Ugh! Stupid young rooster...

[Stephine]

Argh. I had hopes for this roo and I still do, but not as much now... Mixed young flock, Welsumer roo, all about 5 months old, first pullets started laying.
Now my roo ( I have two, actually, the other was supposed to be a pullet and behaves like one except for some crowing in the morning) who has been all roo since he was tiny, crowing at 6 weeks, has started to eye me suspiciously whenever I show up and puts himself in front of his hens (and one roo) showing me his side. When I have something in my hands he doesn't like, he jumps at it. First, he knocked the grit/oystershell feeder out of my hands as I picked it up to refill. Few days later he jumped at a bag. Then gave ground predator alarm. Last time he jumped at me as I put the clean up bucket on the roost, after scraping off the poop boards. I had the egg basket (luckily still empty) in my other hand and knocked him back with that and yelled at him, which made him stop and assume his sideways pose again, eying me. I just stood until he finally lowered his head to peck at something, then I left the coop. Argh. He is making me really nervous now, when I have to reach in the coop for anything (the coop is on stilts, so the chickens are closer to my face) or bend down to look in the nest boxes...
My hunch is, he is just nervous for some reason and I try to give him space while at the same time moving assuredly through the run, and make him get out of my way when he "blocks" my path. When he positions himself sideways I usually aim for his tail as I walk towards him and he will move for me... I started shutting them all out of the coop now when I do morning chores in there, to avoid rooster freak outs...
The other thing that confuses me is that when I let the chickens out into their run in the morning ((i usually prepare a fresh weed "buffet" for them firat and they all race out to get to it), he will discipline any hen he can get close enough to, at least that's what it looks like. Everybody gets a good jab. I have only ever seen him do it in this situation and I wonder what is going on. Is he trying to get them to stay behind till he gives the ok? Is he trying to impress me? I have no clue.
I sure hope he'll settle down again!

 

[Dondo]

Stephine, Only read through the first page of the responses to your question, so I may be repeating someone, but let me tell you what I did with a rooster who had an issue with who really is in charge of the flock. Our oldest rooster (out of four), had an issue with only me. My wife can pick him up and pet him like a puppy, but let me come within striking distance, and he was all into the spurring issue (worst one was on my left butt cheek). Anyhow, after doing some research on rooster dominance (wife won't let me turn him into compost), I found a post which stated that I ought to try establishing my dominance like a rooster does. So, out into the backyard I went, threw my hands up in the air (similar to the karate kid movie pose), waved them around, crowing all the while I chased him around the yard and back into the run/coop area. The post which recommended this to me stated that a rooster shows its submission when it turns and runs away, thus my chasing him around the yard and such. It only took a couple of days, 2 or 3 times a day to really establish this dominance with him and I have not had an issue with him since. He will generally clear completely out of my way when I head into the coop. I can now turn my back on him without the worry of being spurred in the rear.
Course now, the neighbors had a good laugh at the crazy old fool running around the yard crowing like a rooster, chasing one. But my butt is much happier not having to worry about spurs, so who cares?
Hope this will help you.
Best regards,
Don

 

[Pork Pie]

Ha! My son has a whole arsenal of large water guns, I might borrow one....
I'll try the route of impressing on him that I am nothing to be defending against, by avoiding confrontation and not reacting to blustering behavior first. If that doesn't work I might try putting him in his place, I just worry that the price I'll have to pay for that is constant vigilance.
That said, when the roo jumped at my dog over and over again the other day for trying to smell his behind, my dog, seeing that backing up and being non threatening wasn't doing the trick, pinned him to the ground and held him there for a few seconds. When I asked the dog to let the roo go, the roo got up, shook himself and walked off (nothing hurt but his pride). He hasn't come close to the dog since and the dog is completely relaxed around him...

Good for your dog!

I'd personally take a leaf out of his book. Having said that, I've been accused of being cruel by using a water spray in the past

but you should do what feels right for you. Here's a link that you may find interesting to read - https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/1101665/the-complete-life-cycle-of-a-mostly-happy-rooster

From my experience, once a rooster understands that you are dominant, there's little need to worry. He challenges you, you win, so he respects you - that's chicken society (but reminding him of who is boss is a good thing - I do it on an almost daily basis with my roo, only by simply walking purposefully towards him - he gets outta the way - job done). I should say that I made a horrible mistake, through ignorance, with my first roo and he attacked me and paid the price. In retrospect, my lack of knowledge of appropriate behaviour was the cause of his demise - not him.

