[Emmaski]

Hi!

I work at a wildlife hospital. Because i also live on site i obviously keep all of my pets on site with me too, one of them being the most handsome white cockerel. He actually came into the wildife hospital as a patient after he was brought in by a lady's cat. He was approx 2/3 weeks old at the time.

Since then the staff and i worked hard to rear him and eventually (at about 10/12 weeks old) introduced him to 3 hens with whom he now lives. He is now approx 6 and 1/2 months old but quite agressive!

The problem with this is that we let him and the hens ([plus 3 ex-battery hens which we got about a month ago) free-range on site. The hens absolutely love it but he actively goes looking for trouble and finds someone to chase and attack! He attacks our volunteers, the staff and my 3 yr old daughter!! He will actually spot someone and just start charging after them for no apparent reason!  We have to be very careful due to health and safety with letting the general public onto the site (especially children) so at the moment we lock him in his run during the day (his run is 35ft by 15ft) and the girls are free to jump in ansd out as they please (he has his wings clipped). Then once everyone has left the site we let him out for a couple of hours until they go to bed.

I really dont want to have to get rid of him if i dont have to, i would love to be able to find some sort of solution so we can all live together in peace!!!! I just wondered if anyone had any advice or if anyone feels that de-spuring him and chemically castrating him would at least calm the situation so he could be let out with the girls during the day. Please feel free to e-mail me with any suggestions, advice or opinions on the chemical castration methods.

Thank you, Emma (p.s. sorry about the essay)! 

[lucylou]

hi Emma! that is how he repays you with your kindness! - seriously though, i had a beautiful cockrel once, he was a wyandotte but he was so aggressive, all my kids had to do was start to open the kitchen door and he would come flapping accross the garden with his claws ready! we rehomed him with his wife.  could you not continue to keep yours in the enclosure permanently? it' s a nice big space.  i dont know anything about chemically calming him im afraid and i dont know how to stop him being aggressive but  i expect someone with knowledge will be able to advise you about that, there are lots of people on this site that keep cockerels very happily - im sure you will be able to work out a solution, best of luck    

[kitkat]

Hi and welcome to the forum. I cant help you with the chemical castration i'm afraid, but i've had a couple of cockerals turn aggressive on me so i know how scary it can be. I've seen it suggested that more girls may help, could you try him with a couple more? I've never found a solution, but its worrying if you've got a 3 year old to consider

[joyfull]

Castration is illegal in this country (caponisation) and I feel the same is for chemical castration (although if I am wrong on this then I'm sure someone will correct me) so don't think that is an option. I agree with lucylou and let him have the rule of his run all the time especially if his girls can get out if they wish.

[Roughlee Handled]

You have stamp your authority.  There are several ways.
I have tried catching Cockerel with a blanket, then get him out of the blanket and give hold him close and I have pecked him with fingers (what he would get/give to a hen or what a hen would give to another hen to stamp authority) pull a couple of feathers. 

Others have mentioned on her dunking in a bucket of water.  Unfortunately  you will have to do this with a few humans so he can get the understanding that he is not boss.
As to your child that is difficult. 

The only other suggestion is build a run and that is his domain (still stamp your authority) and your child does not go in and when he and his flock is out free ranging then your child is not out.

[8doubles]

How does the cockerel behave when it is picked up, does it still fight or does it realise that the person holding the bird is in control.
Being picked up regularly should tame him or teach him to stay away.

If not cull it and feed it to one of the other animals but NOT a fox ,

we don`t want to give them ideas for an easy meal.

[Emmaski]

Thank you for all of your advice, i think that for the time being i will probably keep his run. He has 6 hens who can come and go as they please so he is not on his own all of the time. Its not so much my daughter who is the worry (beacause she is never out with the chickens alone, myself or her dad is always with her so we can 'shoo' him off away from her) it is the general public who visit the place. This is why i feel he will have to stay in his pen.

He is ok, nice and calm when we actually pick him up, its just getting near him to grab him but we try to do this as often as we can. In fact he goes into a semi-hypnotic state, my daughter has even managed to hold him (and he is nearly as big as her) so he can be a nice bird. He can still free-range after working hours when everyone has gone home. I was just worried that i was being cruel by locking him in whilst the girls get to free-range all day.

Thank you again!! And if there are any more suggestions i am willing to take them on board and try them!! 

