First time rooster owner!

[Erwilcox]

Hi!

I have a 14 week old rooster (who was supposed to be a hen). I have never owned a rooster, plus I’m fairly new to owning chickens so I’m still learning.

I have 11 hens. They all free range with my dogs; my two year old daughter spends all day chasing and picking them up.

This rooster seems to be friendly. He runs away from me when I try to pick him up, but when I’m able to, he’s super sweet and cuddly. He’ll eat out of my hand and sleep in my lap.

I would love to keep him to be a flock protector, but I’m incredibly nervous about my two year old around him. If he is not aggressive now, is there a chance that he will get aggressive? Does their true behavior show at 14 weeks? He seems nice to the other chickens.. He will Mount them and bite their neck feathers but I’m assuming he’s just asserting his dominance?

I would hate for my kids to get hurt by him. How do you know if you have a nice rooster? Is it too soon to tell?

 

[Ridgeback825]

Still too soon. They get more ornery as they mature. Once the hormones get fully ramped up, you will see how his personality is. Just be careful and don't give him an inch.

 

[jmac11]

I'm new to roosters too. We built a rooster hut and pen for my 2 boys. They are 18/19 weeks old and are too aggressive with my girls. I don't have what it takes to cull them. I will never buy straight run again and am praying all of my 7 week old chicks are pullets. Good luck!

 

[Bananabread]

Someone once conveyed the point on here that I've taken to heart: if the chicken no longer makes the space comfortable, enjoyable or safe, what is the point? Many have roosters and do great. Many avoid them because of the challenges and risks they present. I have a 2 year old as well and am not interested in so much as a peck let alone something more disastrous.

I would spend a lot of time reading up on roosters on here. Many very experienced folks actually recommend not attempting to handle them much at this age and in fact ignoring the can be a show of dominance. The more you handle and caress, the more they may see you as equal or worse...even less. If you're set on keeping him, I would read up on the process to ensure he remains respectful to all of your family members

 

[aart]

Hi!

I have a 14 week old rooster (who was supposed to be a hen). I have never owned a rooster, plus I’m fairly new to owning chickens so I’m still learning.

I have 11 hens. They all free range with my dogs; my two year old daughter spends all day chasing and picking them up.

This rooster seems to be friendly. He runs away from me when I try to pick him up, but when I’m able to, he’s super sweet and cuddly. He’ll eat out of my hand and sleep in my lap.

I would love to keep him to be a flock protector, but I’m incredibly nervous about my two year old around him. If he is not aggressive now, is there a chance that he will get aggressive? Does their true behavior show at 14 weeks? He seems nice to the other chickens.. He will Mount them and bite their neck feathers but I’m assuming he’s just asserting his dominance?

I would hate for my kids to get hurt by him. How do you know if you have a nice rooster? Is it too soon to tell?

This scenario could very well be a recipe for disaster.
A male bird is not likely to tolerate a child that small running around and grabbing up 'his girls'.
You might not get any warning before needing to head to the emergency room with a traumatized 2yo.
Having a 'protector' (crap shoot at best anyway)for your flock is not worth a seriously injured child.

 

[Tired old Rooster]

With a two year old who likes to pick up hens? Not on your nelly. Disaster on the way.

 

[LaFleche]

I have 11 hens. They all free range with my dogs; my two year old daughter spends all day chasing and picking them up.

Find your cockerel a new home ASAP as any day now he might not run away but 'protect' his pullets and attack your daughter.

Children as young as your daughter will not be safe around a cockerel or rooster as anything can trigger them into attack mode: running, screaming, jumping, playing ball games, driving around tricycles etc. etc.

 

[Katakornchicks]

Ok all these other folks here are being a little bit of alarmists. If you still have your rooster, do not fret. Listen up. I have a rooster just like yours that I've had for a couple years. He's the sweetest boy you ever met. He's not aggressive to anyone, including my small niece, and I can handle him and let my guests pet him without worry. He is amazing to the other hens too and takes good care of them. A proper gentlemen. When you have a small child like yours, there are a few additional things you need to be cautious of however.
1. Never, EVER let your child chase the rooster. Don't let them taunt the rooster in any way. Chasing and taunting are the types of behaviors that trigger defensive behavior in roosters. Perfectly good roosters will "suddenly" go aggressive from a small child pursuing them. So teach your child to be respectful of the rooster. They may pet the rooster gently when he approaches on his own, feed the rooster from their hands, give him treats, etc. This will help you and your child earn the roosters trust and build a good report with him.

2. If your rooster starts to show signs of aggression towards you, you may need to remind him who his in charge. Chickens work off pecking order, and he should view you as the top of it. You want him to think you are a bigger and stronger dominant rooster to him. A way you can do this (you, not your child) is by capturing him when he's being angsty, (immediate correction is preferred. Do NOT run from him, he will think he's won) once you have captured him, put him in a submissive pose. Put one hand on his back firmly and put him on the ground with his belly touching the ground. Then grab his head, and press his beak into the ground and hold him there. He will probably struggle for a minute, but you aren't hurting him. You hold him like this until his body relaxes. That is submission. Then let him go. Repeat as needed. It echos the behavior a rooster would show another rooster to put them in their place. don't be afraid of him. He's little, he doesn't have spurs yet. He can't hurt you any more than a small bite. Get him to be a good boy while he's young and he will likely stay a good boy.

