cockerel behaviour!

[marlene]

I have a young light sussex cockerel who is 10 weeks old, the last week i have seen him go face to face with my 2 ixworth chicks that i have (i believe they are females) and just stare it out, after a minute of staring with no movement what so ever from either he moves away but the chick just stays there like in a trance for a few more seconds. It's really strange, what is it all about? Have never kept a cockerel before so don't really know about their behaviour.
Just to clarify he does this to both ixworth chicks but 1 at a time not both at the same time.

 

[fshinggrl]

That is normal behavior. Even pullets/hens will do that to one another. He could be establishing a pecking order as well.

 

[marlene]

Thanks for that, first time i've seen it and wondered if it was normal.

 

[marlene]

Any one else with input on this behaviour?

 

[Lothiriel]

100% normal. When I had my 22 meaties they would ALL do that -- pullet to pullet, cockerel to cockerel, and every once in a while cockerel to pullet and vice versa. This past summer my 2 Silkie cockerels would do that a million times a day and it was so funny to watch. Sometimes they would just stand there and stare, and sometimes one or both would bob their head up and down and around.

So yes, it's perfectly normal and they are just trying to decide who's going to be the Big Roo on the block.

 

[sourland]

Chickens, both pullets and cockerels like to posture and assert themselves. Normal pecking order behavior.

 

[gryeyes]

Quote:
Exactly. It cracks me up to watch mine do it. The early stage version is to see who blinks first.

Then it's who turns away first.

Next stage is to raise hackle feathers and bow to each other, like martial artists. This makes them look bigger and tougher.

Then there's the jumping at each other, chest bumping. (Chest bumping can happen even as very young chicks of either or both sexes.)

All these stages are harmless. Whoever wins then moves on to another chicken to see if s/he can top that one at the game. Or, in the case of two chicks hatched the same day, four months ago, they continue to challenge each other.