"Dropping a wing"

[dungheap71]

I've heard the term "dropping a wing" before and I see my rooster doing it. He usually does it to show off to the hens or juveniles. He puffs up and drags his wing around on the ground...like a turkey. What does it mean when he does it to me...I'm not impressed but he does it all the time. What is he trying to tell me?

 

[sourland]

It is generally viewed as a courtship maneuver. I tend to think that when he displays for you it is the beginning of dominance behavior. If he becomes aggressive, put him in his place immediately.

 

[dungheap71]

That's kinda what I was thinking, thank you. He hasn't been aggressive toward me or any human as far as I know. He's not overly aggressive with the hens. The juveniles, however, have been handed a solid drubbing by him a few times. Just plain brutal, I think he would have killed them if I wouldn't have intervened. At that point I showed him what opposable thumbs are all about. Lol...