Can we talk about rooster raising?

[SerrarGett]

My question is, can training a rooster affect their relationship with other roosters?

For example, I have two roosters, and both are not lap chickens. I plan on changing this when I complete a new enclosed run, but I have an issue right now. The one pictured in my profile is a gentle giant and "bullied" by my second rooster, despite being nearly double in size. (By bullied, I mean Rooster 2 chases Rooster 1 around and tries to mount him.) I currently don't have hens to accompany them and stop the attempted mating, but will soon.
If I train Rooster 2 to be nicer to me, will that possibly make him friendlier with the other rooster?
I know it is probably a lost cause, but I'd like to hear what you think.
(The only reason I have to two together is because I'm afraid one will develop depression if I cull the other.)

 

[Mrs. K]

Depression will not be caused by not being chased and forced to submit. Get rid of the rooster you don't like, and you will be much happier.

No human is going to live with chickens 24 hours a day in a coop. How they act when you are not there is not going to be influenced by when you are there. They have a very small brain. And your relationship will have no effect on their relationship.

Mrs K

 

[bhawk-23]

Okay! New milestone for Oscar! I've been up in their space an awful lot these last few days with the snow and cold. Constantly bringing water, fresh veggies, scratch and filling food buckets all while in a limited amount of space. The girls love it! Oscar and his 1 hatch mate pullet, not so much. The other pullet seems to be a bit more social and will approach me even with the older girls around. Oscar and the one keep their distance mostly (they seem really bonded) except for treats. Lol

Today, I was in the coop replacing the camera and he came in. He was watching me and I noticed the side look while he was pretending to peck at the treats. I kept going, without wanting to intimidate or challenge him so turned my body perpendicular to him, while obviously still paying close attention as I worked. When I finished I extended my hand with treats. He was much more leery than usual but when said pullet approached my hand he really disciplined her hard, much more than I've ever seen him do! She ran out of the coop. I set the treats down and he ate some and then left the coop and I closed up. My coop is elevated so I have a great amount of room to retreat whole closing the door easily if he had decided to pick a fight.

Later today I went out to do my checks and he was in the coop watching me. The gray pullet, same one as earlier, was in with him. I heard her screaming and I caught him breeding her but he was being extremely ruff. Not like the other older gals. They are 16.5 weeks old now.

I do notice he won't come near me when I am surrounded by the older gals. It's almost as if I'm protected by them. Lol

Any thoughts on his new behavior towards me? Any thoughts on why it only happens when we are alone or just the 3 hatch mates and not when the older gals are there? Did I react correctly in the situation to avoid any competition or aggression? Is it good he ended up eating a few treats and leaving the coop? I do notice him not necessarily liking my company anymore. But he is also 16.5 weeks and feeling a bit frisky. Is there an "average" age I can look forward to his hormones, and hopefully his demeanor with them, settling? He has yet to try and court any ladies. He just sneaks up behind, jumps on and then runs for his life! I've seen him out in the snow and the girls not letting him back in for quite a bit. It's hilarious to watch! I hope it was worth it for him being left out in the cold. I guess they thought he needed to cool off a bit

Any thoughts are appreciated! I am really enjoying seeing him and laughing at his mishaps with the ladies. I really don't want to see him go so.....

 

[JaeG]

When the older hens are around he knows he's not top dog so won't challenge you. They may even attack him if he ever tried to challenge you in their presence. One of our girls has come to our sons defence when one of our cockerels tried to have a go at him.

Your cautious pullet may become more social with you when she starts to lay. That's what I found with our little girls who have just started laying. They are so friendly now, always underfoot, whereas as adolescents they were very scatty and cautious.

Our cockerels are in their own coop and run until all the girls are laying because if their behaviour is anything to go by they'd be horrible at this point in time. They are very full of themselves so it remains to be seen if they'll be long term members of the flock or just around long enough to father some chicks (I have a colour project I'm working on).

