Cockerel Getting Aggressive Sometimes

[The Dim Side]

Hi! My cockerel is around 15 weeks old. And recently, normally during sunrise and sunset I think, he's been more aggressive to my boyfriend. (He also hops on the pullets [same age as him] periodically and pulls on their feathers. Is that normal behavior or excessively aggressive?)

I'm not usually around when it happens, so we haven't been sure if it's to any person or just to BF or what. But this evening, I went into the fenced-in area after he picked on one of the others, and he seemed okay till my boyfriend came up. The cockerel followed him as BF walked around the fence and looked like he was getting ready to jump BF or something. I kind of shooed him a bit just by walking up near him, and at one point, he looked back at my shoes and looked like he was considering attacking them. I took a step back, and he lost interest but seemed to go back at my boyfriend to follow him around the fence. So is it hormones causing this? Will this behavior get worse, or is it more or less normal, protective behavior? And why does it seem like he's more okay with me (for now) compared to BF? Testosterone thing?

Thanks!

 

[Folly's place]

He's thinking bad thoughts, and may or may not turn out to be okay.
Do some reading; @Beekissed , @BantyChooks , and @Shadrach all have good articles about rooster behavior. Shadrack has a very different management set-up, so not as pertinent to most of our smaller places and flocks.
Always walk 'through' your flock, never back up or walk around any of them! You are the giants who bring food, not another flock member who can be intimidated. If your cockerel thinks he can push you around, it won't end well. The best roosters spend their time interacting with their flockmates and looking out for danger, not paying attention to, or going after, humans.
Human aggression is both due to genetics, and then management matters. You can't fix his genetics!
It's possible that he will work out for you, maybe.
Mary

 

[aart]

He's thinking bad thoughts, and may or may not turn out to be okay.

The BF, not the cockerel.
Kidding, kinda.... but animals do react to humans demeanor.
If human is nervous, it can provoke a reaction from bird.

 

[MTR]

If he’s aggressive he’s only good for the pot. Especially if there are kids around. I don’t fool around with aggressive roosters. People try to “train” them but your trying to train out there genetic instinct.

 

[The Dim Side]

He's thinking bad thoughts, and may or may not turn out to be okay.
Do some reading; @Beekissed , @BantyChooks , and @Shadrach all have good articles about rooster behavior. Shadrack has a very different management set-up, so not as pertinent to most of our smaller places and flocks.
Always walk 'through' your flock, never back up or walk around any of them! You are the giants who bring food, not another flock member who can be intimidated. If your cockerel thinks he can push you around, it won't end well. The best roosters spend their time interacting with their flockmates and looking out for danger, not paying attention to, or going after, humans.
Human aggression is both due to genetics, and then management matters. You can't fix his genetics!
It's possible that he will work out for you, maybe.
Mary

Thank you for the references! And he's generally good about warning the flock if he sees any danger and just keeps an eye on them. His mounting them and demeanor toward my boyfriend are fairly recent. Since he seems pretty okay with me still (even this morning, I just fed him some feed from my hand), I wonder if maybe he sees BF as competition or something, lol.

 

[The Dim Side]

The BF, not the cockerel.
Kidding, kinda.... but animals do react to humans demeanor.
If human is nervous, it can provoke a reaction from bird.

Hahaha. And yeah, that's why I was wondering if it was BF specifically. Like our cats, while they like BF, tend to get more skittish when he walks around them rather than when I do. He kind of stomps more when he walks I guess (even though I'm a couple inches taller than him). So maybe he just comes off as more "challenging" or "threatening" than I do? When the cockerel (Lucy, that was his name before we knew he was a boy, but it still suits him, lol) started behaving this way, BF has been trying to show dominance more and other things to get Lucy to behave better, too.

I just mentioned in another reply here wondering if the cockerel sees BF as competition or something? Lucy was eating out of my hand this morning with the pullets, and he seemed fine until BF walked outside the house door. Lucy ran up toward him up to the fence. Granted, BF was being loud and making jokes, so that's why it just seems more specifically to BF than to just human, haha.

 

[The Dim Side]

If he’s aggressive he’s only good for the pot. Especially if there are kids around. I don’t fool around with aggressive roosters. People try to “train” them but your trying to train out there genetic instinct.

I hope it doesn't have to come to that! I do get that genetics play a huge role (in all animals, including us, lol), but I'm hoping he still calms down on his own. We've had him since he was a week old, so I'm definitely attached. It does just seem directed at BF right now, too. Luckily, we don't have kids here normally. Though when our nephew visited yesterday, our Roman Tufted geese did NOT seem to like him, even though they love other humans, just the adult-sized ones. I think they didn't understand what the tiny human was, haha.

 

[Folly's place]

Short people (children) tend to run around and be loud, all behaviors not appreciated by many birds, at least. And because the children are short, it's easier for them to be attacked in the face, and eyeballs. Dangerous!
Chasing birds is fun, except it just isn't good. At all.
And many of us start with chickens and make excuses for cockerels who behave badly. Most of us get over it over time. Our first rooster was a little monster!
Mary

 

[The Dim Side]

Short people (children) tend to run around and be loud, all behaviors not appreciated by many birds, at least. And because the children are short, it's easier for them to be attacked in the face, and eyeballs. Dangerous!
Chasing birds is fun, except it just isn't good. At all.
And many of us start with chickens and make excuses for cockerels who behave badly. Most of us get over it over time. Our first rooster was a little monster!
Mary

Yeah, I've read that the loud noises get them worked up and freak out. But the nephew is so shy and quiet and was just casually walking by their pen, and they freaked out, lol. I was also thinking maybe he's more the size of a dog/predator or something, so they're more wary of him? BF's teenage sister is much louder when she talks, so I think the one goose wasn't a fan of her for that, haha.

And yeah, I'll definitely be the one to make excuses for a while, at least till he gets aggressive with me. If he only dislikes BF, maybe I can just be the one to manage them more, lol. And I need to observe more, but it does seem like it's mainly in the mornings and evenings that there are issues. During the day, Lucy seems pretty chill toward people.

 

[The Dim Side]

One question I don't think anyone addressed yet, is his mounting on the pullets normal behavior for this age? Or is this aggressiveness? I'm not sure what to chock up to just hormones and growing (16 weeks old) or to aggression.