The owners of chickens may face the aggressive behavior of the pack leader, the rooster, who can peck and rush at chickens and people. Today we will talk about what can provoke the aggression of the bird, and about the various methods of pacifying the bully.
Causes of increased rooster cock
Aggressive behavior in roosters, accompanied by fights, begins at the age of 9 weeks. Causes of increased anger can be different, the main ones are:
- nature by nature;
- gaining a place at the trough, drinking bowl or a special place in the hen house;
- Exposure to external factors: close rooms, annoying sounds, very bright or dim light;
- protection of territory and flocks from danger;
- a small number of chickens;
- several roosters in the pack.
Did you know? Roosters and chickens have the ability to sleep with one waking half of the brain.Besides, attacks from the side of the rooster can lead to a decrease in its weight and distraction from the main function - covering the chickens. And the hens, watching fights or becoming their object, may experience stress and anxiety, which negatively affects their ability to lay eggs. Bullies can attack people, inflicting various injuries on them, especially dangerous attack on a child who can not protect themselves. First of all, it is necessary to understand the reasons for the aggressive behavior of the rooster, a possible reason could be a lack of essential vitamins and minerals in the poultry diet. In this case, it is recommended to purchase a complex of vitamins and food supplements, so that the diet of the feathered aggressor is balanced.
Methods of pacifying a teaser
If there are favorable conditions in the hen-house, and the rooster still shows aggression, it is worth using radical methods of his pacification. Below are the main methods of dealing with a bully. If any of the methods did not fit in practice, it is worth trying another one to achieve a positive result.
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Friendly method
This method is different humanity, but can not pacify every rooster. It lies in the fact that you need to establish friendly relations with the rooster, showing that he can feel safe.
To do this, for some period of time, the bully can be put in a separate room, fed with delicious food, and communicated with it in a calm tone. After a while, the bird will relax, stop behaving cautiously and stop pecking. After the relocation of the bird back to relatives, care and manifestations of friendship do not need to stop, otherwise the aggressive behavior may resume.
Important! Choosing a friendly method of restraint, in no case can not apply physical violence to the rooster, otherwise he will lose confidence in the person and again begin to hooligan.
Nurture isolation
This method allows, rather, not to solve, but to isolate itself from the problem. For the rooster you need to arrange a limited walking area, which he will not be able to leave. However, in this case, the contact of the teaser with the person during feeding and care, when the bird will attack, is not excluded.
At this moment, as a defense, it is worth taking a wooden box with several holes and waiting for the moment when the rooster will attack. When he comes close, it must be drastically covered with a box, thus creating an improvised dungeon.
The box should not be easy, because an aggressive male will make any attempt to break free. As long as the bully is imprisoned in an uncomfortable position, he will have the opportunity to reflect on his behavior.
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Remove the box is, taking care of the retreat, then dramatically remove the box and hide in a safe place.
Upbringing hunger
The hunger strike should be practiced immediately after the attack, in order for the bird to clearly form the link between the displayed aggression and punishment.
A rooster after pecking is placed in an empty aviary or a shed and does not give him food for 1-2 days, you should not come to him and show pity.
Important! When applying upbringing by hunger, be sure to take care of a sufficient amount of water for the duration of the upbringing measures, otherwise the bird will work dehydration, which is fraught with serious problems in the future.This method is effective, and it is often enough for the bird to go on hunger strike once, but if the male is very stubborn, the procedure should be repeated until a positive result is achieved.
Water upbringing
Water procedures cause a negative impression on chickens and roosters; of their own will, they very rarely bathe. Water pouring causes stress and fright in birds. A wet cock will immediately temper his passion. There are several ways to use water rearing:
- The use of the hose. Approaching the site on which the aggressive rooster is wielding, take the included hose with you. With an act of aggression should send a stream of water to the bully. The aggressor will try to escape from the water, but it needs to be watered for some time. After that, the cock should be subdued and react to the hose in the hands of the owner with caution.
- Dipping into a bucket. This method was used by the old school peasants. A fighter should quickly grab one hand on the legs, the other on the neck. The head of the rooster to the base of the neck should be dipped in water 2-3 times for a few seconds, then sharply discarded. Dexterity and caution should be exercised with this method, as an aggressive bird during close contact can cause harm.
- Pouring from the bucket. To do this, you need to collect a full bucket of cold water and throw a bird at the time of aggressive behavior. Pouring must be repeated several times, as a bully after the first pouring can repeat its attack.
- Dipping into a barrel. In this case, the bird is grabbed by the scruff of the neck and neck and several times completely immersed in a barrel filled with cold water. The bird, not feeling a support under feet, feels powerlessness and despair, after such a procedure the cock noticeably subsides. Many farmers recognize the effectiveness of this method after the first application.
Important! Use water rearing should be only in the warm season, in the cold it is fraught with diseases of the bird.
Use of "glasses" for roosters
Initially, these glasses were used for aggressive pheasants, but the owners of chicken coops also began to use them for evil roosters. This is a small plastic bracket attached to the beak, with two plastic plates that partially cover the eyes. Glasses for blinds for cocks In these glasses the birds lose the opportunity to look straight, so making an attack will be problematic for them. The use of this accessory will not prevent the bird from seeing food and water, and even seeing the victim of the attack from the side, the rooster will not be able to detect it and calm down.
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Scare method
This method is based on the instincts inherent in the feathered and the entire animal world. At the entrance to the chicken coop is to immediately attack the rooster, starting to chase him. The evil rooster who is the first to strike will be considered a strong adversary, his instinct of self-preservation will work for him, and instead of attacks he will start to run away.
Intimidating the bird in this way, one can see a change in its behavior for the better, but one should not forget about maintaining the leader’s role, letting the rooster know who is in charge in the yard.
Physical education method
When a rooster tries to peck up or scratch, you can apply physical education measures to it and strike it with the help of a fly swatter, rubber hose, stick, hands or feet. Defenders of animals oppose this method, but it is quite effective in suppressing the raging aggressor.
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Apply this method immediately after the attack of the bird, so that it forms a reflex. By choosing this method, it is worth to be careful not to injure the bird.
Eliminate annoying factors
Sometimes birds show aggression not because of their nasty nature, but only in response to a specific irritant. Bright or fluttering clothes, sudden movements can cause a negative reaction. A rooster can show aggression not to all people, but only to a specific person who once offended a bird.
Did you know? The number of domestic chickens and roosters is three times the number of people on the entire planet.It is necessary to trace the behavior of the bird in different situations, so that one can understand what the rooster is reacting to so acutely and eliminate the reason for its negative behavior.
Extreme measures
If none of the methods of restraint brought about the proper effect, and the rooster continues to terrorize people and chickens, it remains only to use the extreme method of ridding the hen house of a teaser - to hack a rooster. If the presence of a rooster causes inconvenience, and it is a pity to kill him, you can sell it to the organizers of cockfighting. In this case, it will save his life by allowing the bird to splash out its aggression in suitable conditions.
An aggressive rooster gives the poultry farms a lot of trouble, because it can cause injuries to both relatives and people, as well as to cause stress in chickens by their behavior. Knowing about all methods of restraint and choosing the one that suits you, you can calm the fighter and achieve calm in the flock.