What goes into raising a friendly roo?

[ChickAsThieves]

I'm 99% sure my 3 week old FBCM chick is a roo. We have never kept a roo before, but we're going to give it a shot with this guy. Of course, we'd like him to be friendly! Are there any tips beyond frequent handling that can help grow into a tame and friendly rooster?

Thank you!

 

[azygous]

This is a topic where people can be as divided and emotional as in politics. So beware the the Pandora's box you have lifted the lid on.

Here's my experience over eight years and almost as many roos. First of all, breed plays a huge role. Docile breeds usually make for more predictable roosters.

I've found that a male chick can be safely handled and enjoyed right up until he shows signs of coming into his hormones. At that point, I recommend a completely hands off relationship to the point you are practically ignoring him.

What you want is for him to respect you and to keep his distance, and if he doesn't readily remove himself from your path as you approach him, you need to walk right through him. When you are near him, avoid sudden movements, especially with your hands and handling the hens. Be careful and deliberate. You need to establish yourself in his eyes as someone who is capable and who can be trusted. In return, he will trust and respect you.

A good rooster with good breeding will behave appropriately naturally, but you may need to discipline, not punish, him if he shows signs of not being with the program. If he displays aggression toward you, you will need to show him he may not behave that way. There are excellent tutorials here on BYC on disciplining and training cockerels and rehabilitating problem roosters, so I won't get into that part of it.

To sum it up, enjoy him now, but it's hands off as soon as the hormones come in!

 

[Folly's place]

I've had many roosters over the years, ranging from awful to very nice. I don't look for 'friendly', but rather 'respect'. My cockrels need to move away from me when I walk through the flock, and not show any sign of wanting to take me on. I will discourage such behavior in adolescent cockrels, but remember who they are, and look out for individuals who keep up that sort of behavior. They go! Human aggression can turn up in cockrels of any breed, and is a separate issue that should be reason to cull the bird. Polite birds are a joy to have in the flock, and are a combination of genetics and to a lesser degree, good handling. That's why people will tell you that their boy was cuddled and spoiled and still turned out fine. In general, cuddle the pullets, and give the cockrel some space. Mary

 

[ShanandGem]

I lucked into a lovely adult rooster who is good to his ladies and not aggressive with me. I did not raise him. I think the key is not to coddle them when they reach their 'aloof' stage. My 12 week old Orpington rooster who I packed around like a football as a baby (had to carry them over to their tractor daily and back to the coop at night until they were big enough to live in it) demonstrated subtly that he was no longer digging being picked up. He would hang back while the hens jumped into my arms for their ride outside. I acknowledged that by not handling him as much. They are in the tractor all the time now so I haven't picked him up in some time. I think those memories of me gently handling him are still there, but I do believe they need to feel secure as the leader of their flock.
I have a tiny bantam roo that is going to be trouble and probably an early cull. He is no bigger than a hamster but runs over to peck my hand every time I open the door of the tractor. Some just don't have it in them to be nice.

 

[ShanandGem]

This is a topic where people can be as divided and emotional as in politics. So beware the the Pandora's box you have lifted the lid on.

Here's my experience over eight years and almost as many roos. First of all, breed plays a huge role. Docile breeds usually make for more predictable roosters.

I've found that a male chick can be safely handled and enjoyed right up until he shows signs of coming into his hormones. At that point, I recommend a completely hands off relationship to the point you are practically ignoring him.

What you want is for him to respect you and to keep his distance, and if he doesn't readily remove himself from your path as you approach him, you need to walk right through him. When you are near him, avoid sudden movements, especially with your hands and handling the hens. Be careful and deliberate. You need to establish yourself in his eyes as someone who is capable and who can be trusted. In return, he will trust and respect you.

A good rooster with good breeding will behave appropriately naturally, but you may need to discipline, not punish, him if he shows signs of not being with the program. If he displays aggression toward you, you will need to show him he may not behave that way. There are excellent tutorials here on BYC on disciplining and training cockerels and rehabilitating problem roosters, so I won't get into that part of it.

To sum it up, enjoy him now, but it's hands off as soon as the hormones come in!

Well put. It's like the diatomaceous earth debate! Everyone gets all fired up about that too.
I do think some roosters are better at roostering than others. My rooster that I got at a poultry swap is The Best Rooster Ever. He doesn't over breed the girls, lets them eat first, calls them over when he finds a bug. I've seen him pick the corn out of my lentil mash and set a piece in front of each hen. He stands watch over them when they're laying too.

 

[Fallenone05]

I recently got a roo from a neighbor and he's excellent. I've heard that Speckled Sussex are a good breed and I see why! He's gentle with the girls and keeps them safe in the yard, breeds them only seldomly when he's feeling randy, and shares food really well. He also gets the girls to bed thirty minutes before dark and makes sure everyone is there! He's still a little young (I think between 7-9 months), but he's absolutely wonderful.

He is skittish about my hands but if he sees me working the soil with my hands he's right there to get bugs and help by scratching around. Occasionally he runs behind me but he's never aggressive about it. It seems like he's trying to see what I'm doing, or if I have food!

