Challenging your Alpha Rooster

[BBStacker]

Hi, I'm new to byc ownership and joined this group recently as well. My flock is made of 3 hens and 2 roos (all 5 month old RIR). I've read through many posts explaining ways to train your roosters and looking for signs of aggressive behaviors.

My alpha too (Tornado) has been the first to show any (though minor with no injuries) signs of aggression (my pet cat and the flock only). He challenges the beta (Thunder) and they'll have staring competitions with neck feathers flaired. Thunder has always been the first to look away and go back to food hunting every time I observe these spats (reason why I think he's beta...plus I find him alone somewhat more often than tornado). Tornado will come back for more and it'll go for a few minutes until I move even slightly. Then tornado will look at me, leave thunder alone and go back to scratching for food. A couple times I've observed wing flapping claw attacks but they always end after two attempts and they act like nothing has happened. He does this with the hens but their acceptance of his staring contest is either much shorter before they run or they just run.

A couple days ago, I was with my chickens and had taken a hen (Rosie) to remind her I was around by holding her down on the ground and petting her. Tornado saw this and walked up looking at her and started to peck at her comb as if it had a bug on it. Seemed to me he was either telling her, "whatever you did, you deserve it." Or saying hi. I shooed him away a couple times and he just kept coming back (slowly, not aggressively as if he was only curious) so I released Rosie (who stayed until I had Tornado) and put tornado in the same position until he stayed.

Questions: What do I make of his behavior? Was he challenging me or trying to get in on the action with Rosie? Also is it possible to challenge an alpha rooster and solidify yourself as Alpha. I've tried his staring contests and "flapping my wings" but he seems to ignore me like he says, "Dude! Nobody cares about you. You're not a threat. Give me bread or go away."

Any thoughts?

Also, in case you're curious, I stay with them about once or twice a day pending on my schedule but check in on them at least four times a day to do a head count.

--BBS

 

[Pyxis]

It doesn't sound like he's challenging you. A rooster that's challenging you will run up to you and bump you, and will kick and flog at you. Plus his behavior of immediately ceasing to fight when you make a move is submissive, too - dominant roosters often will not allow other roosters to fight in their presence and break it up, so by ceasing to fight in your presence he is acknowledging your dominance. If he was really upset that you were handling the hen and was being aggressive he would have outright attacked you. Plus, you pinned him down and asserted your dominance, and he accepted it.

However, one thing I would like to note is that you need more hens. You cannot keep a two rooster to three hen ratio, the hens are going to be barebacked and miserable, and quite possibly injured by all the mating. For each rooster you should have five to ten hens, the closer to ten the better.

 

[tina love]

You will know when you are being attached by a roster! I think my guy is hallarius! He will drop his wings and come "hoping " my way... When I run at him he's like maybe not today but I am watching you....

 

[microchick]

My alpha Buff O does the same thing if I handle one of our hens. We have 6 young pullets that are 5 weeks younger than our oldest hens and as a result (we bought them as pullets) haven't been handled as much as the others. If I happen to have an opportunity to handle one of the younger hens, I will and naturally they are screaming bloody murder. Red will immediately come running over to see what all the commotion is about and will stand about 8 inches from my leg and watch intently to make sure I'm not hurting one of his girls. When I put her back down, he will start vocalizing and will immediately run over to the hen and give her a peck on the head as if to say "Why were you acting like that! She didn't hurt you! Now behave yourself!

Then things go back to normal.

You've put a lot of work into your roosters and it shows. But I have to agree with pyxis. You need less roosters and more hens. I can sympathize with you. I have 5 roosters and 13 hens. I started out with 7 hens, added six and removed two roosters from the flock. I may have to remove one of our beautiful Welsummer roos as he has something wrong with both hocks. Two is a better number for 13 hens as long as the hens do not become stressed by them. It's hard to make the decision of who stays and who goes, even if one of the ones that goes is a biter.

Funny thing is that I can't even give these boys away. At the moment they are in a separate pen.

That's bad when you can't even tempt the Amish going by in their buggies when you have a sign out that says "Free Chicken Dinner!" 2 roosters FREE!

 

[BBStacker]

However, one thing I would like to note is that you need more hens. You cannot keep a two rooster to three hen ratio, the hens are going to be barebacked and miserable, and quite possibly injured by all the mating. For each rooster you should have five to ten hens, the closer to ten the better.

Thanks for the heads up. I read about this when we got our 6 chicks (one pullet disappeared a month ago between 10 pm and 10 am saturday morning without a trace). I got 3 pullets and 3 random rirs and ended up with two roosters (possibly a accidental in pullets). Our intention was to either have chicken soup or rehome a rooster but now I don't want to do either. I prefer more hens but dh says no.

