Weetamoo93
Songster
I know there are a lot of threads for aggressive roosters/cocks, so here's my experience thus far with my own and how it seems that I've "fixed" his attitude.
Last April I got my starter flock as day old chicks consisting of six females and one male. My endeavor is that these are the start of a self sufficiency breeding program. I've since learned that a single male was an error on my part as I had no others to choose from and select against him. All seven were peaceable and the then cockerel nonconfrontational.
Until about six or so months ago when I suppose he hit cockerel puberty and decided I was his rival. Worse yet, my toddlers were adversaries. It had turned into a game of keeping him away from my two toddlers and watching our backs. He put himself on the future gumbo list, but I needed a replacement.
I have NEVER backed down from his challenges and rarely reacted in violence unless he happened to sneak and get too close to the kids. Yes, I KNOW THIS IS BAD and I became hyper aware of his location during their brief daily free range period.
I looked up how to deter this behavior. I tried picking him up and walking around with him. I tried locking him up while I let the others out. I tried pinning him down like a rival. Most stinted the challenges, but nothing ever fully stopped them.
Until possibly today. Today he went about his usual challenge and I had it because it was just an altogether crummy day and I was already exhausted. I'd already figured I could thwart him by putting my hand directly in his face. So today I swiftly pat him repeatedly on his comb area, softer than needed to dribble a basketball. His lack of bifocal vision meant he couldn't see my "assaults" coming and could not effectively counter my "attack". He tried to back away, but backed into a corner. I continued to pat him on his head. He made a couple vain attempts to hop at my hand, but could not effectively aim and managed a sad flounder at the air. Then I pinned him down with my hand applying just enough pressure to keep him on the ground. He writhed free and walked away. This time when I followed, he did not turn around and instead retreated faster.
He tried twice more to challenge me, and each time I pat him on the head until he retreated without looking back.
When my daughters came out to blow bubbles, he walked up as usual to check things out. I stood up, snapped my fingers at him and told him firmly to go. He ran away, but this time to look for cover. He ran under a bush when I simply walked up to him snapping my fingers. The next time I walked up to him and the hens to get them more water, he initially retreated, then ducked his head and spread his wings like a hen submitting to a rooster.
Make no mistake, the little turd is still on the cull list, but I need to breed his replacement. I do not advocate breeding cocks that have proved to be aggressive, but I do not currently have any other option than to wait for a hen to go broody and raise enough chicks to select a replacement from. I may even content with one little cockerel and gamble it's better than he. I am not reluctant to kill this son-of-a-hen; I'm just reluctant to leave his role vacant when it is so critical to my starting breeding. Can't have chicks without a cock.
I'm going to keep this thread updated on if this now submissive behavior holds and how often I have to reaffirm my dominance. But I was pretty shocked at how well this fairly nonviolent method worked.
Photo of Bazil Bones, aka "Little Turd".
Last April I got my starter flock as day old chicks consisting of six females and one male. My endeavor is that these are the start of a self sufficiency breeding program. I've since learned that a single male was an error on my part as I had no others to choose from and select against him. All seven were peaceable and the then cockerel nonconfrontational.
Until about six or so months ago when I suppose he hit cockerel puberty and decided I was his rival. Worse yet, my toddlers were adversaries. It had turned into a game of keeping him away from my two toddlers and watching our backs. He put himself on the future gumbo list, but I needed a replacement.
I have NEVER backed down from his challenges and rarely reacted in violence unless he happened to sneak and get too close to the kids. Yes, I KNOW THIS IS BAD and I became hyper aware of his location during their brief daily free range period.
I looked up how to deter this behavior. I tried picking him up and walking around with him. I tried locking him up while I let the others out. I tried pinning him down like a rival. Most stinted the challenges, but nothing ever fully stopped them.
Until possibly today. Today he went about his usual challenge and I had it because it was just an altogether crummy day and I was already exhausted. I'd already figured I could thwart him by putting my hand directly in his face. So today I swiftly pat him repeatedly on his comb area, softer than needed to dribble a basketball. His lack of bifocal vision meant he couldn't see my "assaults" coming and could not effectively counter my "attack". He tried to back away, but backed into a corner. I continued to pat him on his head. He made a couple vain attempts to hop at my hand, but could not effectively aim and managed a sad flounder at the air. Then I pinned him down with my hand applying just enough pressure to keep him on the ground. He writhed free and walked away. This time when I followed, he did not turn around and instead retreated faster.
He tried twice more to challenge me, and each time I pat him on the head until he retreated without looking back.
When my daughters came out to blow bubbles, he walked up as usual to check things out. I stood up, snapped my fingers at him and told him firmly to go. He ran away, but this time to look for cover. He ran under a bush when I simply walked up to him snapping my fingers. The next time I walked up to him and the hens to get them more water, he initially retreated, then ducked his head and spread his wings like a hen submitting to a rooster.
Make no mistake, the little turd is still on the cull list, but I need to breed his replacement. I do not advocate breeding cocks that have proved to be aggressive, but I do not currently have any other option than to wait for a hen to go broody and raise enough chicks to select a replacement from. I may even content with one little cockerel and gamble it's better than he. I am not reluctant to kill this son-of-a-hen; I'm just reluctant to leave his role vacant when it is so critical to my starting breeding. Can't have chicks without a cock.
I'm going to keep this thread updated on if this now submissive behavior holds and how often I have to reaffirm my dominance. But I was pretty shocked at how well this fairly nonviolent method worked.
Photo of Bazil Bones, aka "Little Turd".