Rooster treats

Hi all,

I am new to the chicken hobby and right now have one rooster (who came from my neighbor who had to thin his out) and two chicken coops under
construction and almost ready to bring in some hens. I want to get my rooster to warm up to me what are some things or treats that you all have
made or feed your roosters that they really like. I want to get on his good side if i can. He has been a little cranky being moved from his other
environment to this one with no hens right now.

also in your experience how do roosters respond to the lawn mower? my husband has a push mower and we just wanted to get an idea of
what to expect from him. will he attack the mower or my husband or will he keep his distance from the mower and my husband?

Like I said I am new at this Chicken thing.,

Thanks,

Hi. Personally I don't believe in making friends with my roo. He understands that I am the alpha roo (even though I'm a hen) and he keeps his distance from me. I don't want him to get so comfortable with me that he thinks about challenging me for the alpha position. You can read on my BYC page as to how/why I came to this decision.

As for treats, which are about the only time my roo will come close to me, he likes everything the girls like. I hand him the treat and he passes it on to the closest hen, like a good roo should. He loves bread and will eat a little of that while at the same time making sure the girls get plenty.

The one treat that my rooster loves and tries not to share is figs. He adores figs. Of course figs are pretty dang expensive if you have to buy them in the store, but I have a huge clump of fig trees.

The mower doesn't bother my roo or hens, but they are not allowed in the yard. As chicks it did bother them. Now whenever my roo hears the mower or any of the farm equipment running, he just moves the girls further into the woods.

My rooster "Mr. Bigs" loves bread ( which too much of is not good for them). I give fruit and veggies as treats. Cherry tomatoes and strawberries, lettuce , cooked squash, cook pumpkin, water melon, cantaloup , sunflower seeds all are welcome treats to them.
As for the mower..... mine run from it , they don't come near me while I mow . I do try to make it clear I am not "charging" at Mr Bigs with it . I go slow and give them time to get out of my way so they don't feel threatened and go into defense mode protect the girls.

I really like what you said Gritsar about Thor and Zeus. I thought it was a good idea to have a rooster comfortable with
your presence in the yard. I was so wrong about roosters, i am new to the chicken hobby and it shows. i do have one
question, how do you pick up a rooster that does not let you come close enough to pick him up? can i still establish
the alpha roo when i cannot pick him up and hold him tightly like you had mentioned. he so far is not attacking me
i have had him 2 days, how do i keep the distance that he likes to keep between me and him or better stated how
do i make sure that he does not get too comfortable with me.

Quote:
I should note here that this is my own preference with my roo. Others have cuddlebug roosters and that's just fine for them. My own personal experience with them is that if you have a roo without a single aggressive bone in his body and you cuddle him, you have done nothing but created a cuddlebug rooster. If however as a baby (while they are all still cute and cuddly) you handle him alot and he does have some aggressiveness somewhere deep down inside, when you cuddle him you take away that little bit of fear. The one thing that may prevent him from thinking about challenging you when he grows up.
If I do need to handle Thor during the daytime, which isn't often, I simply draw him near with a treat he can't resist and pick him up. Otherwise, for his weekly health checks and such, I just wait until they have all gone to roost in the coop at night and go in and take him off the roost. Chickens are much more docile when they're roosting at night.
On the rare occasion that Thor invades my space (during the day) I just forcibly step towards him, stomping my feet as I go. He automatically steps back. Thor is comfortable with my presence in (their) yard, but he never takes his eyes off of me.
Just my opinion, but I'll take a roo that is good to his girls and keeps his distance from humans over a cuddlebug any day. Already went through that with Zeus. Ain't going there again.

Thanks Gritsar, what you said was very helpful. i am just wondering what kind of things can i do
to my rooster Roy, that will let him know that I am the alpha roo? i am not sure if i can
pick him us as he keeps his distance about harms length from me. our situation is quite unique too, so
far we have him and two chicken coops under construction. when they are done we will get some
hens for him. our neighbor who knew that we were going to do chickens gave him to us because
he was roaming his yard and did not want him there. I am wondering also if having just One
rooster or chicken for that matter will make him more aggressive towards us or in general because he has no
women at the moment. he did fly at my kids last night but when my husband booted him he
backed off and salked in the corner of the yard.

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Ut oh, this does not bode well for him, already going after the kids. We have a 3 year old GS and even though my Thor has never shown any aggression at all, I don't allow him to be around where the GS is playing. Kids move too fast, are often louder than adults (LOL, typed "humans", forgetting that kids are also considered human ) roos may misinterpret a child's actions. I just won't trust a roo around young kids. They are just at the right height to get an eye taken out by a spur.

What your DH did was just what needed to be done. I'm not saying abuse the roo, but definitely don't back down to him. Don't be scared of him. Even a huge roo like mine is still a pretty small creature when you think about it. If he invades your space - say an imaginary 3 ft. circle around you - stomp towards him. Make him back up and never be the first to turn away. Make him leave.

Good luck with him. I don't imagine his behavior getting better when you get hens for him. It may very well get worse when he has something/someone to protect.
Keep in mind, that if you buy young hens (pullets) you would be better off not introducing them to the roo until they are close to laying age.

Thank you Gritsar, you replys have been most helpful. I am wondering where the balance between establishing
myself as the alpha rooster and him thinking that i am a threat is. by doing these things right now to
establish myself as alpha roo, when we get the hens in a little while will these things that i am doing in
his mind cause him to think that i am a threat to him and his hens? and do I have to pick him up and hold him
upside down like i have read on some other threads to establish myself as alpha roo? Maybe i am the chicken
but i have very little skills on handeling him, don't really know even how to get him, he does run from me which i guess is good, but i cannot
figure out how to pick him up, or even if i really need to.

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I don't like the idea of picking them up and holding them upside down and I'll tell you why. A chickens lungs aren't where you'd expect them to be, they are more towards their back than chest. I don't know of any cases of this personally, but I've read that they can smother them if you hang them upside down incorrectly. The other organs and muscle can crush the lungs. Again, not something I've seen, only read.
Where is this rooster roosting at night? That's when I would pick him up initially, to get him and you more comfortable with handling. Picking him up as you would a small dog and holding him close to your chest may be all that's needed to dominate him.
ETA: If he continues to avoid you that's all well and good. That's what you want. No further action on your part may be necessary. Getting him used to being held should be done anyways, just to get both of you more comfortable, just please keep him away from the kids.
Good luck

Thank you so much Gritsar, you have been most helpful, I need someone like you to help me understand
the know how of roosters. I am new to the hobby and feel like I am a bit over my head. I am learning
so much from you and appreciate your willingness to reply to my posts. I am keeping the kids away
from the rooster, weather permiting we should be able to get the hens soon when the coops are
completed. Do you recommend putting a top on the chicken pen or is a 6 ft. wire fence enough?