 

[Kev]

The welsumer roo IS aggressive if he is already doing all that by 5 months old. One of those you never can trust no matter how you handle his aggression. Example he may try sneak attacking the dog later on- waiting until the dog is looking or walking the other way and he runs up to kick in the rear... same with you if you try various advise like picking him up and carrying him around to "humiliate" him etc.

Hate to say this as aggression is more related to lines, rather than breeds but there are more than a few accounts of welsumer roosters being people attackers, also starting very young- running full on across the yard to claw a kid in the face/back etc.

The brahma will be fine with the hens you listed. While brahmas really can get that heavy, often times hatchery stock are lighter- roosters with more of a tall type with long legs and big puffy necks making them look way huge. A lot of it feathers, though....

Him grabbing necks and not knowing to do after is quite normal. He will figure it out fast once the pullets are starting to come into lay and are more willing to be bred.

Bottom line you don't really need roosters, unless you want to hatch eggs. The girls will be fine without a rooster around.

 

[Nineplus5]

Do you need two roo?

 

[Pork Pie]

Cockerels can be a real pain - I think we've all been there at some point or other. Re: food and pecking - it seems like he has not gotten the hang of tit-bitting for the girls, which is understandable at that age.

RE: his aggression towards you - now that is an issue. Whilst you could try to rehabilitate him, I'm not sure its worth the effort IMO. Search for "rehabilitating roosters" or dealing with "aggressive roosters" and you should find lots of threads on the topic.

I've found that cockerels are better treated as livestock, not pets. They should not approach you or invade your space, and must always move out of your way. If one can treat them in this way from a young age, then they can turn out to be a pleasure to have. I actually find cockerels easier to manage when i have brought them into the flock from an outside source (rather than rearing my own) - they are naturally wary of me as a stranger and I reinforce this.

Good luck
CT

 

[Stephine]

Do you need two roo?  

No, I don't want two roosters in the long run. I was keeping the brahma roo around just in case the Welsumer didn't work out - though I am still worried he might end up being too big for the smaller hens. That's why I picked a Welsumer roo for my mixed flock.

 

[Nineplus5]

Gotcha.

Possible roos here are a young Black Austolorp (99%) sure and a NH Red (a maybe at 50/50). Only need/want one. Nice guy wins

 

[Stephine]

Cockerels can be a real pain - I think we've all been there at some point or other. Re: food and pecking - it seems like he has not gotten the hang of tit-bitting for the girls, which is understandable at that age. 

Well, he does the tit-bitting. He is first at the feeder but for treats he always lets his girls go first and lets them take treats away from right under his beak. If I have little things, "like worns or raisins he calls them over with a tuk-tul-tuk.
I watched cloythis morning and it looks more like frantic speed dating to me. He just grabs whatever pullet is near and tries to hold her by the neck feathers. Since all but two of them are not yet laying, 11 of them want nothing to do with him and start screaming. He goes after at least 6 or seven of them. and looks just frantic. This morning he alao launched an attack at the other roo - something I have never seen before. The other roo just tried to get away and crashed into the wire a few times before the Welsumer roo settled. Yikes!

RE: his aggression towards you - now that is an issue. Whilst you could try to rehabilitate him, I'm not sure its worth the effort IMO. Search for "rehabilitating roosters" or dealing with "aggressive roosters" and you should find lots of threads on the topic. 

I've found that cockerels are better treated as livestock, not pets. They should not approach you or invade your space, and must always move out of your way. If one can treat them in this way from a young age, then they can turn out to be a pleasure to have. I actually find cockerels easier to manage when i have brought them into the flock from an outside source (rather than rearing my own) - they are naturally wary of me as a stranger and I reinforce this. 

Yeah, They are not really pets... I find chickens are hard to consider pets. I think I am spoiled - I have a farm collie...
I care for my chickens and wouldn't be able to eat them, but they're not our pets. That head rooster though has always been a forward little guy even from the first week... I am trying the middle of the road approach of not acting like a chicken myself and giving him space to understand I am not a threat, but I have to go into the run and coop to take care of them, and ever once in a while they get spooked.
I'd hate to see the Welsumer go because he has been pretty good with alarm calls and coralling the hens when needed, but he might be anlost cause. I noticed that he has now taken to standing up tall and flapping his wings whenever I walk by the run. Not sure what that means but it doesn't look good....


Good luck

Thanks!

CT

 

[Pork Pie]

"I noticed that he has now taken to standing up tall and flapping his wings whenever I walk by the run. Not sure what that means but it doesn't look good...."

It is not, its a dominance behaviour. If he does it again, run him out of the place!