How to manage "teenage/hormonal roosters?

[imacowgirl2]

I've read through all the rooster posts for hours on end over the past couple months ever since we ordered our first batch of chicks that included a rooster.

With all my reading, I've come to the conclusion that I want to raise my rosters as hands off as possible to try to prevent them from seeing me as part of the flock and instead as a "big person that brings feed" similar to how they would (not) interact with a horse or cow. To that end, we haven't been handling them (ie picking them up, etc) since they were a couple weeks old. I also occasionally randomly pick something up and walk through their space to put it down on the other side. I also know that I will not put up with a human aggressive rooster - the first time they attack, they will become supper.

To date, our teenage rooster (16.5 weeks old) has always moved out of my way. However, he seems to be staying to display some dominance things...he comes running to my feet (usually stops about a foot away... Close than I prefer) and starts clucking all around whenever I walk out anywhere in the yard, which seems to me to be a display of dominance, but I could be wrong. However, yesterday when he ran up to me, he stopped right in front of me, and proceeded to ruffle his feathers up really big. Am I right they these are escalating signs of dominance/aggression?

I really need to keep this guy until I can hatch some chicks from him after the first of the year, if possible. But I also know that aggression can be hereditary, so I don't really want to breed him if he is going to end up being truly human aggressive. Is this behavior typical "push the boundaries" teenage behavior with the possibility of him calming back down once the hormones are done raging? Or do these things point to a rooster that will end up being human aggressive permanently? I know that if older roosters are human aggressive they're likely to remain human aggressive... I'm just not sure how much of a benefit of the doubt to give him right now...

My plan is to move him and the younger cockerels (about 8 weeks old) to a bachelor pad within the next few days so that he doesn't have as much direct interaction with us, to help prevent giving him an opportunity to be aggressive during his super hormonal period that he seems to be going through...but I guess I'm just wondering, is there hope he will come out of it with a little bit of age, or should I resign myself to the fact that he will need to be chicken dinner?

 

[Shabby Chic-Hens]

@ kiki might know? it has been said that she knows everything (that's pretty true)
@Overo Mare might? she doesn't do silkie sexing, but she might know something about rooster issues.

 

[Oldegarlicshnapp]

I’m dealing with two right now. I separated one to be alone while the other is with the females. What happens then is the one with the females has been growing his comb due to an influx of hormones. Depending on their social status, they can get a big boost of testosterone and become the alpha male. So their comb, hackles, spurs, and etc grow while they get cocky.
I’ve given the other guy one female to keep calm and it’s worked out after days of sad crowing.
In short, I recommend giving him his own space with one friend. I’ve given mine my best tempered female that got familiar with him through the cage.
If you do this through the cage initially, watch for him staying completely still around her. Especially so when she nips at his face or anything. A really good sign is if he’s still for a while after she’s done this. It’s to show her that he’s docile with her.

With males you need to handle them often. When you grab them, do it from the back. This will mimic a predator approaching them, so they get scared and sometimes lower themselves depending on their behavior. If you grab them from below or in front then they’ll have time to react and attack. After grabbing them, set them down very gently so the experience is not negatively associated.

Something that bonds you to the flock as one of their own is to eat with them. Sit with them, finger peck, etc.

 

[FattySmough]

Once I found out that my cockerel was a male (at about 5 weeks) I was mostly hands-off with him. He's almost 6 months old now and I have yet to be attacked by him unprovoked. He occasionally would peck my hand when I tried to pick him up, so I just stopped picking him up and he hasn't done it since. I do occasionally hand feed him or pick him up when he allows it though.

As for your cockerel's behaviour I wouldn't assume he's going to be mean just yet, but do keep an eye out for further changes in temperament. It doesn't sound like you're doing anything wrong with your methods of raising him. Best of luck!

 

[The Moonshiner]

@ kiki might know? it has been said that she knows everything (that's pretty true)
@Overo Mare might? she doesn't do silkie sexing, but she might know something about rooster issues.

@Kiki
@Overo Mare

 

[Sussex19]

Am I right they these are escalating signs of dominance/aggression?

Yes it is.
My best rooster to date, when he was a teenager, would occasionally try to wing dance me and always got chased off. He has now completely grow out of that.
Since then, I've had a couple of cockerels that try to peck at my feet, and nothing really seems to make any difference to them. Although I didn't keep them long enough to really find out.
And remember, there are heaps of very nice roosters looking for homes, so you can always try again.

 

[Red Horse]

I have one that is affection-seeking and one that doesn't like to be handled at all. When they got favus, grumpy guy was pretty patient with my husband and I smearing cream on his comb for the first few days. The twice-a-day handling got to be a lot for him and he started pecking HARD when we would go for his wattles. We didn't blame him, he was always perfectly fine and respectful before but now we were molesting him every day. I started bringing grapes with me and giving him one as I caught him. He got a grape after we did his comb and wattles, then another when I set him down. After the first two cream applications this way he stopped biting and struggling, so we backed off the grapes to only the morning application so that he wouldn't gain a million pounds. He was still a good boy for both applications.
I think it's good to have a backup plan for handling if they get hurt or sick and you care enough about them to try to help them. I pick mr grumpy man up every couple of days and feed him a grape so he stays used to it, but I don't force my affection on him (that's what his brother is there for).