We have chickens - a bunch of hens and one rooster. My wife kept the rooster because we let the chicken free-range during the day and she figured the rooster provided some protection against predators. He has large, sharp spurs and can be aggressive.
My wife went down to the barn today and got attacked by the rooster. He crept up behind her and dug a spur into her quad and a spur into her hamstring. She was hurting and beat the rooster to within an inch of his life. Its easy to get angry with them and decide to let them attack each other.
What is funny about how our culture has changed is that my wife and kids have no desire to eat the chickens (they treat them like pets). They are avid meat eater. My mom and dad (prof of Vet Med emeritus) grew up during the depression and could NEVER think of chickens as anything other than food.