Hey there, new to chickens and have my first flock of 19. All hens but the silkie may be a cockerel yet. Quick question: Do hens act differently when a rooster is present? All my hens are so excited to see me they come flying, literally. Some like sitting on me and more like sitting around me. Does having a roo affect how they act towards me? A friend said her hens got more aloof around her when she kept a roo. The same friend is giving me her rooster ( he's mean and human aggressive ) and he's going in my freezer lol. Call me greedy but these are MY girls and I don't want them changing
I haven't noticed a change in my hens in how they react around me with a rooster present or not. They should still view you as someone to be excited to see. Though I've always had roosters around so maybe I'm the wrong one to answer.
I have not noticed any difference when i have had roos with my flock. You provide the food, so you are king / queen! CT
I had my hens for almost year before the rooster showed up....the only difference is they don't squat when I try to pick them up. They figured out I am not a rooster lol.
I've also always had roosters. My hens don't squat for me, but then I really don't want them to. I'm not going to mate them, so I'd rather not trip over them . My hens have never been pets, but they do come running when I hit the coop or run. That's cause I bring food. If you do wind up with a cockerel, and the behavior of your ladies changes, get rid of the cockerel.
I have noticed a difference with my flock. My girls are more quiet and tend to shy away from us when the roo is around. We've had our flock for 20 months with several roos that had made brief stints. We aren't allowed roos - hence their presence is usually short lived. I prefer having a roo. He keeps the flock under control so there's not in fighting, aka, chicken politics.
