Can we talk about rooster raising?

[JaeG]

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?

I wouldn't worry at this stage. Hormones must be stirring and he'll try his luck if he thinks he can get away with it. The more worrying behaviours would be if you see him abusing the hens (our not so nice boy would grab their combs to mount them, leaving them bleeding) or if he tries to directly attack you.

He may drop a wing at you if he's feeling frisky which is how they show off to each other and the hens so just calmly walk directly towards him and make him move away from you to stop that escalating into him challenging you. That's what I've done with our younger ones. I don't trust them like I trust our bantam boy, but I know they are young and just seeing how far they can push things.

 

[CluckerFamily]

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?

Right now I’m thinking he just had the opportunity where the hen he mounted was completely distracted and he took his chance.
His next moves will be to start clucking at the ground as if he just found this amazing pile of grubs that aren’t there so that the hens come over; he will then mount them.
He will also do a dance where he drops his wing to try to quickly mount the ladies.
For the most part he may strike out because your ladies seem to tell him off afterwards.
I would watch for other signs as he matures but right now, he seems like a normal nice rooster trying to figure things out.

 

[Mrs. K]

I think you are aware, and that is probably the most important thing.

People come here all the time, just sure, that if they just raise the rooster right, if they act just so, if the nip this behavior then he will be wonderful.

AND people come on here, like me, saying well I did this or that and have a perfect gentleman ....

But really a LOT of it depends on the bird. And the luck of the draw, and some on circumstances. I have had GREAT roosters, so so roosters, lazy roosters and a wicked rooster. What my experience has really given me is the confidence to make choices with my flock, know some birds will come into it, and some will go out of it, and I solve for peace in the flock.

As much as I would love to tell you, 'just do this and it will be fine' it won't work. Don't get attached until they have walked the line, and you are months away from that. He might work, he might not. But there are a lot of roosters, try again if it doesn't.

Mrs K

 

[MysteryChicken]

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?

My Roosters usually mates their hens in front of me.

Sometimes this is the roo showing you that he's dominant over you, & his ladies.

Often in my case, I just happen to be there when he decides to get busy.



Has he attacked you lately?

 

[bhawk-23]

My Roosters usually mates their hens in front of me.

Sometimes this is the roo showing you that he's dominant over you, & his ladies.

Often in my case, I just happen to be there when he decides to get busy.



Has he attacked you lately?

Not sure what his intentions were with poor Buffy and me right there but he is sure paying the consequences Those girls were harassing him this morning

Oscar stays out of my way. He does not directly approach me when I am with the girls. He stands back and will approach cautiously when I acknowledge him with his name and an extended hand with a treat. Even then, he is cautious, takes the treat and runs. Lol Poor guy. I figure this is because the ladies will run him off.
Edit: I was not clear, Oscar is never even come close to attacking me. When I pick him up he calms quickly and when I set him down he will squat and I can pet him without holding him there for about 15-30 seconds.

I am of the thinking that animals are not easy to figure out in general. But throw in my lack of knowledge and experience with chickens in general, and especially roosters, I would prefer the guidance from willing folks rather than end up in a situation I have zero control or understanding of. I've seen this too much with dogs. Unfortunately, if the situation escalates too far, it is usually the dog that pays the ultimate price for the owners lack of judgement or seeing/knowing the signs. I do not want Oscar, or anyone in my family, to pay the price for MY unwillingness learn and pay close attention. Sometimes, that requires harassing the good will of BYC members to help me navigate these new experiences.

For you all, I am grateful.

 

[Trisseh]

It sounds to me that he’s figuring out where he stands with everyone, as mentioned by others. I wouldn’t be concerned at this point, the hens will help him figure things out, as you’ve already seen. Yes, some cockerels/roosters will mate with hens to show dominance but I agree that this was a sneak attack while she was distracted. Lol. It’s all within the context of the situation.
hopefully he’ll learn how to woo them instead of grabbing them whenever he can, and the older girls should help him figure that out. My icelandic is still young as well, but he learned his manners from the little paint silkie I have. She’s a force to be reckoned with. Lol.
Just have to wait and see how he develops and deal with situations as they arise. So far he sounds just fine.

