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GuerillaKoopa t1_jc79fo2 wrote

So I'm new to chickens but old homeowner left a mom and her 2 chicks just roaming the property. I've been raising them and one turned out to be a rooster. He's been super chill but yesterday I was wearing red and he tried to dropkick me lol tried again and I just kind of pushed him aside with my boot and he dropped it. couple questions if ya know. What's it like to get scratched by one of them? What's the best way to train em not to? Let em out this morning and think he was trying to square up with my boot lol It's the first time he's tried stuff like that, they don't let me touch em but they'll eat out of my hand.

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duckduckohno t1_jc80lfm wrote

I've raised over 70 chickens. A scratch from a rooster talon hurts but it's not bad. You'll often bleed when attacked by an aggressive roo so kids need to be protected against the mean ones. The spurs on the back of their legs is also pretty dangerous but you can take those off using pliers without harming the bird. You can't really train them not to be aggressive, unlike dogs, chickens can be trained but it takes a lot of dedicated work that's not very suitable for outdoor or backyard chickens. Be the alpha, chickens have a pecking order so a gentle but firm boot kick can be enough to tell the roo to back off. If you continue to have problems with the roo that makes it dangerous for kids, people, or the flock, please consider removing the rooster from the others via separation.

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GuerillaKoopa t1_jc84unp wrote

Thank you for the info, fingers crossed he learned his lesson. He's usually pretty calm so I'm hoping It was just the red or something. He is getting quite big though so he may be getting more cocky.

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emptybottleofdoom t1_jc90o2o wrote

Keep the sane one or ones. The rest? Chicken soup. I thought everyone who kept birds did that.

As long as he's just attacking the toy, no big deal. Going after people though...

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Battlepuppy t1_jca3vhj wrote

Depending upon the breed, they can be sweet, like cuddles, rooster included.

You can pick them up when it's dark. They like the chest rubbed, but not too hard, gently.

There is clockwork going on in those heads they don't have a lot of control over.

Put him in the right situation, and the rooster program turns on, and he's going to be an instant asshole. If he gets into fight, protect, or mate mode.

Girls are his trigger.

He's not going to care if it's mom and sister.

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