How To Deal With Aggressive Roosters

Some breeds of chickens are more aggressive than others. Chickens can also become aggressive for several reasons - being bullied, not having enough food or water, boredom, or being confined in too small of space. Even the friendliest of chickens may begin showing aggressive tendencies.

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Remember that you are viewing these animals from a human perspective. The chickens are acting out of their own nature. They don't view this as being mean. This is the way they communicate with the world around them. Getting mad at them doesn't help, but understanding them and asserting your dominance as the alpha chicken will help calm the situation. Here are some ways to help.

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1. Don’t ever back down or back away from a chicken that is showing dominance. Approach your chickens with proper dress (long sleeves, long heavy pants, gloves, eye protection if you are dealing with a real aggressor), so if they come at you aggressively, they can't hurt you.

2. Stand tall, face the chicken, and make yourself look as big as possible, then walk toward the chicken. Don't kick at it or use a stick as the chicken will view that as aggression and will be challenged to fight back. You want the chicken to understand that you are the alpha in this flock, not them!

3. Assert yourself as the top of the pecking order. There are a couple of ways to do this. At the first sign of aggression, grab the chicken by the feet and turn it upside down. It won't hurt the bird, it actually calms them down. Then tuck the bird under your arm like a football and hold it snugly - butt up and head down. Make sure that the wings are tucked in and pinned between your arm and your body. There is nothing worse than trying to hold a chicken who is flapping its wings violently. Hold it for about a minute or until it completely calms down and relaxes. Once it relaxes, put it down and let it go on its way.  Your other option is to hold the chicken on the ground with its belly on the ground.  One hand on its back and with the other hand, using your pointer and middle fingers bent - gently pin the chicken's  neck to the ground with its neck trapped between your two fingers.  Gently hold it on the ground until it completely relaxes.  Once it surrenders (acknowledges that you win and you are the alpha chicken) you can then let it go.

 

If working with children, you, as the adult, may need to catch the bird, get it into position, and then allow the child (with some help) to hold the chicken. The football hold may be the best for them - just make sure they are holding the chicken snugly but not too tightly.​