Rooster Trouble

[Janet]

I'm new to chickens, getting my first birds a year ago.  My Ameraucanas came from Paul Smith.

I'm having aggressive issues with the one Ameraucana rooster I have left.  He's a lovely looking bird, a wonderful guardian of the free range flock but he is a bit too aggressive with people.  The other cockerel I grew out (and processed) was also aggressive.  Both the aggressive birds were in the bbs variety and might even have come from the same breeding pen.  The variety might have nothing to do with it.

I have a new group of 12 two-month old bbs chicks from Paul Smith and when they are old enough to watch for danger, the aggressive bird will be culled.  At what age are the young birds likely able to take over the duties of the rooster I have? 

So far, I have had no success with raising sensible Ameraucana roosters.  Either I am doing something terribly wrong or these birds were destined to be bad birds no matter what I did with them.  I have two hatchery bantam roosters in my back yard--a Silkie and a Cochin--and they are not at all problematic.  The Ameraucana rooster is going to be dangerous soon.

How do I raise a rooster that is not going to attack people?  My LF flock free ranges on my almost 2-acre front yard.  I'm getting sick and tired of always watching my back and having to carry a bamboo pole to keep him at bay.  He's now starting to stand his ground when he rushes me and I turn to face him.  If I have a light stick in my hand, he won't bother me.  The other day he was so in my face, I managed to grab him by the hackles with both hands and he almost ended up with a dislocated neck right then and there.  It was so tempting.

I don't mess with the hens. 

Yesterday he again wouldn't back down so I caught him up, carried him around for the longest time, noticed his spurs now had a sharp point which I cut down.  Some time ago another breeder suggested I chase him around with a light stick and just sort of poke him.  That didn't improve his demeanor, and I think any aggression on my part only makes him worse.

Neither (nasty) rooster caused any problems with other cockerels.

Are Ameraucanas a bit on the nasty side?  How do I go about raising a nice-tempered rooster that isn't going to be people aggressive?

Thanks for any advice.

Janet

[Jean]

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?

[Russ]

  Generally speaking my LF have never had aggression issues towards people, other cocks or cockerels is another thing. Now my little Bantams is a different story, I think they suffer from Napoleon syndrome  . Even they seem to behave themselves until I put them into the breeding pens. IN MY FLOCK it seems to be the silver bantam variety that tend to be the most aggressive. I think most of the aggression is caused by there new found role in my breeding program. I think it all boils down to natures survival of the fittest. I will say this, temperament is a big deciding factor in my breeding program.  I will keep good tempered birds with some minor flaws over an aggressive bird that may be a little better overall. 
  I did have a Rhode Island Red cock at one time that was aggressive towards my children. He never attacked me but when they would turn there back to him while doing the chores he would charge them. I told them to show him who the boss was and after a few minor battles the kids won. After that he never gave them any problems and actually became a pretty cool bird  . Until a hawk got him, even then he was just protecting his girls and doing his job.

[Mike Gilbert]

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?

Good observation Jean.   When the roosters lose all fear of people, and then the hormones kick in, you can be in for trouble.   It doesn't happen every time, but often enough that I know better than to make pets out of them.    It also happened with my "pet" red deer stag in December.   If he hadn't been de-antlered last fall, I would now be pushing up daisies - well, as soon as it warms up that is.   Still have a bum leg as it is.

[John]

"pet"

That term has always bothered me when used to describe livestock.  Chickens are livestock. 
I'm irked by the name of the "My Pet Chicken" site that sells chicks and wants people to think chickens are pets.  
At least one on-line classified site lists "Livestock" as a subcategory of "Pets".  
I've seen people put chicks up to their cheeks (facial area) as if they (the chicks) were human.  They are animals.  I know my grandkids like to hold and "pet" the chicks and I understand the oohs and aahs, but I also remind them to wash their hands after touching the animals. 

[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]

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?

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]

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.

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.

[John]

I don't handle my birds much and don't think any are aggressive.  Yes, a broody hen will peck at me when I collect eggs and some cocks, especially LF silvers, will peck me when I collect eggs from small breeding coops where there are pairs or trios.  I see that as just being protective. 
Several years ago I obtained a bantam silver to breed from, but he was very aggressive and would run after me when I was in his pen and turned my back on him.  As much as I needed a bantam silver cock for breeding, I got rid of him before he could be a daddy.
I've bred every variety of Ameraucana and still believe the buffs are the most docile and the silvers the most flighty.
I received an email yesterday from member Kristine Malcolm and it brought this topic to mind.  They have a LF black cock that her son Walter shows and wins with.  She mentioned...

Even Gus (5yrs) can handle him with no trouble!

Even though I think silvers are the most flighty, she also mentioned...

Lastly, Walter is now using one of the silver bantam hens...for showmanship.

 
For what it is worth.

[Janet]

Thanks ever so much for everyone's advice and experiences.

I've done some things wrong, but I think the worst thing I did was that I didn't recognize some bad behavior as aggressive before it really escalated.

I don't think some of my mistakes can be avoided.  For example, I fly my macaws outdoors.  Their aviaries are near the free ranging flock's coop and is a favorite place for the chickens to hang out.  If my macaws are spooked by a hawk or, more frequently, a curious vulture, I will use a big, loud coach's whistle to contact call them.  If the rooster is close, it makes him crazy.  I don't know if I can ever not use my whistle.

I hope I do a better job with my next group of chicks that are now about 2 months old.  I have two bantam roosters that are no problem at all, so I have hope I am not doing everything wrong.