At what age with a rooster...

[Ciqala]

At what age with a rooster do I pretty much know what I have behavioral speaking?

 

[Mrs. K]

When mine were very close to a year old, that seemed to be their established behavior. The mean one just kept getting meaner as he approached a year old, and the nice one, I quit worrying if he would get mean when he got to be a year old.

Does that help? However, don't think you have to wait til he is a year old to make the decision, if he is mean before that he generally won't get nice. Where as nice, but easily excitable rooster do tend to mellow with age.

Mrs K

 

[Ciqala]

Thank you Mrs K. I have two very respectful 4mth old black australorp roos and I'm hoping they continue on the path their on, both with me and sharing responsibilities over the hens. I just wasn't sure what was the point/age I could say "ah okay, this is how they'll be".

 

[Mrs. K]

They are quite young yet.... are they crowing? When the hormones come on, it will tell you a lot. Beware of one that gives you the eye...

Mrs K

 

[Ciqala]

My alpha roo has been crowing for at least a month and a half, the beta at least a month. They won't shut up, lol. The neck grabbing has been going on for weeks and for the last week or so they've actually been trying to jump onto the hens. One thing I noticed starting just this week that I'm curious of and maybe you can help educate me with is my alpha roo is a real b*stard to the flock when I first let them out in the morning. Walks sideways at them, pecks them on the head nothing majorly aggressive I see more as a "hey, I'm the king and I'm reminding you all of it". He stays away from me and only starts it once I am out of their run. The rest of the day he's a peach to them all, even the other roo - they even lay down next to each other a lot. So, I'm not sure what is up with his behavior when he first gets out, I'd say it lasts about 5 minutes and then it's done.

I've noticed at roosting time they each have their own roost and certain hens with them, so I'm assuming they've already worked out who's hens will be whose. I'm raising both of them with the hands off approach, unless I have to grab them for some reason.

 

[Mrs. K]

The big thing is to be aware, and it sounds like you are. Also, watch your hens, how are they acting. However, I had a BA, and that is how he started, and he just kept getting worse, and meaner. I thought that it might just be the "teen years" (4 to 10 months), and that he would out grow it. But he didn't and he got meaner to me and the hens.

So watch and be aware, especially if he starts to watch you, he may try and sneak up behind you, and that is not a good sign.

You don't say how many hens you have, but for two roosters, you should probably have more than 20 hens, although many report on here with success with a higher roo/hen ratio, it is more of an exception. Your hens will start to look ragged, with bald spots and bare-backs from too much breeding.

Mrs K

 

[Ciqala]

Unfortunately I can't have that many hens, so I'm hoping the flock dynamics allow me to keep both if not I'll do what I have to do. I have another question, if you don't mind. Every now and then the alpa will stand tall, open his wings and slowly flap them a couple times. It never becomes more than that, he does it far away from me and I get after him when he does usually he turns away from me to do it. I'm not sure what he's meaning by it and am not sure if I should be getting after him about it now since I googled it the other night and some claim it's no big deal because it's just them saying look how handsome I am.