Our rooster just signed his death warrant....

[Limner]

Execution proceedings to commence sometime SOON. :evil:

I've been getting bad vibes off our rooster for a week or so, when one of the hens got loose and I caught her and she screamed bloody murder (she wasn't hurt, just irked because I hadn't left her out for the dogs and possums to catch). Mr. Rooster tried to attack me thru the fence that day....but I gave him a pass 'cause I was handling one of his "ladies."

Fast forward to day...there I am, all hot and sweaty, I had already filled the hanging filled with laying mash and refilled the water fountain; I usually dump the scratch feed outside, so as to occupy the birds whilst I work inside, but it was wet and looking like it was going to rain.....so I was waiting until the last to throw it on the dry inside litter, so as not to waste the stuff. Mr. Rooster came in looking for the scratch grain whilst I was finishing putting today's eggs in the bucket---11 of them. No grain yet, so he ruffles up his neck feathers, goes on tip toes and flings himself at me. I automatically swung the bucket between him and me, and he flung himself into it....twice. I hollered NO loudly...and swung a kick at him (no contact) and he blustered again...and left into the yard. I flung in the scratch feed and left, telling him he was sooooo Chicken and noodles THIS WEEKEND. EVERY egg in the bucket was broken...he hit that hard.

I need a sweet GENTLE rooster. He''ll have a harrem of twelve Rhode Island Red ladies to keep him happy. Maybe a Buff Orphington....any ideas as to the "right" breed?

I already have a good recipe for noodles.....:twisted:

[Micah68]

You know what I have learned? Roosters always taste better when they have been mean and nasty.

I think it's psychological:twisted:

[Belle]

Find a small breed rooster. Less dangerous to you and easier on the ladies, if you get my drift.

[Limner]

You know what I have learned? Roosters always taste better when they have been mean and nasty.

I think it's psychological:twisted:

HMMM...I'm willing to test the theory out asap......:mrgreen:

[Limner]

Find a small breed rooster. Less dangerous to you and easier on the ladies, if you get my drift.

Like maybe a Banty? I've been looking at them, but they get feisty, too, don't they?

[Freeholder]

Is the rooster a Rhode Island Red? They are notorious for being nasty-tempered. Any breed rooster CAN be nasty, but RIR's are probably about the worst. You can try a Buff Orp; if you ever got chicks from the cross, they'd still be good layers.

Kathleen

[Belle]

I wouldn't get a Banty. I think they're meaner than standard roosters - always looking for a fight. I'd look for an Araucana or Americana. They aren't too big and all of the ones I've had have been very gentle.

[Limner]

Is the rooster a Rhode Island Red? They are notorious for being nasty-tempered. Any breed rooster CAN be nasty, but RIR's are probably about the worst. You can try a Buff Orp; if you ever got chicks from the cross, they'd still be good layers.

Kathleen

YUP, he's a Rhode Island Red. I am ready to ditch him; he wears the hens' backs raw. He'll be tasty. We had Buff Orphingtons before and I loved them, but that was before we fortified our chicken house like Fort Knox and the 'possums got them. :-?

[Limner]

I wouldn't get a Banty. I think they're meaner than standard roosters - always looking for a fight. I'd look for an Araucana or Americana. They aren't too big and all of the ones I've had have been very gentle.

Thanks! We'll be going to Rural King this weekend, I'll scan their bulletin board for some chickens. Maybe there'll be a nice one there looking for a good home.

[Summerthyme]

Definitely NOT a bantam, if you're looking for "sweet and gentle"!! The only benefit is they're easier to bounce off the wall when they do get nasty, but the only thing that outdoes bantam roos for the Napoleon complex is a Jersey bull!

I agree that the Rhodie roos tend to be aggressive. I even had trouble with some freebies (blasted "packing peanut chicks" the hatchery claims they throw in to 'keep the rest warm", but I know darned well they just don't want to have to dispose of them, and no one wants them! LOL!). They were KILLING and EATING my CornishX birds by the time they were 7 weeks old. Talk about NASTY cockerels.

I've had really good luck with Auracanas, Black Australorps, and my Marans. Even the bantam Araucana roosters were nice birds. I had one Buff Orp who came too close to blinding me for comfort (attacked my blind side when I was bent over gathering eggs, and spurred me from just below the corner of my eye all the way down to my neck). He was soup the next day. BUT... while he was a little edgy, he wasn't nasty and aggressive until the menfolk started teasing him, getting a kick out of how he'd bounce off the chicken wire trying to get to them. Once I finished with the rooster, I told them they were next if they did that again! LOL!

