive?

[Wildheartsfarm]

We have three chickens, two hens and a rooster, that we raised from chicks in our bathroom. I have a 3 year old and together we (carefully) snuggled them multiple times per day. They are now almost 4 months old and are living outside where they have a coop they go in at night and they free range during the day, so we still spend a lot of time with them still because we are all outside together. They love to join me when I garden and run over when I start pulling out weeds so that they can dig in the dirt. They come running whenever they hear my voice, even if I open the window and I'm inside. I look outside and they have followed my voice and are sitting on the porch outside. It's very sweet. The rooster was the most friendly, and therefore got handled the most, but recently he's been acting different. This is my first time having chickens and I understand that roosters take a while to behave "roostery", so I'm not sure if this is aggressive stuff or just regular stuff...

Basically he's still very friendly and wants to be around me, but now he's always giving me the side eye and looking like he's going to charge me. He crows a ton around me, almost gets in my face and crows at me. It started to feel aggressive? I thought crowing was supposed to be a sign that everything was good.

Unfortunately he did show his hand and now I'm not going to be able to keep him because yesterday he attacked my daughter and it was pretty unprovoked. He flew right at her, spurs out, and looked like he was going to go after her again had I not grabbed him and put him in the coop. She was pretty scraped. Yes, she was slightly in his face, but no more than usual. As I said we all hang out together a lot, and he was the one that chose to come over and be near us, it's not like she chased him down. We are all very sad and I am wondering if I missed the warning signs I mentioned above? Or if they are not warning signs and I shouldn't worry about them in the future if a different rooster displays similar actions..

Thank you for the help!!

 

[BlindLemonChicken]

I’m not sure there are signs before hormones kick in but there are two schools of thought on raising “good roosters”: some people swear that handling them often makes them nicer. You have seen first hand that is no guarantee. There is another school of thought that handling young cockerels often and “cuddling” them gives them the idea that you are part of their flock and then when hormones hit they do exactly as you have seen. I don’t keep my cockerels long enough to have a lot of personal experience but I do know how several of my cockerels have turned out because they belong to my mom. The only nasty one is the one I didn’t realize was a cockerel until close to 12 weeks. He was raised with other pullets his own age, handled frequently, and never interacted with grown hens. The boys I raised with hens and did not handle often are perfect gentlemen. So take that advice as you see fit. I’m sure other people have opinions as well.

 

[Folly's place]

Welcome!
So sorry this has happened, and glad that your child wasn't injured more severely.
This cockerel needs to be dinner, for you or some other family, ASAP!
First, you have gained valuable experience in recognizing behaviors that are red flags, before that first attack! Human aggression tends to start with the smallest, shortest humans, and move up the size scale over time.
And human aggression is separate from other flock behaviors, mainly based on individual genetics. This si obvious when considering fighting game roosters, who have been bred to want to kill each other, and be fine with their humans.
I'm in the 'don't make pets of those cockerels' camp, and can recognize developing difficulties before actual attacks, and we only keep roosters who are polite to their flockmates and humans.
Our first rooster was an awful attack bird who stayed way too long (no children involved!). Then we had occasional 'difficult' cockerels that we tried to 'reform', which never actually worked. Now, it's good behavior, or you're gone!
Consider waiting to get cockerels again when your daughter is older, and your adult hens can make them eat humble pie!
Mary

 

[The Moonshiner]

He attacked your child unprovoked.
To answer your question... YES he is aggressive.
Don't let him out of the coop if your child is outside and get rid of him immediately if not sooner for your child's safety

 

[Wildheartsfarm]

We have three chickens, two hens and a rooster, that we raised from chicks in our bathroom. I have a 3 year old and together we (carefully) snuggled them multiple times per day. They are now almost 4 months old and are living outside where they have a coop they go in at night and they free range during the day, so we still spend a lot of time with them still because we are all outside together. They love to join me when I garden and run over when I start pulling out weeds so that they can dig in the dirt. They come running whenever they hear my voice, even if I open the window and I'm inside. I look outside and they have followed my voice and are sitting on the porch outside. It's very sweet. The rooster was the most friendly, and therefore got handled the most, but recently he's been acting different. This is my first time having chickens and I understand that roosters take a while to behave "roostery", so I'm not sure if this is aggressive stuff or just regular stuff...

Basically he's still very friendly and wants to be around me, but now he's always giving me the side eye and looking like he's going to charge me. He crows a ton around me, almost gets in my face and crows at me. It started to feel aggressive? I thought crowing was supposed to be a sign that everything was good.

Unfortunately he did show his hand and now I'm not going to be able to keep him because yesterday he attacked my daughter and it was pretty unprovoked. He flew right at her, spurs out, and looked like he was going to go after her again had I not grabbed him and put him in the coop. She was pretty scraped. Yes, she was slightly in his face, but no more than usual. As I said we all hang out together a lot, and he was the one that chose to come over and be near us, it's not like she chased him down. We are all very sad and I am wondering if I missed the warning signs I mentioned above? Or if they are not warning signs and I shouldn't worry about them in the future if a different rooster displays similar actions..

Thank you for the help!!

Edit for more guidance: We are receiving 10 straight run chicks in a few weeks as we are wanting to grow our flock. (Starting with 3 was so we could kind of get our feet under us.) I plan to follow the same procedure: brooder in the bathroom at first, lots of handling, then moving them out to a chicken tractor and eventually introducing them to the 2 older hens. I wasn't sure my rooster was male until 12 weeks old or so, though I had suspicions. So my plan is to treat them all the same and handle them all, then choose the nicest rooster and slaughter the other 4ish (assuming half of the 10 turn out to be male). In the end I plan to have about 7 hens and one rooster.

Does this sound like a reasonable plan? Is 16 weeks enough time to let the boys grow up and see who is nicest? I want to give them enough time to develop their personalities, but I also don't want to be overrun with teenage hormonal roosters...

Also, currently we are really enjoying letting them free range as we have a farm and there's lots of room for them to forage. But I'm assuming once I have five roosters it's not going to be the best idea to let them all roam around in case some of them get aggressive as my previous one has done. So I'd love thoughts on that as well!

And yes, this rooster is going to be dinner ASAP. I just need to run out to get supplies to butcher him.

 

[Wildheartsfarm]

He attacked your child unprovoked.
To answer your question... YES he is aggressive.
Don't let him out of the coop if your child is outside and get rid of him immediately if not sooner for your child's safety

Yes, I guess I should have said up until the attack was he being aggressive? Obviously once he attacked it was obvious and he is about to be dinner.

 

[JacinLarkwell]

Some people claim crowing or breeding in front of people is a warning sign, but I have both happen daily in front of me and my boys are some of the nicest, most polite males. The side eye is more what I'd be paying attention too, since that means he's actively watching you and not ignoring you

 

[BlindLemonChicken]

but now he's always giving me the side eye and looking like he's going to charge me. He crows a ton around me, almost gets in my face and crows at me. It started to feel aggressive?

This is all aggressive behavior, yes. Treating you like a rival or a female chicken is aggressive and both are signs he thinks you are a chicken.

 

[Wildheartsfarm]

This is all aggressive behavior, yes. Treating you like a rival or a female chicken is aggressive and both are signs he thinks you are a chicken.

Thank you!! Learning...

 

[Wildheartsfarm]

Some people claim crowing or breeding in front of people is a warning sign, but I have both happen daily in front of me and my boys are some of the nicest, most polite males. The side eye is more what I'd be paying attention too, since that means he's actively watching you and not ignoring you

Oh great, good to know. Thank you! I assume crowing directly at me/in my face is different than just crowing around me, correct?