How To Raise Roosters Right

[azygous]

Anyone have any helpful suggestion with RIR rooster. I'm finally convinced my Millie is actually Billie. He's 17 weeks. My hubby wants to call him Wild Bill because he was a wild card meaning could have been either or in the bunch. So wild Bill it is. No crowing yet and no aggression yet. He's not so willing to be held. I don't push the issue but I still want to pick him up just to keep him used to me. My flock of 4 can't free range. I do everything I can to provide foraging activity for them. We are getting ready to make a cattle panel run for them to get them out. I guess what I'm wanting to know is will he eventually become mean under these circumstances? He has 3 girls. I don't think they are over crowded in the 4x8x6 enclosure. Upper level has the nest/roost box. Do all roosters become mean?

No, all roosters do not become mean. It's an individual personality issue. It also depends on how the humans behave around him. If you or your family are unpredictable, uncertain, fearful, inconsistent, and rough around the flock, when his hormones come in, he will be more apt to want to protect the hens from you.

Handling him now, establishing that you're dominant, but at the same time, you can be trusted, will make his hormonal adjustment easier. You may still need to re-establish your dominance if he challenges you later, but it shouldn't be an insurmountable hurdle if he trusts you now.

 

[FaerieChicken]

I had a white naked neck bantam roo that was mean to us, the sizzle and silkie I have now are sweet and let the girls hold them and I like to give them love on occasion. They are still young, my grandmother, in her 70's, grew up on a ranch and swears that by showing your young roosters love they wont be mean to you! She also warned me that if they start out mean early, they will be worse when older no matter how much love you give them.
So far, I got rid of the mean young NN bantam roo and the other 2 are doing great!
It's the hens that get overly protective while on the nest, even when they aren't there to lay!

 

[tcobbs]

Question.

I know other animals (dogs, horses, cows, humans...) go through teenage hormones that temporarily give them attitude. My 7mo old Cockrell is having spells of bad attitude. Sometimes he is perfect, then oit of the blue (or sometimes not out of thw blue... he is protective of his two hens)...he will come thump me with his chest. He has not tried to spur or peck me. He is NN. We hatched him, and he was super tame until we put him outside. He still comes to when called to eat, but I cannot touch him. I am wondering if they sometimes go through a phase and come back around, or if it's more likely I should rename him "Dumpling"?... :-(