Do roosters settle with age?

[jBabychickn]

Hey everyone!

Looking for “Rooster-maturing” stories & experiences, for those who are willing to share…

I love Roosters; I find them so very fascinating. I’ve been reading more about them. But, I’ve found that nothing beats a “true life” story or experience.

Please include ages and breeds, if you can.
My main interests right now runs parallel to where I’m at right now with my flock —
They are coming up on 7-8mos old. I have 8 Hens that just started laying about a month ago and my Roo is a Salmon Faverolle who’s the same age as well.

- He’s been crowing and practice mating/mating for the past 2mos. approximately.
- He’s very clumsy still and I have about 3 of his favorite Hens with saddles on right now because of it. He’s not overly rough with them tho.
- He’s becoming more and more aware of everyone’s surroundings as far as protection goes over these past few weeks.
- He’s not human aggressive, at least towards me; however, he does challenge my husband from time to time.

Thanks!

 

[HappyClucker7]

My EE rooster was like that too around that age. He was always crowing, mating, showing off, and testing his boundaries with people. I was very quick to tell him when something he did was wrong (I didn't hurt him, just held him to the ground). Having mature hens in the flock also helped, because they told him when he was being too rough. When he reached about a year old he finally calmed down, and he's been great ever since.

 

[PippinTheChicken]

Around 6 months, roosters reach a hormonal age, but they tend to settle down after a month or 2

 

[Ais]

Is it normal/ok for a cockerel to grab a hen's comb as they're on the hens back trying to mate? I have a 5 month old who so far is respectful to me, the hens aren't afraid of him, he tidbits and I've seen him calmly settle some intra-hen disputes, overall acts like a good roo. But he has just figured out how to mate and so far has only showed interest in trying with the older hens who are currently laying. He has his favorite and usually holds her neck feathers but yesterday he was holding her comb instead. I looked her over and didn't see any damage but should I be concerned if he keeps using her comb instead of feathers, or is it normal?

 

[PippinTheChicken]

Is it normal/ok for a cockerel to grab a hen's comb as they're on the hens back trying to mate? I have a 5 month old who so far is respectful to me, the hens aren't afraid of him, he tidbits and I've seen him calmly settle some intra-hen disputes, overall acts like a good roo. But he has just figured out how to mate and so far has only showed interest in trying with the older hens who are currently laying. He has his favorite and usually holds her neck feathers but yesterday he was holding her comb instead. I looked her over and didn't see any damage but should I be concerned if he keeps using her comb instead of feathers, or is it normal?

That's how some roosters mate. It looks horrible but it works for them. If her comb starts to bleed, separate him

 

[jBabychickn]

Is it normal/ok for a cockerel to grab a hen's comb as they're on the hens back trying to mate? I have a 5 month old who so far is respectful to me, the hens aren't afraid of him, he tidbits and I've seen him calmly settle some intra-hen disputes, overall acts like a good roo. But he has just figured out how to mate and so far has only showed interest in trying with the older hens who are currently laying. He has his favorite and usually holds her neck feathers but yesterday he was holding her comb instead. I looked her over and didn't see any damage but should I be concerned if he keeps using her comb instead of feathers, or is it normal?

I hadn’t known of this thanks for sharing and asking….

 

[jBabychickn]

That's how some roosters mate. It looks horrible but it works for them. If her comb starts to bleed, separate him

I noticed my Silkie cockerel doing this too. He’s got the neck grab down but he’s definitely “backwards” when he’s trying to mate! Poor guy… I’m sure he’ll get it soon.

But it’s definitely worrisome for the girls. They are starting to avoid him at all costs.

 

[drdoct]

My cockerel is around 6+ months old. He's pretty good with the mating part of my 4 hens (lost one), but aggressive towards me and my teenaged son. My wife can pick him up and he does nothing, maybe growl a little but never any aggression. But me? Every morning when I let them out, he attacks. Sometimes I'll hold him down, other times just give him the brush off and stare him down. There's no really training this one at this age though. His memory only lasts a few hours. But when my wife is around, he's a perfect gentleman never attacking.

Saturday he was doing his thing and I had my gloves and so I picked him up. He must have bit my arm 20x but I was ready since I had a coat on. I held him for a long time and he started talking to the hens. No lie, he got one to attack me as well. I held him even longer after that and then held that hen. We plan on raising at least 5 more to give the others a break but for now they'll have to just endure him. Or if he gets worse maybe not. Holding them down doesn't always work especially at this age.

 

[Bigtom Turkey]

My youngest cockerel a silkie mix challenges me from time to time, but I am quick to correct him (I just carry him around for my chores) and by the time I am done he wants nothing to do with me. He is almost 6 months.

 

[TheFatBlueCat]

Yes cockerals settle with age, around 8-12 months depending on the breed, maybe even later for some. But being people aggressive may or may not settle. Personally none of my cockerals gets the opportunity to mature if they show tendencies to be aggressive to people or overly aggressive to the hens. Maybe they would chill out, maybe they wouldn't.

I don't want my roosters thinking I am in any way a part of the flock hierarchy. I do not challenge them or correct them, I walk right through them. If they want to challenge me, they can be someone's lunch. They know I'm there to feed and care for the needs of the flock, and they know I'm there to help them look after their hens and make them look good for the ladies. I do my best not to interfere with their job and I expect them not to interfere with mine.