Any rooster worth their feed, though, IS going to keep the hens "backs raw"- that's his job, basically! Yeah, some overdo it, but if they're breeding them, they will take feathers off...

summerthyme

[packyderms_wife]

RIR are definatley nasty! My mom had one that would attack her and she'd go after it with a garden rake and catch it by the neck. She had big scars on her leg from it getting her with it's spurs.

One night she'd had enough and some guy pulled up in the yard and offered her a hundred bucks for the RIR, mom took it, she and dad assumed that he was using it for cock fighting and I'm betting that ornery old thing won too!

She ended up replacing him with a plymouth barred rock rooster. She never had problems with her hens being pecked after that, no more bloody spots, missing feathers, etc. And according to mom they laid more eggs as well.

Kimbelry

[Rhodie]

Years ago my father said one of the best chickens they raised when he was a kid on the farm was Plymouth Rocks, as the average hen can lay up to 200 eggs per year, and they do very well in the winter.
They had the Barred variety, and they aren't to aggressive, though sometimes you get one who is all fuss and feathers.
The PR's are also fair meat chickens, not tough like an old Rhode Island Red.:shock:

A good friend of mine has them and they give very nice light brown eggs medium to large in size.

My Dad always liked his old hen or old rooster at Thanksgiving instead of Turkey.:-D

Just my 2 cents worth

Rhodie

[cyberiot]

while he was a little edgy, he wasn't nasty and aggressive until the menfolk started teasing him, getting a kick out of how he'd bounce off the chicken wire trying to get to them. Once I finished with the rooster, I told them they were next if they did that again! LOL!

Limner's excellent Bucket Move might come in handy!:-D

Also . . . you might need more pasta if you're making Nudnik Noodle Soup . . .

[momof23goats]

Like maybe a Banty? I've been looking at them, but they get feisty, too, don't they?
I have had some banty roosters that wereterrible, thought they were 10 foot tall.
once a rooster gets aggressive, they are done here.
I have rung their necks, and thrown them in the woods I was just at the end of my rope with a couple of them for sure.
I had 2 banty hens going at it the other day. I had to throw cold water on them. how bad is that?
I have no clue what the fight was about , but those gals were going at it, just like roosters. man they were mad. after I threw the water on them , they settled down for a minute. thats it .If they keep it up, they will be in the pot. dang gals. probably fight'en over a man, no doubt. Those fisty little huzzies. the rhode Island gals, were just watching the ordeal.
so they all will fight, if they can.

[Sherrynboo]

I have a RIR roo myself and he is a doozy! This boy is not afraid of anything. I see him laughing when I arm myself with the rake or broom. He will even stand his ground with the tractor until he has to move over or get run over. I hatched out some eggs last year and ended up with 5 more roos. When they got big enough they gave him a run for his money and I found my Big Red hiding his head under a rock one day. Stupid me, I felt sorry for him and put him out with goats for retirement/healing. All was well and good until he felt better then he was coming at me again! Nothing like a little gratitude! I should have let the others finish him off. I only have one of those left now and he is getting a bit fiesty too.

My ex mother in law had a large white rooster a long time ago. That was the meanest creature I have EVER seen! Maybe I need to try one of the barred rock ones and see how that goes.

Sherry in GA

[Limner]

I THINK Mr. Rooster is history. Hubby came home and I ratted the little bugger out. Hubby bent a wire hanger into a chicken coop and caught him in short order. Took him outside the fence to just do him in and throw him into the woods (it was a hard day at work and he was too tired to deal with him and I was too mad to care).

Somehow the bugger got loose and dived into the bushes and disappeared. I figured if he survived the marauding 'possums last night, there would be crows in the morning. NUTHIN'. No crows. And the noise from the hen house is MUCH lessened. I think it was the rooster who did moist of the squaking and hollering. The yard is much more peaceful.

Shoulda done this a week ago.

[Animal Lover]

Ours darned near took my eyes out more than once and he would always land on my back with talons dug in. He went the way of the cooking pot with our local butcher. My DD just had the same problem. Never again. Not worth the risk. Good luck to all of you as those fresh eggs are awesome and I would love to have some, but we are near the edge of town and I don't think the neighbors would think it nice. Heck they don't speak to each other now, I can imagine us with a henhouse. :-) AL

[PatDaly]

No Roosters here, if they don't lay, they don't live. Besides, for a $1.69 each we get whatever type of chick we could want...... the stupid Rooster would eat far more than that in the course of the year......8)

[Catmom46]

These stories just crack me up! When I was a little girl (age 5) we often would go to my aunt's in-laws for Sunday dinner out in the country. There was a big white rooster that would chase me the minute I got out of the car. I usually had to be rescued by some "big" adult. I was safe as long as I got inside the fence that surrounded the house. I remember one Sunday-he was DINNER! Best fried chicken I ever ate! LOL:mrgreen:

[meremortal]

If he's that mean,fight him, and possibly make some side $$.
We had one that was a great fighter, but sucked as a "lover"

[A Simple Pine Box]

Gotta chime in with my own chicken story... when I was about 4 or 5 (I am 50 now and still panic over the sound of chickens) my sisters and I were collecting eggs. The hens were making quite a racket and the rooster cornered me, flew at me and pecked my legs. My oldest sister went running for my dad and he came with a 2 x 4 and pounded the hell out of that rooster. I don't remember what breed of rooster it was but I do know it ended up in the soup pot!

