Did I Ruin My Rooster?

[azygous]

I hate to have a rooster that always shys away from me like he’s scared

Actually, this is a sign of a good future rooster. You want a cockerel and rooster that defers to you by moving out of your way. This is desirable. In time, he will trust you and won't be afraid so much as he respects you.

 

[Mrs. K]

When people think of puppies and kittens, if they are treated well, they generally become very nice pets. Chickens are a flock society, and EVERY chicken in the flock is either above or below a chicken when they meet. Sometimes this is very evident, sometimes not so much.

When you pet, allow them to sit on your lap, you are taking the lower role. Chickens equate fear with respect. No fear, no respect. They are not afraid to exercise their dominance on you. This forum is full of stories where the darling becomes the nightmare.

However, the longer I am in this, the more I am sure that there is not a perfect way to raise roosters. As in, if you do this, then they will be perfectly behaved. I am now more of the roosters are a crapshoot, and sometimes you get lucky, and a lot of time you don't.

To raise a really good rooster, you need a sharp knife, and cull the rotten ones. Once you have a good one, you will not ever tolerate the others again.

Mrs K

 

[Pretend_Farmer]

Actually, this is a sign of a good future rooster. You want a cockerel and rooster that defers to you by moving out of your way. This is desirable. In time, he will trust you and won't be afraid so much as he respects you.

That’s good to hear! I know roosters will be roosters, I just want one that’s not going to go out of his way to beat me up for trying to collect eggs. So far this new rooster seems very gentle. He’s a Salmon Faverolle. He’s already breeding one of the hens but I’ve never heard him crow once.

 

[Pretend_Farmer]

When people think of puppies and kittens, if they are treated well, they generally become very nice pets. Chickens are a flock society, and EVERY chicken in the flock is either above or below a chicken when they meet. Sometimes this is very evident, sometimes not so much.

When you pet, allow them to sit on your lap, you are taking the lower role. Chickens equate fear with respect. No fear, no respect. They are not afraid to exercise their dominance on you. This forum is full of stories where the darling becomes the nightmare.

However, the longer I am in this, the more I am sure that there is not a perfect way to raise roosters. As in, if you do this, then they will be perfectly behaved. I am now more of the roosters are a crapshoot, and sometimes you get lucky, and a lot of time you don't.

To raise a really good rooster, you need a sharp knife, and cull the rotten ones. Once you have a good one, you will not ever tolerate the others again.

Mrs K

Makes sense. Like playing the lottery lol

 

[Iluveggers]

That’s good to hear! I know roosters will be roosters, I just want one that’s not going to go out of his way to beat me up for trying to collect eggs. So far this new rooster seems very gentle. He’s a Salmon Faverolle. He’s already breeding one of the hens but I’ve never heard him crow once.

I’ve heard WONDERFUL things about temperament of Faverolles. (I have my first coming this year specially because I was told I HAD to have one of the sweetest breed). Fingers crossed! For both of us!

 

[Pretend_Farmer]

I’ve heard WONDERFUL things about temperament of Faverolles. (I have my first coming this year specially because I was told I HAD to have one of the sweetest breed). Fingers crossed! For both of us!

I can tell you he’s much different from the last rooster. He’s always the first to roost and the last to get off the roost. He keeps his distance from most of the hens because they kick his butt. I’m sure he will be a completely different rooster in a few weeks but as long as he doesn’t start attacking people I can manage him. I’m “Pretend Farmer” on YouTube. I’m posting videos of him weekly. Feel free to go get a preview

 

[azygous]

You can copy the link of one of those videos and paste it here. It will embed and we can view it here.

 

[K0k0shka]

When you pet, allow them to sit on your lap, you are taking the lower role. Chickens equate fear with respect. No fear, no respect. They are not afraid to exercise their dominance on you. This forum is full of stories where the darling becomes the nightmare.

I need to point out that this is mostly true for the males though. Females are a whole different story. With them, it's very useful (and enjoyable) to hand-raise them, coddle them and win their trust. They won't necessarily think they are above you in the pecking order though. I'm not convinced that hens view humans as part of the pecking order (and the pecking order isn't linear either, it's a lot more complicated than that). If they have a good relationship with the human, hens will more likely view him/her as a resource than as part of the flock, and will fight over him/her, guard and hog him/her as they would a resource (because the human brings good things like treats, which are a resource). Having hens that are bonded to you and trust you makes chicken management SO much easier, and is so worth it! I hand-raised mine from hatch, and have spent a lot of time with them. They trust me and seek out my company, sit or nap on me, come to me for protection when scared, and allow me to pick them up, examine them, treat them when sick/injured, give them medicine, crate them, take eggs from them when broody, handle their chicks, etc. etc. - all without any fuss. And they've never tried to dominate me in any way. Running around trying to catch a flighty chicken, or needing two people to subdue and treat the chicken, or forcing any intervention on them, when they fear you and try to get away, is no fun at all. Fear gets you nowhere with female chickens, it just makes your life harder as their keeper. So, unless you are specifically dealing with the unfortunate crapshoot of roosters, by all means do cuddle and coddle your chickens, because, just like with cats and dogs, it will pay off, in very similar ways!

 

[Pretend_Farmer]

You can copy the link of one of those videos and paste it here. It will embed and we can view it here.

 

[Pretend_Farmer]

Thanks for the tip!