 

[Alexandra33]

Oh, it's so good to know I'm not the only one who cuddles my baby boys!

Now I don't feel like such an oddball.

~Alex

 

[flyboy129]

Two of the friendliest roos I have had were both rescued. The first one I picked up at a former job. I worked a public works job and animal control had brought in a young roo (about 6-9 months old) that had been either hit by a car or dropped from a truck. Poor guy was found in the street. One guy wanted to make dumplings out of him, but the secretary would have nothing of it. I told her I would try to rehab him, but made no promises of any success. I took him home, divided the pen (only had two hens at the time and had to keep the girls away from him since they were very, ahem, excited of the prospect of a male. Both of his legs were broken. I splinted him up with gauze, popsicle sticks, and duct tape while he protested the whole time. I gave him food and water and let nature work. For the next two days, every time I took him food and water and reworked his bandages, I fully expected to walk into the pen and find him dead. He was that bad.

Well, he didn't die. He thrived. He got used to the routine of splints and duct tape and me handling him. His legs mended. Nowhere near perfectly, mind you. He always looked like he hobbled. I named him Hoppy. I released him to the girls and quickly discovered, despite his disability, he was quite honestly, the most procreating roo I had ever seen. He lived for about 5-6 years. Of that time, I don't think I could have had a more pleasant experience with a rooster. Friendly isn't descriptive enough. He would follow me around the garden for treats and call the ladies when he got one. he was perfectly fine with being held and petted and would soak up the attention like a sponge. Sadly, I think the leg injury was what shortened his life. About 3 months before he passed, he started having more difficulty walking, then standing. I carried him around the yard to his favorite spots, where he would still call the ladies over. He got a respiratory illness and succumbed 3 days later.

My current roo, Ducky, was a straggler who happened to walk thru the yard where I live now. I had married, moved ,and no longer had my typical flock of backyard birds. While outside I heard the familiar clucking and cooing of a roo investigating new things. I discovered the guy walking through the front yard and approached. He let me get close (5-6ft), but not too close, so I assumed he was accustomed to people and was simply an escapee from somewhere. I let him alone and went back to work. A couple hours later, I was outside again and heard the neighbors across the field (my grandparents in-law) yelling at their dog, a Siberian Huskey. I look up and discover that he had a feathered, red squeaky toy and was tossing it in the air. My heart dropped. I raced across the field and luckily for the roo, Skip (the dog) had his back turned and didn't see me coming. I tackled him, grabbed the scared roo, and immediately went into home vet mode. Thankfully, the worst damage was that he had been half plucked. He had a couple of bite marks under his wings, which I applied neosporin on. I had a makeshift pen I had made for the cat to go outside in since she was declawed. I put him in it with some corn, bread, and water. Nobody knew of any lost roos, so I decided to keep him. I brought in a hen from my parent's and haven't looked back. The wife has gotten used to the growing flock (up to 20 now). Ducky is thankfully as friendly as ever. I have had to treat him for bumblefoot and do some cutting on him to get it out. - He since has been a little more apprehensive as to me picking him up, but still follows me around the place for treats and a wattle and comb rub.

 

[blueclip]

It helps to know what breed of rooster you have first. My next question would be is it hatchery stock or did you get it from a breeder?

If you got it from a hatchery, then there's no way to tell how he will be until he's grown. If he's from a breeder, he will more than likely have his father's temperament.

Otherwise, play it by ear. If your roo doesn't like to be touched or handled then don't do it. If he's displaying aggressive behavior(s) toward you (such as dropping one wing and doing the "rooster dance") pick him up and hold him firmly for a while. Depending on the severity of the situation, you can also lay him on his back, pet him roughly, smack his waddles around all while speaking very loudly and in a scary voice. This is NOT animal abuse, rather you're just showing him that you are the boss and not to be messed with.

If you have a docile roo, then there is not much you need to do except keep taking care of him the same way you do your other birds.

Roosters tend to go through a "rambunctious" stage anywhere from 4-7 months old depending on the breed. This is a time where they are very horny and will do stupid things because of their hormones. Don't let this scare you because after this is all over he can become a completely different bird than what you expected him to be. My guy kept pecking the hens away from food during this stage and when they were dust-bathing. Now he's calling them over food and waits patiently while they eat first! He doesn't bother them when they are dust-bathing neither. He ended up being a very good rooster, even though his father didn't have the best temperament.

You really don't know what you have until he's a year old but you can definitely cull him earlier if you see that he's being problematic. I would say if a rooster is more than 9 months old and is acting bad then you should seriously consider getting rid of him. There are way too many good roosters out there for you to waste your time on one that has a crappy attitude.

I agree that roosters are great. Not only because they look cool but they serve more of a purpose than just breeding. They add to the complex social structure of a flock as they not only protect but maintain order amongst everyone else. They are quick to point things out (good or bad) and do a good job. Roosters are a gamble because you almost never know how they will turn out, but when you get a good one it's like hitting the jackpot.

Hope this helps.

 

[Pork Pie]

It's a difficult question to give a direct answer to as opinions differ. You may wish to post on the following thread https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/905546/rooster-chat for some suggestions.

Ct