Roosters can be dangerous for kids, especially when they feel threatened.
Generally, roosters are gentle creatures that enjoy spending time outdoors with the chicks. These male chickens love posturing and marking their territory, but most of them will not go out of their way to attack humans.
However, roosters can get aggressive and become a danger to humans in some cases. This post about rooster attacks breaks down why a rooster can get into the fighting mode with humans.
When Are Roosters Dangerous?
Roosters are male chicks and can exhibit typical male behavior of guarding their territory. So whenever a rooster feels threatened, it can get into defensive mode and attack the intruder. In fact, it is the top reason why a rooster can attack a human.
Another reason why a rooster attacks humans is unpredictability. This is especially true with children, as sudden movements from them can be perceived as a threat. In addition, an overly enthusiastic kid grabbing a chick in the flock can also trigger a rooster into defense mode.
A rooster attack can be dangerous for kids and adults because of its spurs.
The spurs are part of the leg bone, making it exceptionally strong and sharp. In addition, roosters have sharp beaks and talons, and they are not afraid to use them in order to protect their flock.
The spurs, talon size, and sharpness typically depend on the rooster’s breed but are usually very sharp and pointy. An attacking rooster can wrap its spurs around its target’s limbs and break the skin. In addition, roosters also use beaks and talons to scratch and cause pain.
Most roosters also rely on their wings to chase away intruders from their territory. For adults, getting beat by a rooster’s wings may not be as bad. However, an attacking rooster with spread wings can be particularly menacing to kids, as they look bigger than their actual size.
Some breeds of roosters also have a high tendency to be more aggressive than others. Treating and soothing talks rarely work in these cases, and they will readily attack anyone, including their owners.
Types Of Rooster Attacks
Traditionally, roosters were bred for fighting in cockfights, so they are excellent at guarding and defending. There are four types of roosters’ attacks:
- Chasing: Most roosters first chase their threat before resorting to pecking and scratching. A rooster does not chase humans for fun or to be mean but is simply chasing away the potential threat to its territory.
- Pecking: Pecking is usually a natural chick behavior, but when a rooster attacks, it can peck at the eyes. In the case of children, a rooster pecking the eye is not just dangerous but can have tragic results.
- Flogging: A threatened rooster flies at the target and uses its wings to beat it up. Flogging can be a scary experience for both kids and adults, especially if the rooster is a breed with large wings.
- Spurring: For a rooster to spur humans, it needs to get close, and this is what it will do if chasing and flogging don’t work. When a rooster spurs, it scratches, rakes with its sharp talons, and spurs which can warrant a visit to the ER.
Recognizing Aggressive Rooster Behavior
Although some particularly aggressive ones can be sneaky about their attacks, you can usually tell when a rooster is going to attack.
So watch out for these signs:
- Walking sideways without the wings spread
- Fluffing up the neck feathers while making loud noises
- Strutting and posturing with a tall walk
- Flapping its wings and making a loud noise without crowing
- Lowering its head and fluffing its neck feathers while staring
- Scratching the ground while picking up and throwing twigs
Recognizing these signs of an aggressive rooster can protect your kid from a vicious rooster attack. In addition, it can also prevent you from a trip to the emergency room.
Conclusion
Roosters have a natural disposition to guard and defend their territory and chicks from intruders. Therefore, an unruly behavior from a rooster is simply an exhibition to assert their dominance and protect their territory.
However, apart from a few stray ones, most roosters will not attack and pose a danger to humans unless they feel threatened.
Aggressive behavior, violence, and intimating a proud rooster will only make it more defensive. Training a rooster from a young age to be social and get used to being around humans will boost its confidence and will prevent them from attacking.
