Author Topic: Fiesty cockerel- any advice (Read 4174 times)

Dave C · « **Reply #15 on:** March 29, 2017, 08:44:12 am »

Think he would be going to freezer camp if he was here.

Marches Farmer · « **Reply #16 on:** March 29, 2017, 01:09:15 pm »

I've never known a Dorking or Sussex cockerel turn nasty. If you hold up your boot in front of it, it will launch itself at the sole and try to batter it to death but retire, panting, after a few minutes.

Dans · « **Reply #17 on:** March 29, 2017, 01:25:56 pm »

These are the things that have worked for us.

Have a stick with you when you go in. If he even looks like he is going to go for you place it between you.

Raise your welly. I don't kick but I have raised my welly up to about head height (leaning on your stick helps) and I find he is a lot more reluctant to go for that.

Chase him if he does go for you. We had problems with our Cockerel last year and after a good one chase he was very placed with us.

Our Cockerel has started making moves at us this year again. And like you have said it is only at feeding time. Or if the feeder has run empty and I haven't noticed. All other times he is gentle as anything so it is definitely related to providing food for his girls. I'd try those things and if he doesn't respond then in the pot.

Dans

Terry T · « **Reply #18 on:** March 30, 2017, 02:45:47 pm »

Thanks again, all of the advice is certainly helping. While he has started to run at me a couple of times since my first post, he's stopped before he's got to me and so we've had no attacks.
Interesting that food can instigate problems for others too. Perhaps he views it as a bit of competition for the hens respect?

chrismahon · « **Reply #19 on:** March 31, 2017, 11:31:25 am »

I wouldn't worry about breeding in aggression Terry as the cock is supposed to fearlessly guard his hens if attacked by a predator and fight to the death to buy time for the hens to escape. You wouldn't want him running away and leaving the hens defenceless, so breeding out all aggression would be counter-productive. You just need to stop him thinking that you are a predator.

Perhaps give him the food so that he can call his hens to it?

Marches Farmer · « **Reply #20 on:** March 31, 2017, 09:02:36 pm »

We generally do this when we train hens to call - throw a little grain at the cockerel to reinforce his protection of them and make him feel important.

Terry T · « **Reply #21 on:** March 31, 2017, 09:38:42 pm »

I'll give it a go. The difficulty has been that the hens are more familiar with us than the cockerel and run towards us at corn o clock, where as he is a little wary and so hard to give the corn to but now he us running at us then stopping short, giving him the corn might be more feasable. Will tru tomorrow.