Time to rehome aggressive rooster?

[Randysflock119]

I have a rooster who will be a year old in April. I got him as soon as he was off heat and raised him from 5 weeks old, handling him often and socializing him around my dog and cats before introducing him to the flock. As he matured, he definitely asserted dominance - around 6 months old he killed an older rooster. Not long after he chased a hen into the woods trying to mate with her (she never came back). He had a few times where he had to go into rooster jail to cool his jets, but eventually things settled down. He has 6 hens now all to himself.

They have a 6ft x 15ft run and a 100 sq ft. pasture that they’re sometimes allowed out in depending on weather, etc.

He was very friendly with me and other humans until in late October my brother was kind of teasing him - he had gone in to feed the chickens and he sort of out his boot out, like “air-kicking” the chickens away to “shoo” them back from the gate… well the rooster didn’t like that and attacked my brother in defense of his flock. Since then he’s attacked every person who comes near him, including me. Even when I go to get the eggs in the mornings, he pecks my hands through the fence. I’ve tried everything - standing my ground, carrying him around, waving my arms, bribing him with treats - he still attacks me every day and sees me as a threat. He’s drawn blood on me a couple of times. Has anyone had a situation like this and had success with re-training a rooster to be nicer? Is it too late for him?

That said, he’s a great flock protector and I’m confident he could fight off or run off a small predator. He even challenges the 90lb dog…

Worth it to try to keep working with him? I’m bummed because he was chill until my brother scared him… but it’s pretty annoying, I can’t feed them without having a whole confrontation with him, and sometimes I just want to close my fence without leather gloves on/without bleeding…

Thanks for your feedback.

 

[CoveyOf30]

I would cull personally. I don't know if rehoming would be a good option if he is so aggressive.

 

[BigBlueHen53]

Invite him to dinner as the main course. He could seriously hurt somebidy, especially a small child. You can't fix him or change him. If you rehome him you're just passing the problem on to someone else. If you do "rehome" him, do so with full disclosure. If it were me I would get the new owner to sign something saying they understand he's dangerously aggressive and agree to hold you harmless if he hurts anybody. That said, it's probably safer all around just to dispatch him and be done with it. He'll make good soup or dumplungs.

 

[neo71665]

Don't push your problem birds off on other people

 

[nuthatched]

He was never a good rooster so your brother isn't to blame. Don't rehome, reheat.

 

[Debbie292d]

I have a rooster who will be a year old in April. I got him as soon as he was off heat and raised him from 5 weeks old, handling him often and socializing him around my dog and cats before introducing him to the flock. As he matured, he definitely asserted dominance - around 6 months old he killed an older rooster. Not long after he chased a hen into the woods trying to mate with her (she never came back). He had a few times where he had to go into rooster jail to cool his jets, but eventually things settled down. He has 6 hens now all to himself.

They have a 6ft x 15ft run and a 100 sq ft. pasture that they’re sometimes allowed out in depending on weather, etc.

He was very friendly with me and other humans until in late October my brother was kind of teasing him - he had gone in to feed the chickens and he sort of out his boot out, like “air-kicking” the chickens away to “shoo” them back from the gate… well the rooster didn’t like that and attacked my brother in defense of his flock. Since then he’s attacked every person who comes near him, including me. Even when I go to get the eggs in the mornings, he pecks my hands through the fence. I’ve tried everything - standing my ground, carrying him around, waving my arms, bribing him with treats - he still attacks me every day and sees me as a threat. He’s drawn blood on me a couple of times. Has anyone had a situation like this and had success with re-training a rooster to be nicer? Is it too late for him?

That said, he’s a great flock protector and I’m confident he could fight off or run off a small predator. He even challenges the 90lb dog…

Worth it to try to keep working with him? I’m bummed because he was chill until my brother scared him… but it’s pretty annoying, I can’t feed them without having a whole confrontation with him, and sometimes I just want to close my fence without leather gloves on/without bleeding…

Thanks for your feedback.

I have a mauve silkie rooster that I too raised by hand, and at around 9-10 months old, turned aggressive. He was put in a breeding pen to see how he'd act with a few hens and he was a good boy to them, but I'd walk in and get flogged. I have a stainless steel 2-quart pitcher I started carrying with me when I went in there. If he came at me, I held it out and he'd hit that and fall back. He did that with me about 5 or 6 times and quit. Soon I could walk in there to do whatever and he'd stay away.

He's now about 2 years old, and is out of the breeding pen, and winds up on our deck often looking for a treat or attention.

Never touch his hens. That's what your brother seemed to be doing, in his mind. Just go about your business and stay away from his hens.

If you try this and it works, great. If it doesn't, you can't rehome him. You'll have to cull him.