Cockerel biting

[dottie15]

Just this week my 3 month old rooster started biting me. He bites and tugs for like two seconds and so far I’ve been bitten on my hand and foot. Any ideas on why the sudden biting? Thank you!

 

[Aunt Angus]

Hormones, my friend.

I have one roo who is a jerk (he's tiny - weighs just 1 lb - my 8 week old pullets are larger), so he can't hurt anyone. And I have one big boy who is more respectful of me. I raised them very differently because I didn't want the big boy to turn out like the tiny jerk.

The tiny guy was supposed to be a pullet, but you know how that goes. I cuddled him because he was so cute and tiny. He was a total lap chicken. As soon as his hormones started raging, he turned on me. He clearly doesn't respect me and sees me as an intruder and a threat. He has gotten a little better over the years, but he is definitely not a nice rooster to me. He's GREAT with my girls, though.

Here he is next to a 6 week old chick - lol! His name is Picotee, and he's gorgeous.

Fast forward a few years. I ended up with another sexed pullet who turned out to be male. As soon as I knew he was a cockerel, I was hands off with him. I treated him like livestock instead of a pet. He now gives me a wide berth whenever I'm in the coop or run, which is a very good thing because as large as he is, he could do some damage were he to attack anyone.

Here's the big guy. His name is Cayenne.

I can't say that treating the big guy differently has helped, but it certainly hasn't hurt. It's something I learned from seasoned rooster owners here on BYC, and it's worth considering if you treat your cockerel as a pet and he is starting to show aggression towards you.

However, some roosters are just jerks, unfortunately.