3. Him mounting the hens is normal. It's mating behavior. Pulling the feathers on the back of the neck is normal too, it's how he keeps his balance.

Hope this helps!

 

[Erwilcox]

Ok all these other folks here are being a little bit of alarmists. If you still have your rooster, do not fret. Listen up. I have a rooster just like yours that I've had for a couple years. He's the sweetest boy you ever met. He's not aggressive to anyone, including my small niece, and I can handle him and let my guests pet him without worry. He is amazing to the other hens too and takes good care of them. A proper gentlemen. When you have a small child like yours, there are a few additional things you need to be cautious of however.
1. Never, EVER let your child chase the rooster. Don't let them taunt the rooster in any way. Chasing and taunting are the types of behaviors that trigger defensive behavior in roosters. Perfectly good roosters will "suddenly" go aggressive from a small child pursuing them. So teach your child to be respectful of the rooster. They may pet the rooster gently when he approaches on his own, feed the rooster from their hands, give him treats, etc. This will help you and your child earn the roosters trust and build a good report with him.

2. If your rooster starts to show signs of aggression towards you, you may need to remind him who his in charge. Chickens work off pecking order, and he should view you as the top of it. You want him to think you are a bigger and stronger dominant rooster to him. A way you can do this (you, not your child) is by capturing him when he's being angsty, (immediate correction is preferred. Do NOT run from him, he will think he's won) once you have captured him, put him in a submissive pose. Put one hand on his back firmly and put him on the ground with his belly touching the ground. Then grab his head, and press his beak into the ground and hold him there. He will probably struggle for a minute, but you aren't hurting him. You hold him like this until his body relaxes. That is submission. Then let him go. Repeat as needed. It echos the behavior a rooster would show another rooster to put them in their place. don't be afraid of him. He's little, he doesn't have spurs yet. He can't hurt you any more than a small bite. Get him to be a good boy while he's young and he will likely stay a good boy.

3. Him mounting the hens is normal. It's mating behavior. Pulling the feathers on the back of the neck is normal too, it's how he keeps his balance.

Hope this helps!

This was super helpful, thank you! We ended up finding a good home for this sweet boy.

We raised Ayam Cemani EE mix chicks, they’re 11 weeks old, and 2 of them turned out to be roosters. Their long, skinny saddle feathers started showing last week. We are going to try to keep one and see how it goes.

1. We have 9 hens and the 2 roos. Can we keep both roos? I know there’s always the risk of over-mating. If we keep saddle covers on the hens and if the roosters get along, is it possible to keep both or should I look into rehoming one ASAP? They’re such great buddies and free range everywhere together.

2. Can my toddler chase the hens around still? Or should I just teach her to stop doing that?

Thank you for all of your help!

 

[Katakornchicks]

This was super helpful, thank you! We ended up finding a good home for this sweet boy.

We raised Ayam Cemani EE mix chicks, they’re 11 weeks old, and 2 of them turned out to be roosters. Their long, skinny saddle feathers started showing last week. We are going to try to keep one and see how it goes.

1. We have 9 hens and the 2 roos. Can we keep both roos? I know there’s always the risk of over-mating. If we keep saddle covers on the hens and if the roosters get along, is it possible to keep both or should I look into rehoming one ASAP? They’re such great buddies and free range everywhere together.

2. Can my toddler chase the hens around still? Or should I just teach her to stop doing that?

Thank you for all of your help!

Oooo! Ayam Cemanis and EE are 2 of my favorites! Ok so yes, overmating is definitely the biggest concern. Saddles can help, however, overmating can also cause feather-loss on the head and neck, which the saddle will not cover. The trouble is that 2 buddy roosters may like each other, but they still enjoy competing with each other. For example, I used to have multiple roosters with a flock of around 20. One rooster would go mate with a hen, and his buddy would follow him and watch, sometimes impatiently pecking the hens head while the other rooster was still mating. Then as soon as he gets off, the next boy would jump on. The hens did not like it. Overmating is not just bad because feathers get pulled, but because of stress. Normally a single rooster will mate with each of his hens once per day, which is normal and healthy. But I've noticed when there are multiple roosters, both of them will mate with each hen MULTIPLE times a day. (poor hen, she's definitely not having fun anymore.)
Your chickens are free range, so you may not have as big of an issue with this, but I wouldn't count on it either. If you want to see how things go, you can and make adjustments as needed. However, I normally don't recommend multiple roosters unless each rooster can have about 15 hens each, AND they free range.

Another little known alternative that a lot of people overlook, is a bachelor coop. A coop with all boys can be a very peaceful and pleasant thing. As long as they are not too close to a pen of hens, they usually won't fight because there is nothing to fight over!

As far as your child chasing hens, I'm not going to be arbitrary because if depends on your rooster. I personally chase my own hens around in front of my rooster and I have no problems, but that's because my rooster is a coward and wouldn't dare raise an objection with me. He also knows I'm not going to hurt them. If your rooster starts to exhibit protective behaviors towards his ladies when your child chases them, you may want to be ware, that means he views your child as a threat to their safety and he may retaliate. It just kinda depends on his demeanor.