Aggressive mating behaviour: a recent review of the literature

[Shadrach]

A group of us were standing around a fig tree that grew a couple of metres down one of the banks on the smallholding in Catalonia. We had a Catalan butterfly expert with us. There were fifty or so butterflies feeding off the figs which were partially rotten and fermenting and then spiraling above the tee in pairs.. Someone in the group said "how sweet, they're dancing." The butterfly expert pointed out that these butterflies were all males and were getting drunk on the fermented fig juice and fighting each other.

 

[Smokerbill]

I have a two eight month old cockerels (one RIR, one NH) that I bought at the same time as chicks and they've never been aggressive towards each other. They've lived in the same runs and coop with ten females from around 7 weeks old to present.

Four of the females are 3 year old non-laying hens that I kept just for the purpose of keeping the cockerels in line. The other six are pullets, about 9 months old.

They don't overmate the girls, though one (the largest pullet) has been the favorite of both cockerels. They don't mind sharing all the hens and I've never noticed any real "jealousy" between them.

The RIR seems to be the dominant cockerel. He acts protective, tidbits, encourages the pullets to get into the nests to lay, and I've seen him initiate the droop wing circling thing, but he just hops a step or two with the outer wing down. The NH cockerel stays more in the background and appears to understand that the RIR is boss, even though the RIR is the smaller of the two.

I'm wondering if the day will come when the two have a knock down drag out fight, or if they'll continue to get along living together with the hens.

 

[Perris]

I happen to have a photo of a wing drop, K doing it to Rhondda when she was 6 months old and on the verge of laying, which will help those unfamiliar with it to envisage this behaviour.

I don't have a photo of a bird using its wing to stop it falling over when it's lost its balance, but it is a quite different movement: the wing goes out diagonally sideways in the direction they're falling, not straight down to the ground as it does in the display being discussed here.

The performer may use left or right wing, or both in sequence occasionally, in a figure of 8 round the target of the display.

 

[Perris]

Well my Mr. Chips tried it today. Whatever it was for, it didn’t work. We all ignored him. Poor lad.
He is now routinely calling everyone to come get the blueberries he finds in my hand and he also routinely gives a few away while eating the majority himself.
He doesn’t seem bothered if I feed a few directly to the ladies.
But this is the face I have to deal with when the carton is empty.
View attachment 4265856

It sounds like he's coming on very nicely, especially for a chap who is self-taught. He's got the looks too!

 

[SourRoses]

I had one cockerel, Clancy, who was extremely slow to grow. His comb didn't redden until he was 8 months old. I had picked him as the best available cockerel very early and had no choice but to wait on his timeline to hatch more.
Well he was schooled by the hens throughout his adolescence. He gave ground and instead of trying to mate he just kept watching on the perimeter. Occasionally found treats. Hung out with the much smaller chickens. He did crow, but in limitation, to greet the morning and then he was done for the day.
He chased off a few crows, squirrels, and cats, which seemed to slowly win the older hens respect. Eventually they started looking to him and glueing together as a flock (the biggest difference I see with a roo present or not).
Finally near 10 months old he started breeding.
Within a week or two, most of the 20 hens were fertile. He didn't really play favorites like most roos do. And I found it very interesting how his mild manners led to the best fertility rate I've found yet.
Most of the members of my flock now are his kids or grandkids.

Whereas his progeny, which I deliberately introduced the fast growth gene into so as to never have a repeat of the 10 month wait... They are tending to breed around 4 months, and have much of his docility (I select against aggression)... But they don't share the patience. So more breeding behavior but less fertility.

As an outcross project I have a WFBS roo right now. He's not mean, but impatient with the ladies. Only 3 of the hens have been fertile. So I don't really think the "assertive" personalities have any benefit when it comes to getting the job done. If anything, all the strife in the flock and efforts of the hens to avoid him cause less opportunity for breeding. And he spends most of his time walking the fence and demanding the hens stay away from it. They defy him and go to the opposite way

But I will say, I think some researchers, and even the occasional keeper, might over-identify with roosters on account of being male. I even listened to someone once tell me about the roosters "rights", I couldn't keep from laughing.
So maybe this researcher talking about permanent emasculation is just projecting?

 

[Perris]

So I don't really think the "assertive" personalities have any benefit when it comes to getting the job done.

Experience here is the same. The unassertive ones here have at least as many offspring as the assertive ones.

his mild manners led to the best fertility rate I've found yet.

The most popular roo with the hens here is the most mild mannered roo, but the fertility rate for the flock is essentially 100% and the offspring clearly descend from both lines, so there's no obvious correlation here.

So maybe this researcher talking about permanent emasculation is just projecting?

I haven't read the book where that was proposed, but it was written by four people, one of them a woman and 3 of them men. I can't find out without the book who specifically wrote the bit with the psychological castration hypothesis, or if they all share co-authorship responsibility for it.
https://www.poultrysignals.com/en/the-people-behind-breeder-signals