Chwicks
Chirping
Hi everyone. I have a 15 week old cockerel (Australorp), Enrique Egg-lay-sious, and he has been my most approachable cockerel in our flock. Over the last week he has started running into the coop when he sees me coming in to clean and he runs up to me, cuts a wing, dances a little, and is really vocal with low gruntty chatter/clucks.
I researched that he could just be showing off, but he could be working up nerve to challenge me. I’ve starting picking him up and carrying him around to show him I’m boss. Yesterday, I walked his direction, because he just lingers pecking at the ground sizing me up (but trying to make me think he’s all innocent ) and he bit onto my shoe. I gave him a gentle shove with my foot and he walked a few steps away. Then he came back and I walked back towards him. He pecked my foot again, and held onto it... much like he would to another chicken. I grabbed him by his neck feathers/skin and really freaked him out. I wasn’t hurting him, but it scared the dickens out of him. He ran out of the coop with all the others and stayed out.
He was a little better today, but still running in and cutting a wing with some stomping. The wired thing is that after he does that he goes to a corner and puts his chest on the ground and leaves his rear end up in the air.
In your opinion, what is going on with him?
He is my favorite cockerel, and he takes such great care of the ladies, etc., but I won’t suffer a mean/aggressive cockerel or rooster. Any thoughts and ideas are appreciated.
Thank you!
I researched that he could just be showing off, but he could be working up nerve to challenge me. I’ve starting picking him up and carrying him around to show him I’m boss. Yesterday, I walked his direction, because he just lingers pecking at the ground sizing me up (but trying to make me think he’s all innocent ) and he bit onto my shoe. I gave him a gentle shove with my foot and he walked a few steps away. Then he came back and I walked back towards him. He pecked my foot again, and held onto it... much like he would to another chicken. I grabbed him by his neck feathers/skin and really freaked him out. I wasn’t hurting him, but it scared the dickens out of him. He ran out of the coop with all the others and stayed out.
He was a little better today, but still running in and cutting a wing with some stomping. The wired thing is that after he does that he goes to a corner and puts his chest on the ground and leaves his rear end up in the air.
In your opinion, what is going on with him?
He is my favorite cockerel, and he takes such great care of the ladies, etc., but I won’t suffer a mean/aggressive cockerel or rooster. Any thoughts and ideas are appreciated.
Thank you!