[lwseeker]

Hey Limner, I have to tell you 'NO', don't eat the rooster!!! I had a similar nasty sonofagun years ago. The dang thing would spur me --I'd hit him with whatever I had in hand--hoe, shovel, bucket, hose, foot, you name it. That sucker would stalk me and my dog. I finally decided I best put him in the freezer because my 2 year old nephew was coming to stay awhile. Let me tell you ever since I killed that sob, I had nothing but problems from vermin. Coons, skunks, rats, weasles--etc.

I wished I hadn't killed that bad boy....

LW

[Summerthyme]

lwseeker... I understand what you're saying, but I've got to admit- there is NO way I'd save a rooster which was aggressive TO HUMANS. I came all too close to losing an eye once from one (deep spur gouge from the corner of my eye all the way to my throat), and have read too many horror stories of children who HAVE lost eyes to them. NOT. Worth. It.

And I don't believe I've ever seen a rooster which is effective against a weasel. But a good big, *protective* (NOT "aggressive") roo is worth a lot against a lot of predators. Read a true story once about a bald eagle getting the cream colored crap beat out of him by the resident rooster when the eagle walked into the hen house after a snack!

This is probably a good opportunity to mention that there is a BIG difference between the actions of a roo who is being protective of his hens, and one who is nasty for the fun of it. I'll never do more than push one away who ruffles up and attacks me if I provoked it- and picking up a hen who is screaming and squawking IS provocation to a roo. Most roos will learn to accept one or two humans handling their girls, collecting eggs, etc without much fuss. And the occasional display of protectiveness only means you've got a good bird, for some of the reasons lwseeker lists.

But UNprovoked attacks, especially when your back is turned, or you're simply going about normal chores, aren't the same.

As for the rest of the varmints, either a very solid coop, or a good protective dog, or both are the best solution. We occasionally find clumps of fox hair in the driveway close to the entrance to the barn where the chickens are... but I haven't lost many birds to predators. One good rooster this spring, but that was when the weather was still holding cold and nasty and the dog wasn't out all night yet.

summerthyme

[natty threads]

When my daughter was maybe 1 1/2 our rooster "approached" her-

OH MY!

He was bigger than she was and I was too far away to do anything.

EEK!

He wasn't getting aggressive-yet.

My dead-eye ds, then about 5, PEGGED Mr. Sealed-for-Soup- HARD with a baseball as his older brother ds then 7 came running up with a bat.

The older commented "My sister is so pretty even the rooster knows she's pretty."

:lol::lol::lol::lol::lol:

Good taste didn't save him.


Bless up,
Natty

[Disastercat]

Rosters can vary a lot in temperament. The best one I ever had I got at a street fair from an old guy I'm pretty sure had him as a failed fighting cock. I declined the hens explaining I had "nine widows at home," and the guy went around telling his friends, "nine wives, he's going to have nine wives!" He was named Saladin before we got him home and I explained to his Royal Highness that if he wanted to avoid being rather high class chicken stew that he could attack all the predators as much as he liked, but one pass at a human with those spurs and he was dinner.

He never once, acted aggressive towards a human being. He was "H" on wheels to anything that tried to hurt his wives. He might have been part Bantam, because although he was quite large, he had Banti coloring. His life ended when a friend staying without forgot to shut the chicken gate on Summer evening and I woke up to lots of noise and seeing him in a foxes mouth with his hens running for their lives. After he died, we lost the hens in a matter of days, he obviously had been what was protecting them.

Since then, we have not had chickens, I'm not doing it again until we can build a proper and safe chicken run for our area. Which here means both mink and foxes. Practically everyone we know does have chickens, so if we needed them in a hurry they should not be too hard to get. Meanwhile, I trade the Winter milk cartons to a friend who brings us his home raised eggs in the Summer.

Oh, and the most gentle Roster I ever met was a Buff Orphington, huge but you could pick him up like a cat and he would sit in your lap. But they are not over bright.

