Rooster management

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Rooster management

Holding a rooster In the field of rooster management, I've clearly got a lot left to learn. Last year, we ate our rooster because he had taken to beating me up when I went into his pasture, a problem which (in retrospect), I'm pretty sure was my fault. This spring, I noticed our rooster giving me the evil eye and I gave him a wide berth, moving slowly and trying not to get between him and his ladies. Even though I think our new rooster had the same potential to turn into a person-flogger, my care ensured that the behavior was never triggered.

Molested hen Unfortunately, this year's rooster turned his aggression in another direction, violently molesting one of our hens. I can't quite decide why he turned mean after a whole winter of generously protecting his ladies as they free ranged in the woods. Maybe spring simply fills rooster with aggression, or maybe being crammed into small pastures set him off. Perhaps it shook him up to be rotated to a new pasture every week, even though I chose this rooster out of all of last year's cockerels because he was (and is) the smartest about heading into the coop and out a new pophole on rotation day.

Rooster and his harem Regardless of the cause, I'm afraid yet another rooster is going in the pot. We'll keep one of his sons to fertilize this fall's and next year's flock, and I'll keep trying to learn to be a better rooster keeper. Not that we need a rooster between April and August (when we'll start our fall batch of broilers). Maybe the solution is to simply keep a rooster around for the winter and eat him each spring before he becomes a problem?

An extra chicken waterer is handy if you have to separate a troublesome bird from the flock.

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who's boss

Have you tried getting after him when he starts acting that way? I taught my girls to head straight for our rooster and to chase him when he acts that way. He learned he's not the big guy on the block and will back off. A gently placed boot may be in order to reset the pecking order.

Comment by Heath — early Monday morning, May 7th, 2012

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Training hens to stand up to a rooster

Heath --- How did you train the hens to fight back? Everything I've read about humans responding to aggressive roosters with aggression says it's a bad idea, but I wouldn't mind training the hens to stand up for themselves.

Comment by anna — at teatime on Tuesday, May 8th, 2012