The Definite Guide To Roosters

Wow, You really know your roosters! Thank you for taking the time to share all you know with others

My rescue flock, The Rescue Rangers, has two cockerels now that one was lost to a predator. That’s alright; now Chip (the bigger of the two) and Dale (subordinate) can rule the roost with their three ladies, and their eventual flock expansion of eleven young ladies.

So far, I’ve managed to hold each of them while they were hand-sized chicks, and then capture them when they were little cockerels in their mini-coop — we had to catch everyone by hand for each day’s switch over for moving to a grass crate while I scoured the coop and mini run. After setting their home to rights, I’d go sit beside their grass run, moving them along to fresh patches as the shade moved, and sprinkling a little scratch to give them something new to get excited about.
I’ve dealt with parrots before, so when I scooped Chip out of the crate with the intent of giving him some lap time, I didn’t even think about it… my hand just went straight to the nape of his neck and started preening.
He fell asleep on my arm that first time! I think we will get along just fine. And I’ll be ready to teach him who’s boss if he tries anything, thanks to this!

Image:
Cockerel Chip, far left.
Unnamed pullet, sitting.
Cockerel Dale, sitting.
Unnamed pullet, sitting.
Pullet Rocket, far right.

I thank you so much for the great read on "Roosters" and their behaviors. I do have one Blue Wyandotte I have raised from a chic. He is only 5 months, so I keep expecting him to get aggressive. So far he is mostly tame. He came at me only once and I immediately picked him up and carried him around his flock. I think he respects me as boss and I continue to carry him and pet him frequently to keep reminding him. Your advice is very "common sense" thinking!! I am a horse owner too, so I know the importance of "respect" from your animals. I am sure your article will help many others too!! Good Job!!

This was very informative. A lot of good information in the article. Everyone keeps telling me how my rooster is going to get mean. I got him as a day old chicken with 6 hens. All 7 of my chickens are very good with me. I hand feed them. I can also pick them up and pet them. They are about 16 weeks old now. This is my first flock.

I'm a new chicken Mom and of course I'm filled with questions! I've asked many in forums and well, have received some snarky remarks for my trouble. Although new to chicken raising, I'm not dumb lol. I'm just the type who can't do things halfway!! This article is very helpful, not only in dealing with a roo but also provided insight into handling hens too. Thanks for taking the time to write, explain, and advocate for the beautifully protective roo!

I have a roo that has started biting me the moment any of the girls make the slightest fuss. I put him in solitary for a few days. He was much better after that.... for a few hours.

Yesterday I scooped him up and started rubbing his wattles and lightly tapping the top of his head. He was like "what the?!?". Today he's been a lot better with me. I will continue this practice with him daily.

Thanks for the advice!

Great article. Thank you!

View attachment 1498301 Finally real answers! Can’t stand all the posts by so called experts that start with “cull a problem rooster”. I am going through a difficult adjustment with my little roo (Roobarb) and found this article refreshing. Please send us good vibes that we will be able to teach Roobarb to be a gentleman.

Should have named it rooster psychology. Great in depth understanding of how roosters think and act. With some good ideas to implement.

Missing a lot of information: how does one pick up a rooster when it's flying at you with talons out and beak ready to take a chunk of flesh? My rooster is great with the girls but not with me. I have to carry a stout stick with me whenever I go into the yard or I'll end up with even more scars than the ones he's already given me. And yes, when he was a chick he loved to be carried around and delighted in following me wherever I went. Not sure what happened but he's headed for the stew pot.

Nice review but none of this would work nor matter with my rooster.

Some interesting points, but this article is one persons opinion, no research , some quotes
(which I hope permission was granted for )
They have a dozen roosters? Well they aren’t usually a problem on their own ... it’s with hens that the defensiveness starts...

I love my roosters too, but
there are many differing opinions on roosters , this is just one and I don’t buy it .

i love my roosters. I am sure I have too many right now, but we all have our favorites.

We even have a roo that when my Grandaughter visits, she fetches him from the coop, puts him in a chicken diaper and brings him in the house to watch power rangers. He falls right to sleep on her lap and she loves to play pet and hold him.

Can you imagine what the farmer thought the first time his neighbor brought a dog in the house?
I know people who still think that is silly.

As I was reading your description of the rooster being afraid but not showing it, I pictured Hulk Hogan walking into an elementary class room unannounced. Boy what might that poor teacher look like! You are right on a good rooster will be in front afraid or not. The one that hides behind his ladies will not protect them very well.

Great article, I enjoyed it
Thank you for sharing your knowledge

Glad to see someone else is trying to help teach people how to handle their roosters. I have dozens of roosters and haven't had to kill any of them. I've always felt the way most people treat roosters was wrong and inhumane, this article is the future to helping save rooster lives.

Even in all my experience, I learned quite a bit from this article and will be using it from now on! I encourage everyone to save this article and use it to help teach others. Together we can make a brighter future for roosters and their human owners!

