Cockerel being a jerk or just normal behavior?

[BigBlueHen53]

Personally, I would not encourage or allow your cockerel to jump in your lap for treats. He is not a kitten or a puppy and in a very short time he will be a full-grown, sexually mature rooster. Jumping on you means he does not respect you, you are furniture. Suppose you are out in the run or wherever the chickens are and you bend over for some reason - to tie your shoe or just to pick something up. Bam, you are something to perch on, and now you have an 8-lb rooster on your back, claws and all. Or maybe you don't even have to make it that convenient - he could just decide to fly to the top of your head. You are a thing, an object - a roost. And you are rewarding him with worms whenever he lands on you. Feed him on the ground. If he jumps on your lap, stand up. Let him know you are off limits. This is just my opinion. Others may disagree.

 

[PlotTwistPoultry]

@BigBlueHen53 that's something I didn't consider and will have to absolutely keep in mind. I know they aren't dogs, but I approach giving treats with a similar mindset as I do with dogs (and all other animals): only accepted behavior is given treats. With all of them, they get the treats on MY time and decision as opposed to when they rush and try to jump on me. I also don't let any of them on my lap unless I'm in a specific spot. One of my hens tried flying up on my shoulder today and I made her get down immediately/shooed her off. I will absolutely keep that in mind about the roo though.

As for the others (sorry can't tag for some reason) the roo has seemed to chill out a bit now. I'm wondering if it was, in part, because they were still new to their run area and now that they've had a few days in it, they've all calmed down. The potential of an RIR roo is something I'll keep an eye out for as well.

These were supposed to be sexed, which is why I was surprised when the lavender orpington definitely had a much larger comb. Hopefully they're all hens, because I already have 20 meat birds to process in a few weeks then again, at 20, what's one more?

Thank you, everyone, for your comments and I'll keep them all in mind. I've decided I'm not going to remove the roo yet until he has the chance to show me if he's going to mellow out or be an unacceptable jerk.

 

[Windwalker79]

Hey there!

First off, welcome to the wild ride of raising a cockerel — sounds like you’re already deep in the "is he a jerk or just figuring out life?" phase Been there!

From what you’re describing, it sounds like your young lavender orp is definitely starting to test boundaries and figure out dominance, which is pretty normal behavior for a cockerel at this age (even if it feels like he's picking fights just for the drama). At 5 weeks, he's not sexually maturing yet, but those hormones are definitely brewing. That twitchy, “I must chase anything that moves” vibe? Classic early rooster energy.

The fact that:

• No one is losing feathers,
• There’s no blood, and
• The others are holding their own (even squaring up a little)…actually suggests your flock is sorting out a pecking order naturally — and for now, it’s within the realm of “normal-but-annoying.”

That said, it’s smart to keep an eye on him. Here are a few tips I’ve used (and am using again right now on my own new flock):

Things to Watch For:​

• If he starts cornering pullets, keeping them from food or water, or becoming relentless toward one or two girls — that's when it crosses the line into problematic.
• If the girls stop wanting to be around him or you notice bald spots or wounds, it's time to intervene.

🛠 What You Can Do (Gently):​

• Interrupt the behavior with a calm, firm presence. I’ll sometimes walk through the flock or sit nearby just to "re-balance the energy" when one bird is being over the top.
• If he gets too bossy, try a short time-out away from the group (in a crate or separate pen with visual access). It can humble them without isolating for too long.

I’ve recently brought home a full-grown roo (“Tulsa King” – my $10 bodyguard ) to watch over my 6-week-old chicks, ducks, and a goose. He’s calm, mature, and it’s been eye-opening to see the difference in energy between a confident rooster vs a cockerel still figuring himself out. The teenage phase can definitely be chaotic.

Bottom line:

What you're seeing sounds typical for now. Keep doing what you're doing — observing, checking in, and trusting your gut. You’ll know if it escalates.

And feel free to drop those pics anyway — half the fun of this forum is looking at blurry chicken mugshots!

Tom - Chief Mother Flucker & Director of Farm Operations
Mother Flucker Farms
Where the flock drama is real, and the rooster has an attitude

 

[SamLockwood]

It's pretty normal behavior for cockerels and the more dominant pullets. I've even had pullets square off with hackles raised on each other.

It'll stop when he starts trying to mess with the adults. I had one cockerel that size rush one of my more petite and submissive legbar hens and she would have none of it. She raised her hackles and started kicking and pecking the little brat and chasing him until he was trapped in a corner. He took a submissive posture and she let him up but glared at him and squawked for over a minute before letting him go.

He was much more respectful of the hens after that.

 

[PlotTwistPoultry]

It's pretty normal behavior for cockerels and the more dominant pullets. I've even had pullets square off with hackles raised on each other.

It'll stop when he starts trying to mess with the adults. I had one cockerel that size rush one of my more petite and submissive legbar hens and she would have none of it. She raised her hackles and started kicking and pecking the little brat and chasing him until he was trapped in a corner. He took a submissive posture and she let him up but glared at him and squawked for over a minute before letting him go.

He was much more respectful of the hens after that.

I'm only laughing because of the image the scene conjured in my head.

I don't have any older hens in this flock, but he has honestly seemed to calm down already. I think a big part of it may have been their access to the run was new.

 

[Mrs. K]

If it's your first time, and/or you don't have older hens, I wouldn't recommend keeping him. Cockerels and roosters can be total jerks once the hormones really hit them, and it doesn't seem to matter how sweet or friendly they were as babies. The friendliest lap chicks can turn out to be the meanest roosters. If you don't have experience handling rebellious roosters, it can be tough, and dangerous, as they can do serious harm (to you, to the flock, to any human visitors etc.) Also, if there are no

^^ is very good advice.

I agree with Ridgerunner, I think you have two roosters. I also agree with BigBlueHen - don't let him sit on you.

I like a cockerel that calmly gives me about a 5 ft diameter of space. Just casually moves away from me.

Mrs K

 

[Folly's place]

I'm with @Mrs. K, RR, and @BigBlueHen53 on this. I expect my cockerels and roosters to respect my space at all times, and don't hand feed them. If possible, move them out with your adult hens so they can eat some 'humble pie'. We like to raise cockerels in a mixed age flock. An adult rooster is helpful too.
Cute 'friendly' cockerels can grow into human aggressive jerks...
Mary