Agressive Rooster

[Asmorilda]

I'm new to the Ameraucana group. I am in North MS. I have a small flock which includes Lavender Ameraucanas. One is a rooster that seems to be on the aggressive side. I was wondering if this is a trait for this breed. I also have 4 younger Lavenders that seem to show some rowdy behavior with each other. That could be because they are in a large dog kennel inside the main coop & not allowed to run with the big guys & girls. (They need to be older & larger since the other breeds are older & they are larger breeds.) But the rooster is almost a year old & he will jump on the pullets & the other roosters. The other roosters are all larger breeds: RIR, Orpington, large EE but size does not deter him & he usually comes out the winner. What he lacks in size, he makes up in attitude. He will even stalk them from time to time. He's always the first one to run over & get involved in the other chickens' fussing. He's extremely vocal. He crows a lot. All hours of the day & night. He crows at the train that goes through a few miles away. Or, he may just spend several hours squawking like a hen laying an egg. I would like to think he's trying to be a good, protective flock man & asserting his dominance in that role. Should I be thinking otherwise? He is not aggressive to me or my husband. Any insights on this breed's behavior is certainly appreciated.

 

[Pork Pie]

I'm no expert but with the exception of game breeds, I'd say that anticipated aggression is not likely a function of breed. Some Roos are just nutters! If you can tolerate his behaviour and you don't feel his presence is posing an issue to the welfare of the rest of your flock then that's fine (assuming he doesn't start having a pop at you or hubby).

Ct

 

[Ravynscroft]

Most behavior is learned or caused by environment and housing conditions, not so much breed specific.

I have Ameraucanas, Lavender and Black, and do not have issues with any of them. Sometimes, yes you can get one that is just off, and I will not keep an aggressive bird of any kind in my own flocks.

My concern would be the amount of roosters to hens you have and how much space they have. You said you have a small flock, but describe 4 roosters. With 4 roosters living together you would need a lot of hens to keep squabbles down.

And with the younger ones, do they have a section of the run for themselves? Or get time out in the run while the others are put up? If they are kept confined in a small space then behavior issues are bound to happen.

I keep an older and a younger rooster in most of my flocks but they have huge runs and lots of obstacles for ones who want to avoid others to get out of view. Boredom and confinement can lead to many issues we might not think of until they happen.

 

[Asmorilda]

Most behavior is learned or caused by environment and housing conditions, not so much breed specific.

I have Ameraucanas, Lavender and Black, and do not have issues with any of them. Sometimes, yes you can get one that is just off, and I will not keep an aggressive bird of any kind in my own flocks.

My concern would be the amount of roosters to hens you have and how much space they have. You said you have a small flock, but describe 4 roosters. With 4 roosters living together you would need a lot of hens to keep squabbles down.

And with the younger ones, do they have a section of the run for themselves? Or get time out in the run while the others are put up? If they are kept confined in a small space then behavior issues are bound to happen.

I keep an older and a younger rooster in most of my flocks but they have huge runs and lots of obstacles for ones who want to avoid others to get out of view. Boredom and confinement can lead to many issues we might not think of until they happen.

CTKen & RavynFallen, Thank you for your input in my situation. I've been wondering about him for some time. The 4 younger ones are suppose to be pullets for him but they are still too young to put with the older birds so he doesn't have his own flock yet. Since we are in the winter months & have just moved to a new location, all the birds are in the coop for now. We do have 3 large runs that we move them into when the weather permits (not raining, cold, etc.). As soon as we are able, we will set up a large fenced, netted yard for them to roam but this is not a place I would feel safe for them to completely free range with no fence or protection. We bought this rooster at the same time we bought several of the other birds. They all came from the same breeder & were a couple of months old when we got them so they were used to being together already. We have 6 roosters that we are certain are roosters. We have 7 pullets. Then, we have the 4 young Ameraucanas that haven't been sexed but were told they were pullets. We are in the process of trying to buy more pullets or hens for the roosters but our space is limited. We will be selling a rooster or two in the very near future so that we can add the hens. We also have 3 crested polish birds & thought we had a rooster & 2 pullets there but now we are not sure what we have in those. Since they are small, they have their own area which is wonderful. We have no problem with them. They all get outside time in the large run areas as often as conditions permit & as many hours a day as we can leave them out. At our old home, they had a huge protected area & could come & go to & from the coops whenever they pleased. All of them (except the crested polish & Ameraucana babies) were together & we had few problems. They were a bit younger too though & have just come into maturity since we moved here. This rooster doesn't mind who he fights. He will tackle pullet or rooster just the same way & they won't be doing anything to make him feel he must defend himself. They are just minding their own business usually.

 

[Pork Pie]

You are most welcome and i wish you the best of luck.

Ct