The Official Forum of the Ameraucana Breeders Club > Housing, Health & Hatching

Rooster Trouble

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DeWayne Edgin:
I have a rooster that tries to get my boys and my wife through the wire on his pen. He never trys to get me and when i am there when he trys to get my family members, i open the pen and reach in and just point my finger right in his face. He backs away and jumps upon his roost. I think he can sense fear but im not sure. If he attacks me like your rooster, then i would eat him before he got to my kids or wife. You can always find another rooster around.

Janet:

--- Quote from: Jean on April 13, 2014, 11:41:44 AM ---Generally speaking large fowl ameraucana cockerels and cock birds are not aggressive.  The only time I see people with issues with them is when they are handled too much.

Do you pet your chicks and carry them around when they are young?

--- End quote ---

No, I didn't handle them at all as chicks.  I gave him treats when I fed goodies to the pullets when they were older and out free ranging.  When he was quite young, maybe five or six months old, he was exhibiting aggressive behaviors I didn't recognize as aggression.  I thought he was tidbitting to me when he was dropping a wing an picking up acorns and things.  I recognize it as aggression now, but I didn't see it that way early on.

Jean:
Here is my observations collected over the years:

You cannot feed them by hand.  You are displaying a submissive behavior by doing this.  If you were a flock member this would indicate submission by giving up your food to him and in his mind you are a flock member.  So whenever he sees you doing something that is not submissive to him he will flog you or try to peck you to put you back "in line".

The hens have a whole other mentality and I have found it is ok to give them treats.

Janet:

--- Quote from: Jean on April 14, 2014, 10:07:39 AM ---Here is my observations collected over the years:

You cannot feed them by hand.  You are displaying a submissive behavior by doing this.  If you were a flock member this would indicate submission by giving up your food to him and in his mind you are a flock member.  So whenever he sees you doing something that is not submissive to him he will flog you or try to peck you to put you back "in line".

The hens have a whole other mentality and I have found it is ok to give them treats.

--- End quote ---

I don't see it that way, but I realize I'm the one with the problem not you so I am either doing something wrong or it is something innate in the rooster.  I think giving up food, if anything, is a dominant behavior, something roosters do for hens. 

Maybe by giving food, the rooster loses his fear of me so is more prepared to take me on.  I don't know.  I do know that the two bantam roosters (a Silkie and a Cochin) I have in my back yard are just not a bother at all.  They are also not nearly as vigilant about danger.  The nasty Ameraucana is a darn good rooster for the flock, just not for people walking around my property, and since they free range it is a problem.  Maybe his hyper vigilance for danger makes him a problem with people. 

He is starting to go after the mini Dachshunds but leaves the pit bull alone.  Maybe he is not afraid of me and is losing his fear of the small dogs but is still afraid of the big dog.  I don't know.  As a student of the science of applied behavior I will not be happy if the only way I can co-exist with my roosters is to have a fear-based relationship.

I have 12 chicks that are about two months old.  I don't want to repeat my mistakes.  Since I didn't handle the last group (same breeder) I thought I would handle these chicks by offering them meal worms.  They are extremely friendly, the complete opposite of the last group of chicks that turned out to have nasty roosters.

How do I raise a nice, polite free-ranging rooster? 

Sharon Yorks:
I have given the rooster temperament issues a lot of thought the last couple of years and have really been studying the behavior of the ones that I have raised. I used to handle them all a lot (males too) and still would if I had less birds and more time. I still kneel down beside their runs and pluck clover to throw into them and they love it. I understand the reasoning behind if you handle them a lot they don't fear you. I, for one, don't want mine to fear me, just respect me and I believe all of mine do. They even talk to me when I approach, hoping I brought them something. When I walk into a pen (8x5), I do what I need to do with their feed and water, gather the eggs, and then leave them alone. I never move quick and/or reach toward a hen. The male is there to protect them so I don't let him think I'm a threat. I'm calm and he's calm. I don't have to carry a stick and when I need to Frontline them, I pick him up and do him first, then put him in a different area until I'm finished with his girls.

The worst injury I've ever had from a rooster was from a male that was afraid of me and took a small chunk out of my arm when I picked him up. I would much rather have a calm confident male than a flighty unpredictable one.

From what I have observed, I believe aggression is somewhat genetic and follows certain lines. I had one hen that every male out of her was aggressive. I no longer have her. I don't think it's wise to keep and/or breed to aggressive males and/or a female that produces them. But if you did, I'd just watch to see if aggression follows. I view temperament as an important quality, just as I would all of their other features.

It's all a learning process and I still have a LONG ways to go. This is just "my opinion" on the rooster temperament subject.

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