If Oscar continues to abuse the pullet I'd be tempted to house him separately for awhile even in a dog crate so he isn't completely separated from the flock so that she has a chance to mature before he gets to have his way with her.

Our little bantam boy was so good that I can't advise you on how long the butt-head phase lasts. Hopefully someone else with more experience can advise you there.

 

[Mrs. K]

It is a bit hard on that pullet. I too, might separate him. How is her standing with the others? Are these two the only ones that are 16.5 weeks?

I am going to say, that his watching you is not a good sign. I think he is beginning to size you up. He will be sizing up the hens too, trying to move up in dominance. Personally, I would NOT give him treats, I would ignore him completely. And I would strongly encourage him to keep his distance from me.

However, I am not a big believer in either of these ideas, that there are human behaviors that will keep a rooster from becoming mean, or human behaviors that are at fault and cause a rooster to go bad.

Mrs K

 

[bhawk-23]

When the older hens are around he knows he's not top dog so won't challenge you. They may even attack him if he ever tried to challenge you in their presence. One of our girls has come to our sons defence when one of our cockerels tried to have a go at him.

So I started picking him up and carrying him as I talked and visited with the girls. I would be giving them their treats and such. I noticed he would not really settle fully inside the coop but if I carried him outside he relaxed. I'd walk back inside and he would tense up again. Also, when I'd put him down one or two of the older girls run over and give him a good peck or two. I try to deter this mostly but they are sneaky! Lol This has most definitely knocked him back down to the bottom and I feel a little bad. But, he is retreating when I come in which was really nice today when I was doing a full run clean. I did not have to keep an eye out like before. Anytime I would check on him he was still in the coop and not watching me.

It is a bit hard on that pullet. I too, might separate him. How is her standing with the others? Are these two the only ones that are 16.5 weeks?

I am going to say, that his watching you is not a good sign. I think he is beginning to size you up. He will be sizing up the hens too, trying to move up in dominance. Personally, I would NOT give him treats, I would ignore him completely. And I would strongly encourage him to keep his distance from me.

Mrs K

The two pullets and the cockerel are 17 weeks and two days. The older gals are about 11 months.

Since I've started carrying him and not offering treats anymore he has definitely learned to keep his distance again. He is not harassing any of the girls that I can see at this point. And the two pullets are fitting in quite well with the older ones and are even starting to hang with them more than the cockerel. They are definitely lower in the pecking order but nothing out of the ordinary.

I can totally see how the girls react to me now that I am learning more. I am most definitely their flock master bringing them their treats and food. They all submit to me when I am just giving them a pet or sometimes when I just walk past. They've done this since starting to lay, I've never forced them down or made them submit, ever! I just LOVE to find creepy crawly treats and calling them over to eat, which I have done since since the start of free ranging. I cannot walk the yard without my flock of chickens under foot. Hahaha

Is this going to cause us issues in the future?

 

[JaeG]

So I started picking him up and carrying him as I talked and visited with the girls. I would be giving them their treats and such. I noticed he would not really settle fully inside the coop but if I carried him outside he relaxed. I'd walk back inside and he would tense up again. Also, when I'd put him down one or two of the older girls run over and give him a good peck or two. I try to deter this mostly but they are sneaky! Lol This has most definitely knocked him back down to the bottom and I feel a little bad. But, he is retreating when I come in which was really nice today when I was doing a full run clean. I did not have to keep an eye out like before. Anytime I would check on him he was still in the coop and not watching me.


The two pullets and the cockerel are 17 weeks and two days. The older gals are about 11 months.

Since I've started carrying him and not offering treats anymore he has definitely learned to keep his distance again. He is not harassing any of the girls that I can see at this point. And the two pullets are fitting in quite well with the older ones and are even starting to hang with them more than the cockerel. They are definitely lower in the pecking order but nothing out of the ordinary.