[agapanthus]

The bucket of water really does the trick!!! We've done this with a few of our cockerels. Grab the miserable critter very firmly....as if you mean business.... put his body up to the middle of his neck (he won't like it by the way!)....and keep him there for a couple of minutes. Repeat if necessary!!!

[Vember]

Snap to the above

I did that with Tufty never had a problem since

[Emmaski]

With the water dunking, do you only do it when he has done something wrong or just do it anyway to stap your authority? And do the people being attacked have to do it or can anyone?

Since i posted my message i have been keeping him inside his run and he seems ok, a bit lonely perhaps when all his girls are out but ok. I am actually thinking of getting a new hen (one which is used to staying in a run) and clipping her wings so he always has a hen wih him so he is not lonely! (Perhaps i am being too soft on him)!

Thank you so much for all of your advice!    :happy:

[joyfull]

The trouble with that is that she will get worn out with him giving her all his "attention" so wouldn't be fair on her.

[hillfooter]

The below is some advice I put together to help people avoid the problem developing but as your cockerel has now developed this behaviour curing him will be difficult I'm afraid, though some who have posted have been successful with the dunking method which I haven't.  For what it's worth here's the benefit of my experience and for any others reading this post whose problem is not so advanced it may help.

"Aggressive cockerels are a menace and can be dangerous.  My daughter is still nervous around cockerels 10yrs after being attacked in her 20's.  Fortunately she escaped with cuts to her face which healed though it just missed her eyes.  Once they start this behaviour I've never succeeded in eliminating it entirely and I've tried all the standard advice such as holding them down, dousing/dunking in water/ showing them who's boss (the most cruel and futile approach).  The trick if you can do it is to nip it early in the bud and don't trigger this developing by inadvertent behaviour.  Below from my experience some basic rules to apply when a cockerel is running with hens.
1   Handle him as well as the hens from an early age.
2   When hand feeding, offer the food to the cockerel first and let him drop the first morsels for the hens.  Note his head bobbing behaviour and picking up the food and dropping it for them.  This reinforces his position as the provider and stops him seeing you trying to usurp his role.
3   Most developing behaviour starts with him knocking against the back of your leg to test your reaction and gradually becomes bolder.   Don’t square up to him but face him and if he shows aggression try to be as passive as possible.  Try not to turn your back and make sure he knows you are watching him and he generally won’t attack.
4   Check that a pair of colourful boots, flapping tongues or trousers isn’t a trigger.
5   Don’t kick him as this is guaranteed to encourage him to reciprocate.
6   Don’t appear to be luring away his harem.  Indeed any behaviour which makes you appear to be a rival should be avoided.
7   If all else fails you can try the more dominating tactics if you like, or put up with it, though don’t expect a neighbour to look after them, or cull him as a danger.
Not every cockerel is sure to become aggressive though a high proportion (30 – 40%) can."
Regards

[kitkat]

I tried those things you suggested HF, and they didn't work for me. I am staying away from LF cockerals now as i've had 2 turn on me. Think i would rather be faced with an aggressive dog than a cockerel as it really freaks me out, the coming from behind bit. I wish i'd have thought of the bucket of water though.
    However i do think its my behaviour thats the problem, i can put the little ones in their place and never have a problem after, i see the big ones as too much of a threat, i'm not a wuss but i think its developed in to a bit of a phobia

[hillfooter]

Hi Kitkat,
Unfortunately there's no guarentees with cockerels, some are just plain nasty.  I have observed that they can have different behaviour with different people for example I had a handsome Welsummer Cockerel who was fine with me though he was never friendly he just tollerated me, but as soon as my son in law went in the run he would attack him.  Unfortunately my SIL couldn't help respondinding by kicking him (though gently) away which seemed to make the cockerel worse.
I think with all these learnt habits once started they are really difficult if not impossible to break.  I haven't had any success with the water treatment though to be fair I've only tried it with one cockerel who was a real horror who you couldn't turn your back on for a second.  I might try it next time I have a problem.  My current 3 cocks are very placid and two are quite friendly, though of the previous 5, the two first ones we kept were very aggressive and the second 2 showed aggressive tendancies, and one was pretty easy going.  We've got better over time at keeping them placid so we must be learning.
Here's a picture of my SIL with Rumpel our Modern Game cockerel our latest and friendliest to date.
Regards

[kitkat]

I've wondered if the male/female thing comes into it?
   I'm only a five foot 2 inch short a*se , perhaps i've been an easy target?
     Thats a great photo