rooster behaviour

I truly am sorry for all these posts; i hope others can learn from them as well as me? my question:
If i am messing with the hens....is that cause enough to expect the rooster to come at me?

I have a broody rhode island red who has been sitting for a couple of weeks, or three and today i noticed her comb is a bit pale, so i kicked her off the nest (actually picked her up) and she went straight to food but then climbed up onto the roost. I picked her off the roost because i wanted her to drink. i was standing behind her and keeping her held to the water so that she might drink and Floyd one of my roosters came at me and bumped me with his wings. I am wondering...he was thinking i was harming his girls and his job is to protect them...OR should he realize i am not going to hurt them? We just killed "white Tail" because he would attack us in the yard...now it leaves Floyd...and i am wondering if he thinks he has to take over where White Tail left off. Do all roosters behave like this?
I am thinking maybe i will keep all of the roosters separate from the flock until i want chicks.
thoughts on roosters please

Any time there is a change in the chicken community, it upsets the natural hierarchy of things. Chickens will shift positions, social standings change.

If you got rid of top rooster, then next guy down will step in to fill the position. However, filling the position of top rooster and human aggression are not the same thing and being top rooster does NOT excuse aggression.

This is my personal opinion on this. You can try to whack him a few times with the food bucket, or give him a few swift kicks with your foot. But at some point you have passed from trying to teach a rooster into abusing a stupid rooster who is ruled by his instinct and not his brain. In that case the kind and responsible thing to do is to kill him. IT is NOT alright to beat and kick a rooster every single day. If he's that stupid/aggressive, kill him.

Whether he thinks you're hurting the girls or not, he should not attack you. My rooster runs in all puffed up when I boot a hen out of the nest box and she squawks. But he has stopped there. He has not yet taken a run at me. When he does, he gets one chance. After that, coyote food. If you are known to him and he attacks you, strangers and children are fair game. That is an absolute no go at my house. Good luck.

I am heartless with aggressive roosters, but unlike Uno, if I am messing with the hens and they are distressed I cut mine a bit of a break.
If that changes to unsolicited aggression I draw the line. I suppose I draw the line at a full on attack under any circumstances. If he just gives me a bit of a warning that when I mess with the girls I answer to him I am ok with that.
The Barnevelders I had would never, ever even do that, the PChants are a bit more assertive when I handle the girls. At this stage I am ok with it but like I say if they start stalking me or getting me when by back is turned I twist their heads off.

My boys growl and make a stink if I cause anyone to squawk or bawk in an assertive or strange manner. I'm not afraid to say I've used my to to give a short, light kick to an attacking rooster, much like another rooster would respond with a kick of their feet. I will not keep an aggressive rooster. After Chuckanegg, we have no tolerance for a rooster who's willing to climb your leg to peck your face, or take out your shins when your back is turned. I will accept a warning, or a posturing at me when I'm causing a fuss, but will not take an attack. I will separate them and mark them for death.

I've also marked a hen for death for the first time. She killed her six chicks one day while I was at work and cannibalized them. I'm not interested in her reasoning for it, there was food, fresh water, I left her alone except for feeding and watering to reduce stress and overcrowding wasn't an issue. I will not breed for cannibalizing birds just as I won't breed for aggression. I read somewhere that some breeders will choose roosters who don't 'rape' the girls as well, and will eventually end up with a courting rooster, who never makes his girls scream and, if they do, he lets go. I suppose this is the same way you get fighting cocks, breeding for aggression instead of calmness.

We have young children helping with the chickens here. Badly behaved roosters do not stay long.

I do not allow human aggression as I have a 4 year old and a 1 year old who help with chores. I grabbed my rooster, gave him a smack them chucked him and he never attacked again, if he had, he would be soup! The only animal that gets away with any human aggression is a setting bird or a momma

smokyriver wrote:The only animal that gets away with any human aggression is a setting bird or a momma

Ditto

Take that! And never be sorry for your questions!  

We had to get rid of an aggressive (favourite) rooster last year (black ameraucana).  The replacement black ameraucana is better, can be handled and has never attacked anyone, but my little one (4 years old) has decided it is better to just be cautious, having had the previous rooster jump on her head and knock her over a couple of times.   My partridge chantecler is the bottom of the bachelor rooster totem pole, but he has no problem pecking at my hand, so I put my boot in the little door through which I slide their food tray in and out to block him while I do the food.  Today he managed to get my hand, so I booted him through the small door, he pecked back, did that a couple of times, when Coopslave's gorgeous, huge, black ameraucana/partridge chantecler cross sent him packing to the other side of the pen.  Three cheers for Mo, the protector of the hand that feeds him   .  I want more of those, and have all the required birds - do you remember which was the rooster and which the hen for those, or does it matter - they look like they would make good meat birds, though they are also so very beautiful as well.  The hen has been a good layer.

ChickenTeam, the hen was a Black Am and the rooster was the PChant. Don't think it really matters, go with the best temperamented birds in both breeds and you will get what you want. Wish I would have kept a couple after hearing from others how good they are.
I suppose I still have the hen so could do it again, I just have to many other irons in the fire at the moment.