If I can talk him into it, can I get some sex link chicks, raise them and integrate them into the flock safely when they're about two or three months old or is it better to find some hens about the same age and integrate them as soon as quarantine time frames have passed (hoping for surprise breeding to happen later and get naturally bred and raised chicks later).

 

[shortgrass]

He was probably more curious on what you were DOING to his lady ha-ha It doesn't sound likevhecwas challenging you, in fact, by the way he ignores you, he sees you as no threat, or knows YOU are the alpha... He will only challenge you if he flares or aises his hackles to YOU, at which point you would do the "submission" hold, where you hold him down and calm him.

What you're seeing us just two roos establishing alpha/beta pecking order. Definitely need more hens or one less roo, or they WILL end up fighting, and the hens will get defeathered from 2 males constantly mating them.... Keep spending time out with them, and make sure the roos know YOU are the boss; don't let them challenge you, but also know that the older he gets, the more testosterone he will have and his need to protect his hens will increase. As long as you don't mess with his ladies in front of him lol, he should be just fine

 

[microchick]

I would try to find hens that are as close to your flock age as possible. I had very little trouble integrating our 6 younger hens into the original flock. The youngest is 5 weeks younger than the older hens and roosters. We have three that are around 15 weeks and three that are about 17-18 weeks old. Our original flock is 20 weeks old this weekend. I bought them from the same breeder who sold us our original flock and saw no need to do a lengthy quarantine. I let the birds tell me when they were ready to be turned loose together. They were kept in a fenced off area of the main run and their own coop. About 4 days after they came home, I went out one afternoon and discovered that the new hens had found their way over the fence and running with the older chickens. Okay, no major pecking, no fussing, all was good.

Talking about funny rooster behavior. I just came in from evening coop duty. I have been wanting to catch our Welsummer ro that has the bad hocks to check them and let the hens get inside along with the alpha rooster before making an attempt to catch him. These boys have always been respectful to us. They move away when we are working in the coop or run and to date have never pecked or done anything other stay out of our way. So he immediately started screaming for his life as I galloped around after him. Their coop entrance for the run is a hinged flap door and I had only closed it without locking it and suddenly Red the Alpha comes barreling through the door, pushing it up and charging down the ramp to see who is being murdered. Keep in mind, I have two roosters and one hen in the run all three yelling at the top of their lungs that alarm call that only a chicken can make. Red is screaming the hens in the coop are screaming. Red runs towards me and his whole body language is 'What the H is Going On Out Here!" and I'm thinking, oh crap, they have me surrounded! So I start screaming along with them. I'm pretty good with imitating chicken vocalizations. I can do the 'treat' 'tuuk tuuk tuuk' sound they make and can imitate a hen egg song along with a crow. So when I joined in the alarm call they all immediately started to look around because if the 'Boss' is alarmed something is really wrong. Red finally retreated back to the coop reassured that all was well and I was able to catch the rooster I'd been chasing.

I can't say I blame you for not wanting to resort to option one or option 2. I took care of my two bachelor birds wearing welding gloves. I still got pecked but this time it didn't hurt.

 

[Syowell]

It doesn't sound like he's challenging you. A rooster that's challenging you will run up to you and bump you, and will kick and flog at you. Plus his behavior of immediately ceasing to fight when you make a move is submissive, too - dominant roosters often will not allow other roosters to fight in their presence and break it up, so by ceasing to fight in your presence he is acknowledging your dominance. If he was really upset that you were handling the hen and was being aggressive he would have outright attacked you. Plus, you pinned him down and asserted your dominance, and he accepted it.

However, one thing I would like to note is that you need more hens. You cannot keep a two rooster to three hen ratio, the hens are going to be barebacked and miserable, and quite possibly injured by all the mating. For each rooster you should have five to ten hens, the closer to ten the better.

w

He was probably more curious on what you were DOING to his lady ha-ha It doesn't sound likevhecwas challenging you, in fact, by the way he ignores you, he sees you as no threat, or knows YOU are the alpha... He will only challenge you if he flares or aises his hackles to YOU, at which point you would do the "submission" hold, where you hold him down and calm him.

What you're seeing us just two roos establishing alpha/beta pecking order. Definitely need more hens or one less roo, or they WILL end up fighting, and the hens will get defeathered from 2 males constantly mating them.... Keep spending time out with them, and make sure the roos know YOU are the boss; don't let them challenge you, but also know that the older he gets, the more testosterone he will have and his need to protect his hens will increase. As long as you don't mess with his ladies in front of him lol, he should be just fine

what

 

[Syowell]

What about 2 roos to 5 hens? We can't find anyone to take one of our roosters...