How to handle young chicken mating? 9 out of 10 times I want to cry.

[Shadrach]

I’m going to try and tread gently here.
There are lots of posts on this forum regarding the relationship between the rooster and the hens and the rooster and humans. It’s one of the most common problems.
There are lots of posts where people have written something like, “I want a rooster that is going to be nice to my hens.”
There is one word in the above sentence that is the crux of the problem and that word is my.
As far as the rooster is concerned the hens are his hens, not yours.
What’s more, we encourage the rooster to think this. From the rooster’s point of view, if they are your hens, then you aren’t looking after them properly and he’ll take them off you as roosters do from each other. The rooster that won’t look after his hens loses them to another rooster that makes a better job of it. The hens make sure of it because they want looking after properly.
We, humans view chickens as a domesticated species, but on the other hand we want the rooster to keep his most basic instincts in order to keep the hens protected.
It’s a no win situation for the rooster.
Lots of people write, I wont tolerate an animal that attacks me and my family, or words to that effect.
So, if you stick your hand in a bees nest you don’t expect to get stung?
We had a ram here. He knocked you down when you got close to his sheep. He wasn’t malicious or aggressive; that’s what rams do. Do you kill the ram?
Just about every creature in nature sees us as predators and with good reason and most will either run away, or attack us. Should we kill all those to?
I think we need to adjust our view of the chicken in general and in particular chickens that are not kept as pets.
The rooster that attacks you is doing what nature intended him to do. If we were to breed that out of him if it were possible we would, using an English expression have “a bunch of ******* fairies.”
I’ve got enough fairies in the woods. I want a rooster.
If that means I can’t be the boss, well I’m all grown up and my ego can handle it.
If the rooster attacks me, then it’s my fault, not his and I need to find a way to come to a compromise given I’m supposed to be the smart one.

 

[Folly's place]

Shadrach, I disagree with you about this. Here, at least, we do have a population of birds who are not human aggressive, and still are 'normal' in every other way. It's about the genetics of behavior; the fighting bird people have shown clearly that cock birds are happy to kill each other, and be polite to humans. It's what they have been selected for; very extreme aggression within their species, and not towards humans.
I'm not a flock member, I'm the giant who brings food, and no cockerel stays here who is confused about this. My chickens don't attack the horses or cattle either!
I agree that boars, bulls, and stallions are dangerous, and need careful handling. However, it's also possible to have stallions who are polite and not constantly planning to kill everyone! More trainable too.
Mary

 

[Shadrach]

Shadrach, I disagree with you about this. Here, at least, we do have a population of birds who are not human aggressive, and still are 'normal' in every other way. It's about the genetics of behavior; the fighting bird people have shown clearly that cock birds are happy to kill each other, and be polite to humans. It's what they have been selected for; very extreme aggression within their species, and not towards humans.
I'm not a flock member, I'm the giant who brings food, and no cockerel stays here who is confused about this. My chickens don't attack the horses or cattle either!
I agree that boars, bulls, and stallions are dangerous, and need careful handling. However, it's also possible to have stallions who are polite and not constantly planning to kill everyone! More trainable too.
Mary

I am being the devils advocate and from reading some of the other posts you've made I think you know this.
I'm a roosterist.
However, it is a bit of a no win situation for roosters I think you would agree.
That doesn't mean I expect people to tolerate being attacked by the rooster or any other animal come to that.
However, we could all put a little more thought into our relationships with the animals we keep, me as well.

 

[aart]

I'm not a flock member, I'm the giant who brings food, and no cockerel stays here who is confused about this.

Absolutely!
I am also the 'giant' (and of another species) who will handle any bird any time I want to, and no cock/erel will object with more than mild concern over hearing the handled birds vocalizations. Once he sees that I am handling my bird, he will relax because he knows I won't hurt them and he's been acclimated to understand that.
Remember, @Shadrach, situational context.

 

[Frazzemrat1]

Absolutely!
I am also the 'giant' (and of another species) who will handle any bird any time I want to, and no cock/erel will object with more than mild concern over hearing the handled birds vocalizations. Once he sees that I am handling my bird, he will relax because he knows I won't hurt them and he's been acclimated to understand that.
Remember, @Shadrach, situational context.

Absolutely.... My daughter, an extremely petite 14, constantly goes outside and scoops up, cuddles and preens each bird in the flock... right in front of my rooster. She did this before he came along, and she has continued to do it since; and we purchased him as an adult 2 yr old. THe first couple times she did this after he was in with the ladies, I watched him closely so that I could intervene if he did go for her... he didn't. My GLW will still squat for me, and I'll watch him while I give her a tail tug. He has been nothing if not respectful to me and my kids.


Edited to Add: My daughter cuddles and preens everybody but the rooster. I've warned her about doing it, and we don't want him to decide that she's something to be feared and in turn defended against.

 

[aart]

I watched him closely so that I could intervene if he did go for her... he didn't.

Smart cockbird, knows the difference between chickens and human keepers.

 

[Shadrach]

Absolutely!
I am also the 'giant' (and of another species) who will handle any bird any time I want to, and no cock/erel will object with more than mild concern over hearing the handled birds vocalizations. Once he sees that I am handling my bird, he will relax because he knows I won't hurt them and he's been acclimated to understand that.
Remember, @Shadrach, situational context.

@aart we are never going to quite agree about a lot of topics. We work from different baselines and want different things from the chickens we care for.
Same with Mary above.
The things is with you and Mary, from what I've read, you care about and look after your chickens in an intelligent manner.
I can't ask much more than that from anyone. The rest is just debate and hopefully we all learn a bit.

 

[aart]

@aart we are never going to quite agree about a lot of topics. We work from different baselines and want different things from the chickens we care for.

I don't disagree with how you manage your flock,
I just understand that your techniques do not apply to most others here,
and to try to apply them is confusing, and maybe misleading,
to those who don't understand the differences.

There are many here who treat/keep their chickens like household pets,
often actually in the house, including cock/erels.
I don't respond to those posts because I know my techniques don't match theirs.
I just SMH and move on...better than

 

[Chickassan]

How many chickens do you have in total and what are the ages? As of now there are two males in my flock one mature roo and one cockrel. Female ratio is five mature hens and five pullets. If the cockrel attempts to force mate any pullets he is tackled by the majority of the hens and the roo. Force mating quickly becomes futile for him. So how many in your flock are mature? If the answer is very low or none you will probably be better off seperating your boy or boys until the ladies are ready to mate "around 5 months" or until the male is more controlled "maybe 1 year but could be longer". You can always do test outings to see how things are going if you want to. Edit: Sorry, got my glasses and coffee. You have no mature birds and your pullets are just starting! Definitly seperate for a while for everyone's sake.

 

[Shadrach]

I don't disagree with how you manage your flock,
I just understand that your techniques do not apply to most others here,
and to try to apply them is confusing, and maybe misleading,
to those who don't understand the differences.

There are many here who treat/keep their chickens like household pets,
often actually in the house, including cock/erels.
I don't respond to those posts because I know my techniques don't match theirs.
I just SMH and move on...better than

The thing is I think some of my techniques could apply.
If I was as selective in my post responses as you suggest I probably wouldn't post at all.
Yes my setup is different but the creature under discussion is the same.