[FaithfulServant]

I'd plaster his coop with pictures like this:

http://happyhomemaker88.files.wordpress.com/2008/04/buffalo-wings-dinner-006-custom.jpg

[Limner]

Well...so far, he's been gone for several weeks, doing chicken chores is way more comfortable, and no hens lost. But I am still looking for a nice buff orphington Roo that needs a home. There's too many nice animals that need homes to mess with the mean ones.

[Saminmo@hotmail.com]

I know every breed and every individual are different but the last Buff I will ever have on my place alive came to dinner in 2004. I had Delawares, Buffs, black austrolopes, and bards. Each had a separate pen because I was selling 6 pullets and a cock as a starting flock to new people moving to the country. My niece, not a city girl, went to get the eggs for the incubator and could not get him off her head. When I got him off I drop kicked him and he came at my face feet first. He tried again and I broke his neck and dry plucked him. my niece was 12 and a regular on my farm but she is still afraid of Buff's

[Limner]

HA! I don't blame you a BIT. Seems like there's a bad one in every batch, HUH? Maybe I should ask for a psych evaluation for our next rooster, LOL!

[juststartn]

We've had three roosters on our place in the last year...first one, appropriately enough, we named "Crazy". Big ol' Buff Orp. Matured quickly into a nice sized bird. Except for the fact that he was crazy. Would attack anyone. DH ended up shooting him one afternoon before work when the roo attacked our now 5 yo dd.

The next roo-in-charge (RIC? lol) was "Crazy"'s understudy. Rex. Good looking boy, slower to mature (which is why he and Crazy weren't killing each other)...Rex wandered off and failed to come home one evening, shortly before his broody hen hatched out a clutch of 14 chicks (8 of which are still alive, nearly 3 mos later). He was touch feisty, but nothing like Crazy...

Now, some friends of ours brought us another Roo--the lowest on the pecking order at their place (out of 4). So, he comes here, and has 18 ladies to love on...lol....He was named Chester (after a roo in a story that my mom had read to my youngest dd...)...and is quite the roo. He is very gentle. Of course, we had to train the dc to *not* chase him off, as they had gotten used to fending off cocky roosters...and so far, so good.

We were careful to not let any of Crazy's eggs hatch. No way....didn't want any of them getting hatched out, all crazy as loons...Rex, well, we've got a couple of his boys here...and a couple of his girls...but we've got about 15 of Chester's due to hatch out (God willing) later this week. And we're looking forward to it....

Hopefully, Chester's little ones will be as mellow as he is...

I don't want--or need--another pitb roo...not with my little ones roaming the yard...

Rachel

[KuernoDeChivo]

We had a rooster like that. He made good Mexican Caldo...

http://i180.photobucket.com/albums/x281/kuernodechivo/out.gif?t=1245691356

[LittleRedHen]

We had two Japanese Phoenix roosters, ate one because he went after people. The one we didn't eat was almost as good as a yak for keeping coyotes away. A white rock we had was a sweet romantic. He would pick up a wheat berry and cluck for a hen to come over so he could give it to her. Our speckled Sussex and barred rock roosters were protective of the girls, but not mean. If I had chickens now, I'd have all hens.

[Almost Ready]

Auracanas can be great, or nasty. Have had both. Bigger isn't necessarily a problem. I've seen two roosters where the little guy was mean and the bigger guy was quick and gentle. Could see a huge difference in the hens' reponses to their approaches, too.

A rooster that attacks you with his legs is a dead rooster. No ifs ands or buts. They only get worse if you don't deal with it immediately.

[Zarathustra]

I don't want a rooster after reading this. :neutral:

From what I've read you don't need one unless you want baby chicks but if you just want eggs you only need hens (never knew that even though I lived on a farm as a child :mrgreen: ).

[Limner]

I don't want a rooster after reading this. :neutral:

From what I've read you don't need one unless you want baby chicks but if you just want eggs you only need hens (never knew that even though I lived on a farm as a child :mrgreen: ).

We're still getting PLENTY of eggs from our hens, so no rooster needed. Butwe have had some good ones, like the Whiterock that gave hislife to protect his ladies several years ago. He was always a gentleman to us, but he gave that 'possum the fight of his life.

You just haven't met "Mr. RIGHT Rooster", LOL!

[momof23goats]

I have had roosters like that, they go int othe pot. now, The roosters i have now are gentle, and kind, they don't bother any one, or any thing.

[Rumpelstump]

Just like my old rooster (Kramer), a gentleman all his life.
But brave as any, even kept a stray rottweiler busy for a minute to save his mrs.

I heard the noise, so chased him with a stick.
They both missed tons of feathers, but was ok.

When I found out, the owner was a drug addict placed out in the countryside to be healed I went ballistic.

Why do these nutheads/lefties in sosial rehab think a drug addict with an abused dog will fit in a quiet place like this.