I can totally see how the girls react to me now that I am learning more. I am most definitely their flock master bringing them their treats and food. They all submit to me when I am just giving them a pet or sometimes when I just walk past. They've done this since starting to lay, I've never forced them down or made them submit, ever! I just LOVE to find creepy crawly treats and calling them over to eat, which I have done since since the start of free ranging. I cannot walk the yard without my flock of chickens under foot. Hahaha

Is this going to cause us issues in the future?

I can't see it causing any issues. I like to give our little cockerel (he's almost a year old now) the treats so that he gets to be the 'big man' (he's a tiny bantam ) and tell the girls (even though they are already there waiting). He leads the charge too if he sees us coming with treats.

I'd read of someone having issues with their roo and they tried that and the roo settled right down. So that's something to keep in mind to try if you do start to feel like he's unhappy with you feeding the girls directly. But only time will tell.

 

[Mrs. K]

What I have found, is a mature rooster changes the dynamics of the flock and their relationship with me. With a mature rooster - they look to him, and no longer look to me. I am not saying that they don't come running when I bring feed, but they tend to listen to him more than me.

However, I like to watch my chickens, not feed them by hand or pet them.

 

[bhawk-23]

I was trying to give him treats to give the girls but he just gobbles them up himself! After that he was becoming more bold and watching me like crazy. I was not comfortable with this new boldness. But we are now back to status quo of him retreating and girls in charge. He is no longer sneak attacking them to breed or crossing any lines. When he finds the treats, which I toss (not hand feed) some in the coop for him since the girls don't share in the run he just gobbles them up. I am guessing he is not trying to woe/entice the girls which could mean he is not mature or he is nervous when I'm around? The situation is also not ideal with all the snow lately. Even though there is no fighting, picking on or disagreements this far there is the pecking order which everyone seems to know and has not challenged. I do worry about the rooster though, he is not being allowed free access to the run when I am there. But I do see him roosting out there when I go out. All in all the integrating has gone quite well. And it's only natural the older gals not appreciate his rude behavior since they've never dealt with it before. Hopefully their lessons will help him be a better flock master and kinder to his girls.

I do look forward to watching the girls instead of constantly being followed and hounded for treats. I love them dearly!!! But I cannot go outside ever with being harassed


thanks for the input. I am enjoying learning about and raising Oscar. And having a place to come and ask about his behaviors is really helping me to hopefully set us up for success! He is so pretty and awesome I really hope he matures nicely and doesn't crow too early for the neighbors. I know I love hearing him crow! Makes me so happy!! Hahaha

 

[RoostersAreAwesome]

I was trying to give him treats to give the girls but he just gobbles them up himself! After that he was becoming more bold and watching me like crazy. I was not comfortable with this new boldness. But we are now back to status quo of him retreating and girls in charge. He is no longer sneak attacking them to breed or crossing any lines. When he finds the treats, which I toss (not hand feed) some in the coop for him since the girls don't share in the run he just gobbles them up. I am guessing he is not trying to woe/entice the girls which could mean he is not mature or he is nervous when I'm around? The situation is also not ideal with all the snow lately. Even though there is no fighting, picking on or disagreements this far there is the pecking order which everyone seems to know and has not challenged. I do worry about the rooster though, he is not being allowed free access to the run when I am there. But I do see him roosting out there when I go out. All in all the integrating has gone quite well. And it's only natural the older gals not appreciate his rude behavior since they've never dealt with it before. Hopefully their lessons will help him be a better flock master and kinder to his girls.

I do look forward to watching the girls instead of constantly being followed and hounded for treats. I love them dearly!!! But I cannot go outside ever with being harassed


thanks for the input. I am enjoying learning about and raising Oscar. And having a place to come and ask about his behaviors is really helping me to hopefully set us up for success! He is so pretty and awesome I really hope he matures nicely and doesn't crow too early for the neighbors. I know I love hearing him crow! Makes me so happy!! Hahaha

Can you get a picture of him watching you? It’s possible he just wants you to give him more treats.