Rooster: mad or mate

[CluckNorris4eva]

I have a buff Orpington roo and he is the nicest thing, never pecks me but I have noticed he will stomp his feet at me or the hens but he isn’t threatening. He seems to be trying to impress me he is slmost 18 weeks btw
Oh and we are intergrating him into our existing flock with two other hens. I just want to make sure he is okay

 

[Fwoof]

I have a buff Orpington roo and he is the nicest thing, never pecks me but I have noticed he will stomp his feet at me or the hens but he isn’t threatening. He seems to be trying to impress me he is slmost 18 weeks btw
Oh and we are intergrating him into our existing flock with two other hens. I just want to make sure he is okay

He's most likely displaying dominance young cockerel style. It's nothing to worry about!
Here are some other strange rooster behaviors he might do when he gets older...

If he circles a hen and flicks his wing on the ground, or if he picks up food and throws it while chittering, these are both courting behavior.
And the one that most beginners often mistake for aggression is if you see him mount a hen and tightly grab the back of her neck with his beak. This isn't aggression. This is mating.

I thought it might help you to know these behaviors, as well!

 

[CluckNorris4eva]

He's most likely displaying dominance young cockerel style. It's nothing to worry about!
Here are some other strange rooster behaviors he might do when he gets older...

If he circles a hen and flicks his wing on the ground, or if he picks up food and throws it while chittering, these are both courting behavior.
And the one that most beginners often mistake for aggression is if you see him mount a hen and tightly grab the back of her neck with his beak. This isn't aggression. This is mating.

I thought it might help you to know these behaviors, as well!

Thank you!! He is my first rooster so I am unfamiliar with all the normal and not normal stuff. That is a relief! Thank you!!!!

 

[Ridgerunner]

He is my first rooster so I am unfamiliar with all the normal and not normal stuff.

Then this might help you. I wrote it a few years back. This describes "idealized" behavior between consenting adults. It's usually quite different between immature cockerels and immature pullets.


Mating Between Consenting Adults

1. The rooster dances to show his intentions. He lowers a wing and sort of sidesteps around the hen.

2. The hen squats. This gets her body on the ground so the rooster's weight goes into the ground through her body instead of just her legs. Most roosters of the same breed as the hen are heavier than the hen so the squat is nature's way of protecting her legs and joints.

3. The rooster hops on and grabs the back of her head. This head grab helps line him up correctly and helps him keep his balance, but the main purpose is to tell her to raise her tail up out of the way so he can hit the target. Without the head grab he would not be able to get to the target so there would be no fertile eggs.

4. The rooster touches her vent with his. That deposits the sperm. This may take a couple of seconds or may be over in a flash.

5. The rooster hops off, his part is done. The hen stands up, fluffs up her feathers, and shakes. This fluffy shake gets the sperm in a special container where it can stay viable from a week to maybe three weeks.

It doesn't always go this way between adults. Sometimes the rooster does not dance but just grabs and hops on. No harm no foul, but it shows he does not have the self-confidence he should. Sometimes the hen runs away instead of squatting. The rooster may let her go or he may give chase. If he chases the hen may immediately squat, she just wanted to know he was serious. He may stop the chase pretty quickly and let her go. He may chase her down and force her. As long as she squats and is not injured it's all OK. Even when he forces her it is usually not very violent.

 

[CluckNorris4eva]

Tha

Then this might help you. I wrote it a few years back. This describes "idealized" behavior between consenting adults. It's usually quite different between immature cockerels and immature pullets.


Mating Between Consenting Adults

1. The rooster dances to show his intentions. He lowers a wing and sort of sidesteps around the hen.

2. The hen squats. This gets her body on the ground so the rooster's weight goes into the ground through her body instead of just her legs. Most roosters of the same breed as the hen are heavier than the hen so the squat is nature's way of protecting her legs and joints.

3. The rooster hops on and grabs the back of her head. This head grab helps line him up correctly and helps him keep his balance, but the main purpose is to tell her to raise her tail up out of the way so he can hit the target. Without the head grab he would not be able to get to the target so there would be no fertile eggs.

4. The rooster touches her vent with his. That deposits the sperm. This may take a couple of seconds or may be over in a flash.

5. The rooster hops off, his part is done. The hen stands up, fluffs up her feathers, and shakes. This fluffy shake gets the sperm in a special container where it can stay viable from a week to maybe three weeks.

It doesn't always go this way between adults. Sometimes the rooster does not dance but just grabs and hops on. No harm no foul, but it shows he does not have the self-confidence he should. Sometimes the hen runs away instead of squatting. The rooster may let her go or he may give chase. If he chases the hen may immediately squat, she just wanted to know he was serious. He may stop the chase pretty quickly and let her go. He may chase her down and force her. As long as she squats and is not injured it's all OK. Even when he forces her it is usually not very violent.

thank you so much!!!! It really helps to know what all this stuff means and that all this is normal!!