First cockerel. How should I treat him as I raise him?

FattySmough

Songster
May 2, 2021
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South Kansas
Hello!

I have an Easter Egger cockerel who was supposed to be a pullet, and he is about 12 weeks old now. This is my first cockerel and I want him to be respectful to humans. Personally I wouldn't be too bothered by a more territorial rooster, but I live with my family and they would rather not be attacked by him.

I socialized him along with the girls since they were babies, offering them treats, holding them, petting them, etc. But I have been seeing others say that socialized cockerels often turn on their owners. I still give him treats and occasionally give him a little rub on his chest. I also pick him up and walk around with him with the intent of showing him who is boss. He's not afraid of me, but he generally steps aside if I walk directly at him (unless I have treats of course). He doesn't really seek out my company like my polish pullets do. He also sometimes gives me a light peck on the hand if I surprise him when trying to pick him up, but he doesn't really do it aggressively.

What do you guys think? Should I adjust my behaviour with him? Can I continue to socialize the pullets to be friendly without socializing him too much? And when are his hormones likely to start kicking in? Thanks.

This is what he looks like:
 

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Do y'all think I'm being too friendly with him? I probably should have written that in my post.
I fairly new to chickens, so I haven't tried out different methods, but I usually don't over handle them until they've got past the 'terrible teens' and then I hand feed them and get to an understanding with them, which so far has worked well.
 
Taming a rooster requires modifying your approach as his hormones develops and become older. Being consistent and predictable will help him understand. Example: Like if he gets a treat at a certain time.
 
Taming a rooster requires modifying your approach as his hormones develops and become older. Being consistent and predictable will help him understand. Example: Like if he gets a treat at a certain time.
I see. So perhaps it's okay to be less assertive right now, and more so later if he stands up to me as his hormones develop?
 
I see. So perhaps it's okay to be less assertive right now, and more so later if he stands up to me as his hormones develop?
Use your judgment, if your making observations of his behavior that will help you make adjustments to how you want to work with him for that day.

He will react slightly different each day but you need to be consistent with your approach.

Your basically conditioning him to how he looks at you. So he knows your not a threat.
 
There are as many opinions on raising cockerels as there are people who own them. Some will tell you that their roosters are friendly lap chickens who would never harm a fly because they babied them and raised them by hand. There are others who will tell you that their cockerels turned into good roosters because they weren’t too friendly with them and taught them to keep their distance. I am in the second camp. When I recognize a cockerel, I let them know that I am boss. I walk through them, move them along if they’re in my way, move them away from feed or water if I feel like it. My cockerels are all respectful to me since I started raising them that way. That does not mean they will respect your family members, though, unless they also teach him to respect them.
 

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