How to raise a rooster?

My little Bantam Rooster Orlie is about 7 weeks old. He is the only Roo I have and have a total of 11 birds. Orlie is one of the most friendly, he will ho up on my lap let me pet him till he falls asleep. I was told to not get friendly with a rooster because they need to be at the bottom of the pole? If I allowed him to become friendly he would be trouble when he is grown.

I need you advice oh wise ones.


It doesn't make sense to me to ignore him when it seems as if his nature is lovable. I admit ignorance to raising chickens as these are my first, but I am pretty good at raising well adjusted humans, dogs and cats.

The best roos I have are the "wild" ones....I turn em loose in the yard and ignore them - so they ignore me or are shy of me.

My more tamer rooster.....likes me just fine, but attacks strangers and those who do not stand up to him. So yes, in my experience, if you are friends with your rooster, he will grow up to challenge you and everyone else for top of the flock position.

If you handle him when he's young, it will just allow who he is to show itself faster. If he tends toward aggression when he gets to mating age, then he will be aggressive, even if he was the friendliest chick of the bunch. He'll feel more like an equal and will attack when the hormones start raging. If he is non human aggressive, he will only be made more of a pet by handling. In either case, handling or not handling won't change who he really is, if you understand what I'm saying. The friendliest boy of the last Delaware hatch became a biter and flogger at 14 weeks old. The slightly less friendly one is the one I kept. He is a real sweetheart, too, at over a year old.

Thanks for the quick replies, I try to handle all of them each day. Most come over for affection but three are still a little standoffish. The two SLW wont let me get close but today did come to see what I was feeding. Today the Ameraucana( Izzy) who has been very shy actually jumped on my lap stretched her neck and took a god look at me. It was all I could do not to grab her and hug her. I am a patient woman and I know I will win them over.

Quote:
I love this answer. Very well put.

last year I ordered chicks and I had this cute little chickie coming to me and I even could put him on my shoulder as a chick. He loved me. TILL he hit that age, then bam he attacked me all the time. the kids couldn't go out side. He literaly had me shaking in my boots when I went to tend the chickens. I didn't want to got see my chickens anymore. then one day one of my hens had something on her wing, I squatted down to take a closer look and he jumped OVER the hen at me and beaked me in the corner of my glasses (if I didn't have glasses on........) he was really mean. I had other roos that never gave me grief so why was I putting up with him. well after that incident............ he became chicken spagetti (he was good then) then my next in line stepping up to the plate and he started to get aggressive but with him....... somehow it's different, I can't explain it, but when he gets in that mood, I talk loudly/ sturn to him ( I tell him "I'm gonna go get daddy) and he usually backs away. My husband can pick him up and he'll hand the roo to me so I can walk around with him for awhile. That lasts about a week. but he is NO where NEAR like the other roo. I believe we made the right decision with the 1st roo. but like I said he was so nice as a chick. But now I see that he was top roo'in me from the get go. we'll see what happens with our newbies.

remember having chickens should be enjoyable, if it scares you to be around one....... Eat it!

Quote:
I agree. My Zeus was the friendlist, most petted chick I had. Then the teens and hormones hit him. He wasn't afraid of me or anyone else, having been handled on a daily basis. That just made it easier for him to attack.
Thor I have never handled. If I need to do a health check or doctor him, I go into the coop and pick him up. He's calm and cooperative with me, but you can tell he's really not comfortable with it. In the light of day he avoids me, just like he would avoid an alpha rooster.

"Familiarity breeds contempt".

That old saying had to have been coined by someone with roosters!

I have a sweet baby roo too. It is hard to ignore them when they are so cute and lovable. HE LOOKS JUST LIKE YOURS~

I know how you feel, I have two little Welsumer roos and I'm not sure which way I'm going handle. One of them is pretty standoff-ish and isn't in to being handled, so he may just get his wish. The other is actually the gentlest and most calm of the bunch. In fact, I was positive he was a hen until I was checking him out the other day and noticed his comb and wattles were coming in way ahead as well as the black chest feathers. I very curious to see what fall brings and how they'll behave.