What goes into raising a friendly roo?

[TheTwoRoos]

People say you need to be dominate and knock your roosters off your hens and not let him crow in front of you,no thats ridculous and not right and is not necassary in my opinion.

I have never done any of this and EVERY single one of my roosters turned out excellent.Same for friends 10 or 12 roosters she had.

Just spend time holding him and his girls and hand feeding him and making sure he respects you.Its simple as that,just make sure you can have a pot ready.

 

[gimmie birdies]

I am currently handling this roo, he is brahma/isbar/and legbar. the brahma makes him very mellow, the legbar/isbar make him smaller.
I might trade him out for a Maran/frizzle roo I have...

when he gets older because I like his looks, but I have not held this one as much.

 

[Alexandra33]

I've been quite curious: what exactly is the reasoning behind avoiding "coddling" or "loving on" your young roo-in-training? I'll be honest, I've been quite guilty of hugging, kissing, petting, and hand feeding my 9 little boys, all of whom are from breeders and 6 of whom are bred to the Standard.

Just wondering.

~Alex

 

[ShanandGem]

I've been quite curious: what exactly is the reasoning behind avoiding "coddling" or "loving on" your young roo-in-training? I'll be honest, I've been quite guilty of hugging, kissing, petting, and hand feeding my 9 little boys, all of whom are from breeders and 6 of whom are bred to the Standard.

Just wondering.

~Alex

I think the reasoning is that they lose their respect for you and that can lead to trouble.

 

[Alexandra33]

I think the reasoning is that they lose their respect for you and that can lead to trouble.

I guess I understand that now that you expound on that issue for me. Thank you for answering!

I must add, though, that I had a nearly grown Lav Orp roo not too long ago whom I raised so oppositely from these guys it's not even funny. I ignored him for the first 8 weeks or so of his life, next to never handling him, and after that immediately started practicing the aggressive method. I "pecked" him on the head frequently, chased him all over creation if I felt he got too close, picked him up and carried him a lot, walked through him, not around him, and disciplined him whenever he crowed in my presence. He was very afraid and distrusting of me, and yet at 6 months he attacked. I'm not only blaming myself for what happened, but I realize that most of it was his natural personality that even training couldn't correct.

So far, these boys trust me, which is what I'm aiming for this time. I feel that whoever's going to turn on me, will, regardless of how I raise them. Hopefully their genetics prove themselves! I still feel that in general an EQ-bred roo would have a good chance of turning out nice.

~Alex

 

[poodlechicks]

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!

I've had 3 roosters so fat and none of them were friendly. One was a downright psychopath and the others were very territorial, so although good with the hens, didn't let anyone get close to them. This was a problem for me, as I wanted to enjoy my chickens and do my gardening without having to watch my back at all times. I'm not ok w that. I like to be able to call the hens and give them treats, examine them whenever necessary and have them approach me whenever they feel like it. A rooster's job is to protect the hens and reproduce. This means that many times they will try to protect his hens from you and your family. With many roosters, no amount of "training" will keep them from attacking you. If you have children who interact with your flock, you'll have to double your attention. Hope you end up w a peaceful rooster

 

[OilyChick]

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!

Good tips azygous! following this thread closely. About to get my first chickens and will have 6 straight run banties. Will probably re-home any roos but who knows?

 

[Reidweaver]

I think as many have said, breed can play a big part in the temperament of your roo. There will always be exceptions to that rule because there will be friendly boys that come from where aggressive breeds and mean boys from friendly or breeds just because of who they are but in general there are some breeds that are just friendlier than others. For example we have found that Brahmas are extremely friendly, while Dominique's are downright scary. We had one Dominique rooster that was so aggressive he broke our feed bucket attacking my husband. He was constantly trying to spur us. My husband, the electrician, responded by putting wire nuts on his spurs. In the end, he had to go. Now we have a sex link rooster and he is a gentleman with the ladies and does a great job.

 

[caychris]

Ive had a few boys now and I agree breed has a lot to do with it but handling can help too. I currently have 2 boys each well over a year and a few boy chicks. I have a Pita Pinta boy that is a fabulous boy as far as the flock goes. He isnt easily handled but he is respectful of me and even tries to communicate to me if something is wrong ,like feed or water are out. We have a routine and he knows his job and he knows my job. He lets me handle and pet the hens and even lets me pet him when its bed time. He seems to enjoy the irregular but fairly frequent praise and attention. I have another Cream Legbar boy who was the very bottom of a small cockerel colony. He got lots of attention and learned there was safety in being cuddled. As the cockerel colony eventually dwindled away (was saving him for breeding eventually) and he and another boy were added to a group of hens and pullets he took the back seat roll well. The other boy took a dislike to my daughter and one day attacked me and was shortly sent to freezer camp. The CLB boy to this day is still very sweet and easy to handle he is good with the girls but had to learn to be in charge. I think he learned by example of my Pita boy who is in a separate pen but visible. Any breed can have its bad apples and its sweet hearts. And even the most sweet boys will occasionally be overcome with hormones especially in spring. I have also observed that roosters tend to go through another hormonal shift at around 2 years of age or so and tend to stabilize their temperament around this time however it can send the normally sweet boy into grumpy old man territory too. I think though if you have to constantly challenge the boy for dominance you will eventually have trouble. They like routine though so if you can establish a routine of interaction with the flock the will come to accept the routine. That being said your idea of the routine and the boys may be radically different. Ive heard stories that range from if you changed the feed bucket it would set him off to the kind and color of clothing you were wearing. Change in soaps or other smells can even set them off. You have to remember its an animal with instincts and behaviors that are natural to it and very different from the personifications be attach to them. Learn to read their moods and behaviors and you can establish a relationship with the bird that will be beneficial to both and just know sometimes there are just bad apples.

 

[DogCatChickMom]

Roosters...cant live with them, cant live without them!

IMO, its the Roo. I always handle youngsters, kids do too. Game birds and Bantys Boys give me the most trouble. Occasionally some other bird has attitude, but Games and Banty Boys can be nice too.

I think that its whats inside the Roo is whats going to make him who he is. If he's persistantly naughty, there is little to be done but disqualify him from your program. If ive had to kick them to spare shin cuts more than twice, give up.

Just handle him, respect his body language, then cross your fingers.

This is my favorite response yet lol. I have a 12 week old he's always been my friendliest. Now days I let him approach me before I'll go to pick him up. I'm hoping he keeps his lovely demeanor because he's my favorite. I wound up with two roo's actually, the other one has never liked to be held and is the least friendly chicken I have, he will be rehomed to a coworker soon I suppose. I have four chickens, and will be getting another one from a different coworker sometime also ha ha. we like chickens where we work