 

[MysteryChicken]

Not sure what his intentions were with poor Buffy and me right there but he is sure paying the consequences Those girls were harassing him this morning

Oscar stays out of my way. He does not directly approach me when I am with the girls. He stands back and will approach cautiously when I acknowledge him with his name and an extended hand with a treat. Even then, he is cautious, takes the treat and runs. Lol Poor guy. I figure this is because the ladies will run him off.
Edit: I was not clear, Oscar is never even come close to attacking me. When I pick him up he calms quickly and when I set him down he will squat and I can pet him without holding him there for about 15-30 seconds.

I am of the thinking that animals are not easy to figure out in general. But throw in my lack of knowledge and experience with chickens in general, and especially roosters, I would prefer the guidance from willing folks rather than end up in a situation I have zero control or understanding of. I've seen this too much with dogs. Unfortunately, if the situation escalates too far, it is usually the dog that pays the ultimate price for the owners lack of judgement or seeing/knowing the signs. I do not want Oscar, or anyone in my family, to pay the price for MY unwillingness learn and pay close attention. Sometimes, that requires harassing the good will of BYC members to help me navigate these new experiences.

For you all, I am grateful.

Didn't you have a problem rooster/cockerel, or was that someone else?


It's good the ladies are bossing him around. It teaches him manners.

 

[bhawk-23]

Didn't you have a problem rooster/cockerel, or was that someone else?


It's good the ladies are bossing him around. It teaches him manners.

That was another member. I've not had any issues thus far. I am just trying to set us up for success, as much as I am able.

 

[RoostersAreAwesome]

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?

That doesn’t sound like worrying behavior to me.
Here are some pictures (with descriptions) of possible aggressive behaviors and body language to look out for.

These three, two of which were cockerels, would all puff up their hackles and peck, though they never spurred me. The adult rooster (middle) was trained out of this behavior, though he still often acted cocky around me. Note the puffed up body, lowered tail, single shoulder dip (body is angled towards the person they are trying to intimidate, one shoulder, facing the person, is down, while the other is up, tail is sometimes cocked towards you), and lowered head.

Of the two roosters above, one is the cocky bantam mentioned before, and the other a rooster who often tried to spur me and would seek me out to attempt to spur or peck me. He usually waited for me to make the “first move”, though he considered me stepping forward or moving in any fashion a first move. Notice how, in the first picture, he is in a ready-to-attack stance, with his body sloped downwards and his eye on me.

That same rooster- can you see the difference in his body language from the other roosters? In the first picture, his hackles are loose and his tail and head are down. In the second one, his body is sloped downwards, he has his eyes on me, and his hackles are slightly puffed up. He is waiting for a response. I’ve noticed that aggressive roosters will creep up to you, pecking at the ground the whole time. However, if you watch them closely, you’ll see that they aren’t paying attention to what they’re pecking at. They’re staring intently at you while sort of “pretending” to peck at their feet. It’s a behavior that hens will even do each other before an attack. Not to be mistaken with the food call roosters do for the hens, where they make a few calls and raise their heads, not paying any attention to you.

Popcorn, demonstrating the wing shuffle/wing dance/side step to another hen (hard to see in the picture). Notice too how her tail is spread, something less noticeable with roosters but still a sign of dominance/challenge. The wing shuffle is usually either a challenge or a greeting. It’s not a definite sign of aggression, but if a cockerel starts to do it he should be watched carefully for any other aggressive behaviors.

A few examples of non aggressive behavior. These roosters just want some food. This behavior should be practically identical to a hen wanting food.

Examples of non-aggressive body language. Notice how the roosters are interested in what they’re pecking at on the ground, not me. Their hackles aren’t puffed up at all. While their bodies are sloped downwards, they’re obviously staring at the ground, and actually stretching their necks to pick up some food, instead of just making a show of picking at the ground. No shoulder dip.

 

[bhawk-23]

@RoostersAreAwesome

That is an extremely helpful post! The pictures along with descriptions is exactly how I learn and I would bet many others. Do you have an article or sticky or something that shows all of this? If not, you should!