Can we talk about rooster raising?

[Asm610]

I am already in the planning and clearing stage for a coop addition which will be next to the current one...much larger..and have an access door to join the two. I plan on housing my roos there and raising chicks in there. It will have 2 seperate sections when I have chicks..but will be one big house when I dont. It will also have a couple of seperate pens in case of any needs for seperation or isolation. The plan is 24x 14. This will allow for all the future expansion of my flock at this current home. Id have to move to go bigger.

 

[Asm610]

I'm the one who posted about the rooster knocking my glasses off my face. He's been rehomed, and is going to a ranch in Wyoming where he'll have 26 Easter Egger hens. He won't be in a situation where there are small children, etc. So, he's not in the soup pot yet.

Funny, the little bantam rooster left behind started crowing as the other rooster was being loaded into the truck. Hadn't heard him crow until that day. And when I took out veggies, he picked up a pea and clucked to show the hens. They ignored him, of course, because he's a pip squeak. But he's trying! I'll keep an eye out for him. He was supposed to be a Mille Fleur D'uccle, but ended up with a top knot, and folks here thought he was more likely to be a silkie cross. He does have the dotted/speckled feathers underneath. I hope he remains sweet.
View attachment 2499045
People laugh when they hear his name is Francois. I have no idea why.
View attachment 2499047

Beautiful bird.

 

[bhawk-23]

@mcdze
Thank you. Please know I would never intentionally harm one of my birds. I have held him to submit careful to be gentle and patient when handling and nice pets afterwards. If I could have caught him that is what I would have done. But chasing obviously did not work and I won't be atempting that one again

I am just hoping he keeps his crowing to the daylight hours. My neighbor said he's good with a rooster, as long as it's not waking them up during the night

He really is a sweetie. And he is starting to strut, I'm assuming. He is walking with his chest up an out, until he gets chased off by the girls. I like him way too much for it being probation period still.

 

[Chickassan]

Please guys, iv'e read a few times on this thread some of you wanting a dominate roosters position and that simply isn't going to happen.
He knows you aren't a rooster, but if you mimic a dominate rooster's behaviors he will eventually treat you like one in the worst possible way.
Just let them be boys, they know what they're doing.

 

[JaeG]

I'm the one who posted about the rooster knocking my glasses off my face. He's been rehomed, and is going to a ranch in Wyoming where he'll have 26 Easter Egger hens. He won't be in a situation where there are small children, etc. So, he's not in the soup pot yet.

Funny, the little bantam rooster left behind started crowing as the other rooster was being loaded into the truck. Hadn't heard him crow until that day. And when I took out veggies, he picked up a pea and clucked to show the hens. They ignored him, of course, because he's a pip squeak. But he's trying! I'll keep an eye out for him. He was supposed to be a Mille Fleur D'uccle, but ended up with a top knot, and folks here thought he was more likely to be a silkie cross. He does have the dotted/speckled feathers underneath. I hope he remains sweet.
View attachment 2499045
People laugh when they hear his name is Francois. I have no idea why.
View attachment 2499047

He is gorgeous! He looks more like a teddy bear than a rooster.

 

[Asm610]

Today was eye opening. My Cockerel Red went after another and grabbed him by the feathers of his upper neck SEVERAL TIMES today and held on to the point the other cock was crying out! No wounds or blood...but obvious dislike between the 2. The one being picked on is the most mature...in my opinion...of my Brahma cocks...but still leaps behind the Australorp...tho probablyas large or larger. Im concerned this may become habitual....yet there is an Australorp that is about ready to start challenging Red that he pays almost no attention to. Any suggestions or advice?

 

[bhawk-23]

Soooo.....I totally did the whole "OMG I LOVE YOU!!" cuddle to Oscar when locking up the coop tonight. Oh crap, I'm in trouble if my neighbors decide they don't like his crowing

How can I possibly like him so much?? I love all my chickens but he is just....different

 

[Mrs. K]

Today was eye opening. My Cockerel Red went after another and grabbed him by the feathers of his upper neck SEVERAL TIMES today and held on to the point the other cock was crying out! No wounds or blood...but obvious dislike between the 2. The one being picked on is the most mature...in my opinion...of my Brahma cocks...but still leaps behind the Australorp...tho probablyas large or larger. Im concerned this may become habitual....yet there is an Australorp that is about ready to start challenging Red that he pays almost no attention to. Any suggestions or advice?

Many inexperienced people vastly underestimate the violence of rooster fighting or a rooster attack. What you really need is a PLAN B, set up and ready to go. You need a chicken hook or a fish net, so that you can separate fighting birds, and put one somewhere else that is ready to go.

I would strongly expect this to happen again and again, getting more violent each time. Maybe it won't, but probably it will, and there really is not a lot you can do about it. You need to be strictly free range, in an area with a lot of hide outs, and places where birds can get away from each other. If you are confined to a run, it needs to be a large run with a lot of clutter.

They don't call it cock fighting for nothing, and birds can fight once, and it be over, or fight again and again, until one or both of them die.

Mrs K

 

[Asm610]

I grew up in a Puerto Rican family. I assure you I know all about Rooster fighting and how brutal it can be. These are 3.5 month old birds.....its unusual for that one bird to even be light years ahead of the others in maturity. They were all purchased and have been raised together. This 1 birds male genetics seem to be off the charts thus far. Other thsn this event two days ago....hes been pretty even tempered and caring fot the glock like a rooster should but at a very young age. He has a sharp eye and spots hawks quickly...calling out to his flockmates and getting them to shelter whether its the coop or a treeline. He definitely does get challenged and challenge through thr day with small juvenile pecking skirmishes though. I am always watching. As I said...this was the first real bullying I saw.

 

[bhawk-23]

Sooooo.....yeah...I'm tagging some of you who have raised roosters and have had both friendly and mean ones.
@Oncoming Storm @CluckerFamily @Sally PB @JaeG @RoostersAreAwesome @Mrs. K @MysteryChicken @Britt The Chicken Chick @Chickassan @Trisseh @mcdze

Today I was sitting by the coop with a hen laying on my lap. Oscar was intrigued with this, as he usually is. Next thing I know he grabs a full grown BO close to me on the neck and mounts her. She was NOT happy, but he won. I could swear he was doing this in front of me because they are MY hens. I just had this weird vibe from him. I got up calmly, I did not want to upset the hen on my lap, and he didn't run from me like normal but as soon as I took a step towards him he did. He then went back to his two flock mate pullets and was back to normal.
Except super jumpy as Buffy was NOT happy and let him know as soon as she figured things out. Some of the other ladies also thought they'd let him know he is not boss. He stayed away from all of us for the remainder of the evening and only entered the coop once all the hens were perched.

We have not seen this behavior yet and he has not crowed that we know of. We, or at least one of us, is home and checking on them multiple times throughout day.
I am very obviously ignorant to rooster behaviors and really don't want to misconstrue this situation. I feel like I need a plan moving forward to hopefully set us on a path for success.

Thoughts?