This article was very interesting and informative. I have always loved chickens, especially rooster and for whatever reason, have never been afraid of them. I think the author of this article has written a lot of priceless examples of positive reinforcement techniques to work with roosters. My friends that have had roos have told me how mean they are and like the article pointed out, all ended up in the stew pot.
We are finally beginning to give animals their due in behavior and intelligence. There is no reason One chicken in a flock needs to be mean. Everyone Expects Roosters to be mean so they approach with that mind set. She is exactly right.
She has written a gem of an article and it is well worth the read and employment of her suggestions.

I have a small Bantam rooster, that was supposed to be a hen, I love him I love to hear him crowing, he is not aggressive with me so far, he is about 16 weeks old, but He is mean to the hens, I only have one bantam hen, the rest are full sized hens though younger only about 10 weeks old , he is no respector of chickens he is mean to all of them, he hords the food and water, he drags them around by their necks while they are crying for mercy! How can I stop this with out baking him at about 350 degrees for about 4 hours!

I was expecting a scientific explanation of a roosters behavior. A while ago I watched some videos about it and how some experts spend days and days observing the flock behavior, with roosters in it, without them, only roosters, etc.

I'm not an expert, I'm far away from it, however I was raised until I was 10 years old around chickens and yes roosters as well. I don't think any rooster is really "mean", that is a human word that is linked to feelings, naming a roster "mean" shows feeling of resentment against a rooster who is not behaving friendly in human terms or how humans expected.

Roosters are dominant and they are individuals who can show their dominance in different ways, some do it by kicking you, aiming to your face, picking your flesh, others crow after you, in front of you, etc, others want to hump you and others are very mild, so they keep to themselves the desire to reject you and accept you. Having been around some fighting roosters as a child, I learned roosters could take one of my eyes out if I didn't understand which one was a rooster to tame and which one was a rooster to leave alone, because they will mostly continue to follow their genetic program, which sometimes translate into being over dominant, which in turn means they might hurt you badly if you are not on your guard. So, being afraid of a rooster is a normal and natural reaction, even more if you are not a dominant person yourself and have not try subjecting an animal with under your own very hands.

As dogs, chickens can learn, at least that you are the boss and have to subject at the end to your wishes, at least when handling them. But, not all will do it without putting a fight and protesting about it forever. In that sense, Rooster are way more resilient that humans and when they show who they are, sometimes we don't like it, because we expected something different out of that specific rooster. The problem is not in the rooster itself, but in the human who had a wish that is not compatible with the rooster genetics.

Of course, there's a lot to do on our part, for example a rooster must get that we are in charge. That might mean constantly working with roosters who don't want to accept readily you are the boss. That is exhausting, time consuming and with bad luck it could turn dangerous.

My pet rooster from my childhood was so docile, with all, but even more with me, because I handled him everyday, several times a day, so he was used to it. Logically, if I hadn't handle him, he would had been an "aggressive" "mean" rooster too. Actually, he would had been a NORMAL ROOSTER. So, what I'm trying to say is that people call them MEAN, but there's not such thing, a rooster is just a ROOSTER. He does what he is programmed to do and when in contact with humans, no matter how close and docile he was before, it might happen that when he grows up, he will be intelligent enough to see clearly you are NOT a chicken and therefore will not wan to have anything to do with you. Such exemplar, is not made for pet.

Saying all that, I have to say, I had to put my rooster to sleep last week. It was devastating. The rooster had a wart on his beak, an inflammation on his right side, he was crowing A LOT, I wanted to give him more life time and see if it gets better (since I bought him at 10 moths old), but my ***ing neighbors where annoyed and they wrote a ridiculous letter saying plainly that they do not condone me having chickens and a rooster and they threatened me with legal consequences. What those a********* do not know or didn't want to know, ( BUT KNOW) is that by law I can hold up to 20 chickens in my backyard and rooster too. Only that the rooster is not to make loud noises in the quiet times. With other rooster, it could have been possible, but this one, nope. He was not "aggressive" like other roosters I had. But, his way of showing irritation was CROWING and CROWING, nothing had to pass our back street, no human, bird or anything, and he was quiet for a few hours, but if anything moved, he would crow with an interval of 3 seconds for several rounds.

I will get another rooster, but as I said, even if I get him from the egg, even if he is close to me, still the genetics of that specific rooster will be shown later on, will see if it's not so very dominant, at least not vocally. Whatever it comes I'll have to accept, because chickens are not puppets we buy on a store. I just hope it will not be that sensitive to all the birds that visit out garden and the bicycle road business next to our back door. What it was for sure, is that from my previous rooster, I didn't really want to breed him, because nobody want now days those loud vocal genetics. 30 years ago, same town, they had competitions which rooster was crowing more times. Life is ironic! Live long Pacho Villa :'(View attachment 1438757

Good article. My first rooster was an adult and aggressive at first. I followed my instincts and when they went in at night I put on a long sleeved shirt and took the roo off the roost. I then sat with him on my lap telling him what a beautiful boy he was in front of all his girls. I believe he was thoroughly embarrassed and we got along fine after that.
Someone gave me a small Silkie rooster that was attacking her children. He never fully behaved himself but he fell in love with a large Buff Orpington. I noticed he only tried to attack if I accidentally got between him and her. Sadly, I had some sort of predator attack that took her and he died defending her I am certain.
Thanks for defending the roosters.