Signs of a Good Rooster?

[k42001]

chickenchatten he is a Birchen Cochin Bantam

 

[ChickenChatten]

Well I'm back! My chickens are now going on 19 Weeks old! I have split apart the hens and the roosters and am trying my rooster I showed a picture of before in with them for awhile to decide if he is good for them or not. I'm curious though, he has started to try and mount them, and when doing so, suddenly grabs there neck feathers and tries to get on. He's only been trying with one hen, and every time he has she flees and squawks. She has lost a few neck feathers too, nothing drastic though.

So I'm wondering, is it usual for roosters to be a bit rough when they first start mounting or is my roo a bad egg? Other than that behavior he is a good rooster, so far. He doesn't run away when I walk up and is very easy to catch and hold. He's not much for sitting in my lap, but will let me hold him as long as I like. I moved him in with the hens because one morning the other roos were gang beating him in a corner. I had to pull them off while he cowered there until I picked him up and looked him over for any injuries.

Thank you for the help!

 

[jwilson48]

the neck feather grabbing is normal. at least with most roosters ive seen.

 

[ChickenChatten]

the neck feather grabbing is normal. at least with most roosters ive seen.

Thanks! I'm new to roosters, so I just wanted to be sure.

 

[GollyFluff]

My mother bought a few chicks from the local feed & seed in Spring 2012 for my kids. They were cuddled and held a LOT. All were very docile as they grew. About 3 months later her neighbor's dog found them, and Fred was able to protect a few. My oldest nursed Fred back to health, and the neighbor replaced the lost birds. A few months later, my mother relocated for work, and we inherited her flock of 8 birds. his was the first time I'd seen them. Fred seemed fine at the time, but my oldest son was handling him. I learned really quickly that Fred had a mean streak; I was spurred while feeding them within the first week. Bubba, my oldest, catches him with relative ease (he does attempt to evade, but isn't aggressive towards my oldest), and once caught, Fred will eat from anyone's hand. He's never flapped, struggled, or pecked while being held. Doesn't seem to care who holds him either, once he's caught. But when he's on the ground, he'll go after any of us except Bubba.

I've never tolerated aggressive behavior in animals, and tried to re-home Fred after he spurred my middle son. Bubba, who's always been a tough young man, almost lost his composure and was on the verge of tears. DH said Fred does his job in protecting the ladies, and refused to send Fred away. So, Bubba accompanies anyone other than DH into the run. If neither of them are available for security detail, I arm myself with a short-handled shovel to push Fred away if he gets too close. It's an inconvenience, to be sure, but the other roosters we've had seem to be scared of their own shadows, and I wouldn't trust the ladies to be protected by roos with such skittish temperaments.

 

[Chambertin]

Good to hear from you again.

Pulling of the neck feathers, so I hear and believe, is to let the girl know its time to move the tail feathers out of the way. It shouldnt pluck any feathers as the roo learns his strength but still wont look very nice. Dont worry unless feathers end up missing from necks or backs, that shouldn't be happening after he learns that too much pull = girl runs away.

Poor guy is at the very low end of the totem pole with the boys, you'll always have to watch him as the flock comes together because he will be used to having his way with the girls and the other roos will attack him and hard when they see him mating.

About the other rooster who is attacking family members:
I dont recommend that you push him as it will signal him to fight. Grab him and hold him hard, or hang him upside down by his feet. This way he will learn to be submissive near you because you mean business and will not hesitate to confine him. Pushing is just a challenge. Stand tall, corner him, grab and hold. What they learn early on is hard to change, so get him in a submissive position asap.

 

[ChickenChatten]

Good to hear from you again.

Pulling of the neck feathers, so I hear and believe, is to let the girl know its time to move the tail feathers out of the way. It shouldnt pluck any feathers as the roo learns his strength but still wont look very nice. Dont worry unless feathers end up missing from necks or backs, that shouldn't be happening after he learns that too much pull = girl runs away.

Poor guy is at the very low end of the totem pole with the boys, you'll always have to watch him as the flock comes together because he will be used to having his way with the girls and the other roos will attack him and hard when they see him mating.

About the other rooster who is attacking family members:
I dont recommend that you push him as it will signal him to fight. Grab him and hold him hard, or hang him upside down by his feet. This way he will learn to be submissive near you because you mean business and will not hesitate to confine him. Pushing is just a challenge. Stand tall, corner him, grab and hold. What they learn early on is hard to change, so get him in a submissive position asap.

I really really appreciate the help from you. I have to say that you have dealt your hand in the way that I handle and care for my roosters, and I sincerely appreciate it, since you are a more experienced owner, whereas I am a beginner. So thank you! I'll take these tips to action. Here's an updated picture on the poor guy. It really was a terrible scene, I was in a bit of a rush to help him out. He's turning into a handsome roo though, isn't he?

 

[Tednchickens]

i have a 13 week old BO rooster. in the last 2 weeks, he's started attacking the hens and mounting them. he seems to like ambushing them. sometimes he gets what he wants, sometimes the hens stand up and flap their wings at him. either way, they squawk like murder. he seems uninterested in where they are or in protecting them. will he mature so that he protects them? i read somewhere that a good rooster courts his hens and doesn't ambush them. if they go around a corner, he goes the other way around and gets them. so should i wait and see how he matures? or are his ways set already? i also have 2 5 week old welsummer roosters, i believe. i heard BO roosters make good roosters--how about welsummers?

 

[Chambertin]

If he doesn't start trying the wing down & circle dance within his first couple weeks he probably wont bother learning it.
Unfortunately the ambush tactic is not a sign of a good rooster.
That tactic has its merits out in the wild, but not in a closed single or double rooster flock.

Try to keep a close eye and do whatever you can to discourage the activity. When there are no other roosters around you have to start looking out for the flock and correcting behavior as if you are the big comb on campus.
Good luck!

 

[Tednchickens]

Thanks for the info. He certainly doesn't do any circle dance! In the mornings, DH says he stamps his feet in front of them, and I've seen him do that once. I thought maybe that was courting behavior? I'll pounce on him when I see him ambushing a hen. I've done that before, but wasn't sure if it was the right thing to do.