What is my rooster doing? 🤔

[Jubior Pington]

https://vimeo.com/877992030?share=copy

Hi, all! I'm new here, so if this is posted in the wrong spot or it has already been discussed, I apologize.


The roo in the video is Stanley. I have had him for about two weeks. He's very sweet to me, but doesn't like to be messed with much. He was dumped, so we don't know how old he is, but I'd guess about 7 or 8 months. Our girls are about 13-15 weeks old. I have had them since they were chicks. When I first got Stanley, I kept him on our porch for about a week in quarantine. Then, I made an addition to the girls' coop and put him in it, with hardware mesh between them. They've been together without the hardware mesh for about a week and a half now. Stanley chases them randomly, and doesn't like to share food. As shown in the video, he will randomly chase them back toward the coop as well. At bedtime, he pecks the girls off the favorite roost pole. Is this normal? Or a lost cause? Any advice is more than welcomed!!

 

[sourland]

'Stanley' is becoming sexually mature, and the pullets are not. His behavior will likely improve as they mature and submit to him. If he becomes overly aggressive to them, remove him from the flock until they start laying.

 

[Jubior Pington]

'Stanley' is becoming sexually mature, and the pullets are not. His behavior will likely improve as they mature and submit to him. If he becomes overly aggressive to them, remove him from the flock until they start laying.

Thank you so much for the prompt reply. What would you constitue as "overly aggressive"? Right now, he pecks at them and tends to chase them. I've only ever seen him peck hard, once. It was the first day I put them together and he pulled a few feathers out of one of the girls. I've never seen blood drawn, and most of the time they hang out together. He stays with them, but it's almost always when they start to wander far..he will chase them back. I'm also adding another roost bar the same height as the one he has claimed. It's sad when the girls try to stay snuggled next to him..he pecks at their feet and they just sit there and take it. But I'd love to know what behavior to watch for, that way I can remove him from the coop and run if needed.

 

[sourland]

Overly aggressive for me would be flat out attacking or drawing blood.

 

[LaurenRitz]

He's a hormonal teenage boy, with a teenage boy's lack of control and no human brain to moderate it.

Give him time, he'll grow out of this behavior as he matures.

 

[Moodleroni]

Video looks like he's 'protecting' them, he's telling them it's not safe out there and rounding them up to the 'safety' of the coop.
My roo used to do this, when they were all younger, he wouldn't let anyone out of the coop. He doesn't do this anymore, they are all older, and rounds them up, back to their covered run, if they are free roaming and they sense a predator. Like others have said, he's a young roo, learning his place, they'll be ok

 

[Tonyroo]

That's very normal for his age. Nothing to worry about.

To identify a close age range for a rooster or cockerel look at his spur growth. If it's barely a bump, he would be around 7 to 10 months old. After a year he will show more spur growth.

 

[Jubior Pington]

That's very normal for his age. Nothing to worry about.

To identify a close age range for a rooster or cockerel look at his spur growth. If it's barely a bump, he would be around 7 to 10 months old. After a year he will show more spur growth.

Yes, it's a tiny bump!

 

[Jubior Pington]

Video looks like he's 'protecting' them, he's telling them it's not safe out there and rounding them up to the 'safety' of the coop.
My roo used to do this, when they were all younger, he wouldn't let anyone out of the coop. He doesn't do this anymore, they are all older, and rounds them up, back to their covered run, if they are free roaming and they sense a predator. Like others have said, he's a young roo, learning his place, they'll be ok

That's what I thought/was hoping for as well! Thanks for the insight