He Is So Weird, What is he Doing?

[Chickenhappy8708]

I have this adorable cockerel, he is a white leghorn, his favorite pullet is a buff Orphington, he is 11 weeks old, crows like crazy, and has started a new weird behavior. So, if we walk by the coop, he runs into the corner, and makes a cluck, cluck, CLUUUK sound. I thought he might be doing a danger call for the pullets, but they pay no attention to him. He started doing this when were in the run as well, but he comes out to greet us, then goes back in to do this. He started doing what looked like a tibiting sitting down. Is he tidbitting to me, what's going on?

 

[chickenlittle21]

Maybe hes warning predators to stay away

 

[MysteryChicken]

Is he pushing stuff around when he does this? If so he's tidbitting a nesting area for the ladies.

 

[Onyxflock]

He's announcing you to the flock. The corner is his gathering place, likely trying to bring the girls around there so he can defend them. The hens may not pay attention, and that's good or they learn to hide from you when he raises an alarm. Now's the time to keep him calm and coming to you - even pick him up and pet him for a minute - if it doesn't scare him. It isn't really about the hens, it's his natural hormones kicking in. If he sees you as a conflict with him or the hens, he'll start getting defensive and turn into a bad boy. He might be young enough to train that you are not going to hurt anyone in his yard.

 

[aart]

Is he pushing stuff around when he does this? If so he's tidbitting a nesting area for the ladies.

That's what it sounds like to me too, pretty young to do so....might have a 'good' one there.

 

[Chickenhappy8708]

He's announcing you to the flock. The corner is his gathering place, likely trying to bring the girls around there so he can defend them. The hens may not pay attention, and that's good or they learn to hide from you when he raises an alarm. Now's the time to keep him calm and coming to you - even pick him up and pet him for a minute - if it doesn't scare him. It isn't really about the hens, it's his natural hormones kicking in. If he sees you as a conflict with him or the hens, he'll start getting defensive and turn into a bad boy. He might be young enough to train that you are not going to hurt anyone in his yard.

He was a bit mean last week, the behavior was corrected, and He now lets us pet him, and pick him up, I do a lot of handfeeding. He actually did it when they were out free ranging, he ran into the coop, while I was cleaning it, he does toss the bedding, sometimes he does this in the corner of the run to, dust bathes, like one flap before clucking.