Vicious Roosters

[Skean Dhude]

Both of my Roosters have started attacking me when I taken them their food, and nick their eggs.

The first time I was walking in not paying attention when there was this screeching and something cam rushing at me from the side. Frightened the life out of me while I was working out what it was. It retreated quickly enough but kept on rushing in and having a go. I've been worried it will attack the other chickens so I kept them in the run on alternate days. No sets out at the same time.

Now a week later the second one has had a go.

I'm concerned it will go for one of the kids and now I can't let the chickens out together which I used to. Plus I wanted to get some more but don't want to have to keep them in if I can help it.

Any tips on how to deal with this?

[MaryN]

SD, it's a territory thing as far as the cockerels go. You have to show them who is boss. Next time one of the feathery chaps goes for you, grab it if you can and press your hands down firmly on its back so that it goes into a squat. Hold it there for a while, just to let it know it is under your control, then release it. If this does not work, I suggest a dustbin lid! Dominant cockerels may well see your children (particularly if they are near to their own height) as a territory threat, and there is not much you can do about that.

Cockerels do not normally attack their own hens. They may well fight each other for territory though.

[Straight Shooter]

RUFUS v SS ...the scream rang out..at my grandparents small holding ..gramp came a running held Rufus down as Mary has described ...."did he have you?" "hold him down son ....like this " SS was about 25 foot away and running to granny , corn bowl was used as a shield until the prolonged attack from a determined Rufus who i was convinced wanted to eat me................ granny and me snook up on Rufus weeks later armed with a bean cane and slotted it through the chicken wire as the cane was thrust at him granny said " have that ! Rufus you naughty naughty boy " this picked me up a bit.

[Lightspeed]

SD, best solution I can come up with:


Cock-au-vin.

And make sure the other one see's it being prepared so he knows what's next for him if he plays up.

[Mortblanc]

It is a universal chicken thing and genetically imprinted.

Academics actually believe that chickens were originally captured and domesticated for cockfighting and not for meat or eggs.

It is the reason cock fighting has been a sport since the dawn of time. They will fight anything and especially anything that is male, rooster, cow horse or human.

No black magic ever influenced my roosters, hold them down, stand them up, give them a fling across the lawn...They would just git up, dust themselves off, give you the sideways "stink eye" and come right back at you.

I would suggest that if you want to keep a rooster then get a Bantam. They are small enough that they can not hurt much. They will still have an attitude problem starting about age 1. They do not know they are midgets.

[Mortblanc]

Perfect example of the "sideways stink eye"

[MaryN]

I was going to suggest roast chicken, LS.

[MaryN]

The reasons chickens look sideways at you is because their vision "bifocal", and the fovea in the eyes (actually, they have 2)give it a focal range of about 2 to 4 feet. The close vision fovea is sideways in the eye, so the chicken will bob its head and tilt sideways to geta bead on you. They don't actually recognise flockmates until they are within about 2 feet. This also explains why chickens spook suddenly - they can't really deal with long distance.

[Mortblanc]

Mine could see a bug 50 yards away !

They must have had contact lenses.

[Straight Shooter]

Rufus was a bantam....okay i was only 34 at the time .....Kevin is also a bantam i named him (son of Rufus) in fact more vicious than Rufus sixty years later....but i am more relaxed these days .....especially when i have a 2"x 4" handy ......we have now come to a amicable arrangement .