Cockerel to Roo

[MrsMeanGreen]

So I am a crazy chicken lady newbie. With that being said, at what age should I expect to see cockerels begin to exhibit rooster behaviors, such as herding, crowing regularly, guarding, and calling of the hens. My guys are about 9ish weeks give or take and right now are behaving like prepubescent little jerks. They puff up at each other, charge the pullets, act bossy and try to eat everything first. I expect this behavior don't get me wrong, but just wondering when it begins to change. 1 rooster will have to be culled eventually since my flock is small and there aren't enough ladies to support more than 1 gentleman in the future.

 

[fluffycrow]

My cockerels have enough brains by 7 months. Really they start to take it less hard on the pullets when they've earned their position as top of the flock. They'll still be dumb for some more time though. As mentioned before, the first glimpses of brain function come at 7-9 months. One year to 1.5 is when most start to become the rooster the hens have been dreaming of

 

[Shadrach]

This does vary with personality but as a general rule the time span fluffycrow has given is about right. I haven't really known what a rooster is like until he's around 18 months old. Some roosters tolerate some things while others get stressed. As wide an exposure to differing situations as is practicable helps.

 

[3KillerBs]

Now and then you get one who shines from the early days, like my Black Langshan, Ludwig, who took a protective, paternal interest in chicks before he was even old enough for the hens to allow him to mate.

But most of mine seem to settle down at about the same age that their sisters are starting to lay full-size eggs and continue to improve after that.

 

[Mrs. K]

As you are a newbie - here is my 2 cents, I have kept chickens for decades. While there is something rather wonderful about a flock master rooster, a lot of roosters are rotten. There is no perfect way to raise up a cockerel to get a perfect rooster - it is the luck of the draw. A lot of them need to be culled. I am sure, up to this point, they have been the darlings, but you are already realizing that they are beginning to change.

• if you have children under the age of 6, do not keep either rooster. They tend to attack children first, then women, and eventually men. The attack can be at the head level of a small child, and may even knock the child down.
• A lot depends on the space you have in the run and coop. What seems like a lot of space now, will shrink as they get full size
• Some people keep them with their pullets - but I get mine out of there, unless I only have one cockerel, and I have older hens. I don't like the pullets being harassed by multiple cockerels.
• A lot of inexperienced people do not recognize the signs of aggression. Or they make excuses for aggression -'I wore the wrong color, I got too close to a hen.' They want all the birds to just be nice and get along. That will not work, you need to manage the flock. The darling becomes the nightmare in an instant. Which is really not true, but they did not pick up on the signs of aggression.
• Roosters need considerably more room than hens. Multiple cockerels need more room than that.
• Don't keep a rooster just because you happened to raise him up. You have years to enjoy this hobby, roosters are easy to come by, it would be best to get some experience before taking on a cockerel/rooster.

Mrs K