A question about a rooster's behavior

[Free Feather]

I guess I cannot keep you from killing them.
The one to keep would be the one that shows more pleasant behaviors. Isolate each boy to see what they act like alone. Watch. Then, put a girl in. Which is more protective? More gentleman -like? I assume you care about personalities and not looks. Looking at your two boys, they are not fully mature. You may want to wait a little longer to see their developed personality.

 

[CHICKVIRGIN]

I guess I cannot keep you from killing them.
   The one to keep would be the one that shows more pleasant behaviors. Isolate each boy to see what they act like alone. Watch. Then, put a girl in. Which is more protective? More gentleman -like? I assume you care about personalities and not looks. Looking at your two boys, they are not fully mature. You may want to wait a little longer to see their developed personality.

I don't want to kill either exactly but it's distressing to watch their behavior with my girls. I can't get more girls until spring. What signs of protection should I be looking for?
Good idea though. I'm going to try it tomorrow with one of them free ranging with the girls.

 

[keesmom]

I don't want to kill either exactly but it's distressing to watch their behavior with my girls. I can't get more girls until spring. What signs of protection should I be looking for?
Good idea though. I'm going to try it tomorrow with one of them free ranging with the girls.

There is nothing wrong with culling excess males. There are only so many homes for the millions of cockerels hatched each year. Your pullets shouldn't have to put up with what you have seen so far. Stressed hens will produce fewer eggs. Is there any reason you need a male? The pullets will be fine without one. Keep the males in a bachelor pad if you can't cull. If you do want fertilized eggs or what limited protection a rooster can offer than select one and cull the other.

 

[CHICKVIRGIN]

Thank you. I'm going to take care of the problem tomorrow. I'll make my husband do it. Lol I keep trying to think of a good enough reason to keep one and I don't have one.
I have them away from my hens since late afternoon and not going to put my girls through that any more.

 

[lazy gardener]

You've made a wise decision. A well socialized rooster doesn't act this way. And, as you so aptly stated, there's no need to put the girls through that.

 

[CHICKVIRGIN]

Did I do something wrong when I hatched them? I brought him home in an egg carton and successfully hatched them 21 -22 days later. They were in a tub on my dining room table for a month then in a roomier horse trough until slowly introduxing them to the girls. They stick togetherle glue and have ways been socially separate from the flock and unfriendly. They never come when called or with a bag of snacks like my girls. I've had to chase them into the coop at night and haven't held them since they were small. Maybe that answers my question. They never liked to be near people though. If I hatch more what should I do differently? I bought the girls when they were a day old and they have been very friendly. (Buff orph, barred Rock, RIR, and isa Browns). Isa and buff orph are the best. Thank you

 

[krista74]

I don't think it's anything you did in raising them per se. I have heard it's not ideal to be petting roosters or cockerels anyway. Me, I have one roo who is a year old, and right from when I first got him I never pet him. I walk through him instead of around him. I make him move for me. And I never let him mount his hens in front of me. He knows I am the boss of him. He can be the boss of the girls though - he is wonderful with them.

Good signs for a rooster to exhibit are things like finding food and calling the girls over so they can eat it instead of him, rounding all the girls up at dusk and leading them back to the coop, standing look-out and being aware of impending threats, gentle mating techniques and an attempt to entice the girls into mating with him - not launching a surprise attack!

My boy takes the girls to their nest boxes when it's time to lay. Sometimes he will stand by the nest while they lay to make sure they are ok. He never attacks or pecks at me or any other person. He does the egg song with the girls when they lay an egg, and will come to collect them and escort them back to the flock if they get separated.

I think your main issue is the fact that you have not one, but two cockerels. When you have two, and only a handful of hens, they will over-mate the hens aggressively in order to claim their position as leader of the flock. It's a dominance thing - "I will have you and you and you and I will have you whenever and however I want...." The rooster who gets that is the head rooster, and the other will become secondary to him eventually, rarely mating the hens and sometimes not even crowing in the presence of the dominant rooster. Unfortunately, to arrive at this scenario, it will often get quite violent first, and as several other posters have already advised - it's not a good environment for your hens.

I applaud you for the choice you have made. It is a controversial topic but one that each individual has to make their own decision for. Me, I have two cockerel chicks right now which I am advertising as Free to Good Home. They get along at the moment but combined with my existing rooster it would end badly I suspect. I don't want the chaos and carnage you've had to endure, for me or my hens. If I can't find a suitable home they too will be despatched humanely. I am not interested in keeping a bunch of hungry mouths for no return.

Wishing you all the very best,

- Krista

 

[Free Feather]

People say you should never let them mate hens in front of you, but that sounds ridiculous. They mate every few minutes. If you are constantly chasing them off, you are doing nothing more than looking like a jerk to the rest of the chickens. I would think it would make the boys want to challenge you, since you are acting like another boy. Maybe it works for one person, but that sounds like it could potentially explode in another's face. Same with not petting them. I loved up all of my boys I raised and none are human aggressive. Perhaps if he were a single chick and you petted him, but in a normal situation one would not imprint.

 

[CHICKVIRGIN]

After a week of keeping the boys separate from the girls and juggling housing and food around several times a day, my husband quickly killed one of the roosters. He broke its neck. I am so sad. I hate to have anything killed or die. I've yet to have any of my hens die and didn't realize how attached I am to all of them despite trying not to be. I don't want to eat the roos. Just not interested. It breaks my heart to think of klilling them and I'm really not a sap. I think we will have to do away with the other roo too. I really want to enjoy my time in the yard with my girls and a rooster brings so many other issues.

 

[CHICKVIRGIN]

I don't think it's anything you did in raising them per se.  I have heard it's not ideal to be petting roosters or cockerels anyway.  Me, I have one roo who is a year old, and right from when I first got him I never pet him.  I walk through him instead of around him.  I make him move for me.  And I never let him mount his hens in front of me.  He knows I am the boss of him.  He can be the boss of the girls though - he is wonderful with them. 

Good signs for a rooster to exhibit are things like finding food and calling the girls over so they can eat it instead of him, rounding all the girls up at dusk and leading them back to the coop, standing look-out and being aware of impending threats,  gentle mating techniques and an attempt to entice the girls into mating with him - not launching a surprise attack! 

My boy takes the girls to their nest boxes when it's time to lay.  Sometimes he will stand by the nest while they lay to make sure they are ok.     He never attacks or pecks at me or any other person.  He does the egg song with the girls when they lay an egg, and will come to collect them and escort them back to the flock if they get separated. 

I think your main issue is the fact that you have not one, but two cockerels.  When you have two, and only a handful of hens, they will over-mate the hens aggressively in order to claim their position as leader of the flock.   It's a dominance thing - "I will have you and you and you and I will have you whenever and however I want...."  The rooster who gets that is the head rooster, and the other will become secondary to him eventually, rarely mating the hens and sometimes not even crowing in the presence of the dominant rooster.  Unfortunately, to arrive at this scenario, it will often get quite violent first, and as several other posters have already advised - it's not a good environment for your hens.

I applaud you for the choice you have made.  It is a controversial topic but one that each individual has to make their own decision for.  Me, I have two cockerel chicks right now which I am advertising as Free to Good Home.  They get along at the moment but combined with my existing rooster it would end badly I suspect.  I don't want the chaos and carnage you've had to endure, for me or my hens.  If I can't find a suitable home they too will be despatched humanely.  I am not interested in keeping a bunch of hungry mouths for no return.

Wishing you all the very best,

- Krista

It sounds like you have the perfect rooster. I can really envision your flock and it brings a smile to my face. Thank you.