What makes a chicken coop easy to live with?

[Ella]

When my grandad feeds our chickens, 2 german vorwerk hens, a wellsummer hen and our cockerel who is a English game bantam. The bantam attacks grandad and he has to wear thick gloves before he can put his hands in the run.

 

The hens are fine with him but the cockerel is quite vicious grandad said we should get rid of him but I have had him since he was two days old and he is now about six months old.

I am very fond of him and don't want to get rid of him does anybody have any ideas on how we can make him a bit more friendly.

 

 

P.S. we have recently noticed he has spurs.

 

Any ideas would be appreciated.

 

[fowlbird]

this may sound daft but when we had a cockerel (a big speckled one, very nasty bird) my husband used to mimic cockerel behaviour

when Manly Stanley rushed at my husband, husband would rush at him flapping his 'wings' (arms) at Stanley - being bigger my husband became the dominant cockerel and Stanley gave up on the attacks...

 

worth a try anyway

[Couperwife]

what about a water pistol type thing.

 

everytime your grandad goes near it, squirt it and then it will (should) stay back a little (hopefully)

 

hope you find something to help soon

 

cathy

x

[RichardandFamily]

We have 2 cockerels...1 Large Fowl Rhode Island Red (Nearly knee height!) and 1 white bantam leghorn. Both were quite vicious when we got them but we did exactly what fowlbird says. We copied everything they did before they attacked us and after little while they eventually stopped attacking us!

 

Give it a try, You never know?

 

Richard

[Bondinho]

If you do decide to do the tactic used above - please film it and upload for us to watch!!

 

Could you not just repeatedly pick him up whenever you are in the garden and hold your hand on his back so he so he knows that you are top of the pecking order? I'm not sure if the water pistol idea would work in the long run or not but maybe worth a try.

[RichardandFamily]

Bondinho we tried putting our hand on their backs but they were so strong they just pushed you away a pecked you...HARD

 

Worth a try though

 

Richard

[The Dogmother]

Some cockerels are more inclined to protect 'their girls' than others, i'm afraid that you won't change him in a hurry.

 

Lesley had one who did that to anyone - he did it once too often and ended up in the pot!

[Cinnamon]

Our Indiana is horrible, but its only me he goes for

Not enough meat on him to be tempted to pot him either

[Topdollar]

My jerry is very protective of his girls but I did the flappy arm thingy too (i'm glad it wasn't caught on camera). After a few confrontations and a few pecks he has now let me become top of the pecking order - I think

The holding and touching on the back hasn't been tried as I can't catch him. Last time I tried it was like the rooster catching scene in rocky but my OH isn't called Adriene and I can't box.

I've tried the water pistol thing but it just makes him even more confrontational.

Still, all said, he's a beautiful bloke (that sounds sooo gay but hey ho) and I wouldn't give him up just yet

 

good luck

 

Jon

[Woodcat]

A friend of mine used a bucket of cold water and so every time he attacked her he got drenched and eventually this worked though the relationship betweent them is a bit frosty now. Haveing said that she did it in the summer so it might be a bit chilly to do it now

[chickenanne]

I was going to suggest same as fowlbird!

 

It's difficult, though as if he continues to be a nightmare to handle then your poor granded isn't left with much choice but to get rid of him.