How are roosters supposed to act?

[trentoldenburg]

I had a flock of 7 hens and 1 rooster, and all was great until a couple months ago. My rooster who was 8-9 months all of a sudden got very aggressive. He began attacking my family members, friends, and he even attacked me sometimes. I tried to work with him, and some days he was better than others, but every time I went in there I had to watch my back because he would randomly attack. I finally had to cut my losses and shot him. I'm real upset about it, but he was beginning to be too much of a hazard. I plan on getting a different rooster in the future sometime for breeding, but how are they supposed to act? What is considered acceptable behavior? And what is the best ways to put them back in their place? Thank you

 

[oldhenlikesdogs]

Not being aggressive is acceptable behavior. I find not handling them and letting them keep their wariness of you will help to keep them respectful. Over handling them as chicks can cause them to bond with you in such a way that they feel the need to dominate you, thus the attacking. None of my roosters ever challenge me no matter the breed. I am than free to choose roosters based on other traits.

 

[MINDANAO DAVE]

Most roosters are good natured. There are some that become people aggressive as yours did and you did the only thing you could He would have hurt someone. When you get a new one spend a bit of time with it and give it treats and you should be just fine.

 

[song of joy]

There's a wide range of behaviors in roosters, and what you describe is unfortunately typical of many. However, there are also roosters out there that are not people-aggressive. That's what you'll want to look for in your next rooster, especially if you intend to use him for breeding.

I'd recommend getting a rooster, chicks, or hatching eggs from someone who has well-mannered roosters in their flock - in other words, from someone who breeds for good temperament. I also recommend raising male chicks up in a flock that has hens, so they learn some manners and how to better relate to other flock members socially.

Cockerels can really be jerks toward pullets and hens, at least until they mature. Sometimes I isolate cockerels for several months until they calm down a bit.

Here are some behaviors that a good rooster displays: when free-ranging he spends most of his time watching for danger so the hens can safely forage, tidbits for the hens, shows hens nice nesting locations, wing-dances for hens and waits for them to crouch down before mating them, no pulling feathers out of hens, no relentless chasing of hens, polite to hens on the roost bars, polite to hens around food (doesn't chase them away or peck them to keep them away from food), doesn't show aggression to people (no wing-dropping, side-stepping, pecking, chasing or flogging of people), respects broody hens and their chicks.

 

[TheTwoRoos]

What I consider a good rooster,is one that is friendly,or in general doesn’t mind you messing with the hens.Care and treats hens right.

 

[trentoldenburg]

Thank you very much to all. I think I over handled him when he was a chick. I like to handle the hens a lot because they have always turned out kind and personable for me when doing that. I didn't realize he was rooster at that time. I will be sure of what I am handling next time

 

[TheTwoRoos]

Handling a rooster isn’t the issue,handling him and babying him without also making him understand your boss is what messes things up.My rooster is a pet.He eats from my hands and even less me pick him up.I can do whatever I want with him and his girls without any issue.He always moves out of my way and never questions it.I raise all my roosters to be friendly but at the same time I make sure they know I’m running it,running it all.

 

[TheTwoRoos]

Here is an article https://www.backyardchickens.com/articles/covering-everything-rooster-for-newbies.73680/

 

[oldhenlikesdogs]

Thank you very much to all. I think I over handled him when he was a chick. I like to handle the hens a lot because they have always turned out kind and personable for me when doing that. I didn't realize he was rooster at that time. I will be sure of what I am handling next time

The thing is some roosters can handle babying and handling, some can't. To up your odds of having him turn out not handling is the way to go. I raise multiple roosters every year, and none are aggressive towards me. Not a single one. Back when I used to pick them up and pet them I would see about 50% turn on me. I prefer to let them be. Pet and handle your hens but leave the boys alone and encourage them to move off from you, never towards. That and a confident attitude will get you further than petting and handing out treats.

 

[Lazy Farmer]

Not being aggressive is acceptable behavior. I find not handling them and letting them keep their wariness of you will help to keep them respectful. Over handling them as chicks can cause them to bond with you in such a way that they feel the need to dominate you, thus the attacking. None of my roosters ever challenge me no matter the breed. I am than free to choose roosters based on other traits.

I have a 180 degrees situation. I have one mean roo out of a bakers dozen. I pick up all of them except one. I walk up behind them, tuck them high near my face and massage their crops. They pur with owl kinda sounds. I will put them down and they walk beside me like a dog expecting a milk bone treat.
Now the mean one, is in one of 5 breeder houses. The only difference between these houses is a geographical location on the farm. The Java house was our original coop from 10 yrs ago when we first acquired this property. It is an acre and a half away from my beating path and travels. I go there only twice a day. Morning feed and nightly feed-egg collection. Almost zero interaction throughout the day. My other houses are right next to the barn and goats/pigs etc. So I am with the other roos all day long. Sharing treats, Leftovers and snatching them up for a little nuggie here and there. The Roo who hardly sees me will attack me. I carry a pipe that has a long cable strung thru it and looped out the far end. A t-handle on my end. If he comes at me, I snatch em by pulling back on the cable and it closes the loop. Locks him in a tie and I continue to pull maintenance on that breeding house.
In my personal experiences, all my appearances and bonding with the roos doesn't earn respect, they learn to trust me.
They trust the Roo Whisperer..