I think my rooster is confused... my first post

[BeginnerCoopMom]

First post, but I've been reading a lot on the forum to try to figure out what the heck I'm doing.

I'm completely new to chickens and roosters, and I currently only have two roosters. These two are brothers and were raised together by my mother-in-law and are named Admiral and Commodore.

I think Commodore is either a jerk, sweetie, or very confused.

Of the brothers, it is obvious Admiral is the one running the ship. He crows the most, shuffles Commodore away from treats until he is done, and pecks him every now and again. Admiral has never done anything aggressive toward me or any humans I have seen, and I handle him often to get him used to me.

Commodore, however, likes to shuffle-dance toward me after I give them treats. Sometimes he will jump up on a small shelter in the pen and shuffle-dance toward me. Each one of these attempts typically ends in me just picking him up and petting him, or just petting him and pushing him down slightly.

He has never attacked me. He has pecked me a few times, but only when I pet him on the side. I handle him more frequently than Admiral, and I have even done the "mount and hold him down gently for a little bit to establish dominance" after a shuffle toward me once I read that was "aggressive" behavior.

After one of these encounters, picking him up and holding him for a bit, he went to the corner of the pen and started making a "nest" where he arched his hind end up a bit and made cooing noises. Admiral and I just stared at him for a bit, and it almost felt like he was trying to tell me, "Lay your eggs here!"

So either he is a very confused, young rooster, he is an unruly teen trying to press boundaries, or he likes attention and just doesn't know how to Rooster.

Again, I only have these two boys. My neighbors have a rooster and a hen and their rooster sometimes visits. When I first got my boys I forgot to secure the pen and those two literally went to go follow that rooster around. In order to get Admiral and Commodore to come back, I had to attract the neighbor's rooster over! He's not mean, either, so that was helpful.

Any input would be nice, but he's not going in a stew pot.

 

[Carter Martin]

Welcome to BYC!

 

[Faiyumi]

Hello, I would like to take a minute to explain one of the more fascinating details of a chickens life...A chicken doesn't necessarily see you as a human. In fact you can be the flocks rooster or another hen in everyone's eyes.

If you are considered the Alpha rooster of the flock you can expect a few things to happen. The hens will squat for you and you can actually grab them gently by the sides and shake them a bit to let them feel you've had a successful mate. Rejecting them can actually make them resent you a little. Successful "mating" and treats will score you the absolute affection of your flock. If you have no roosters in with them, you'll be treated with love and royalty.

Potentially if you are the Alpha rooster. The other roosters may challenge you. This is the aggressive behavior you read about previously. They will size you up and potentially attack you. You will need to be very aggressive back. Claim your pecking order. Never turn your back on a rooster who is challenging you. He can potentially kill you.

On the flip side you may be seen as a hen......this is where I think you are lol. He's trying to mate you. Not fight you. Your kindness is actually very much so the reason he sees you as a hen. Picking him up, loving him and giving him treats. A rooster would not be doing that for another rooster (at least typically, it can actually happen). So while the rest of the flock may even see you up in an alpha position, this rooster has found himself an adoring mate. He's not confused, he just sees you as a hen.

I wouldn't cook him over it either. That's just not necessary. Tell him you want to just be friends. Or more accurately, show him. "Peck" him with a couple fingers when he gets all lovey. The reason you want to break this up, is he can become a bit matey considering his age and you could absolutely end up with a chicken mating your head. Which, having spurs, definitely can hurt you.

 

[gimmie birdies]

I think your rooster wants to be held and loved. He knows you pick him up and hold him if he goes near you and that is what he wants.

 

[neo71665]

He sees himself as the alpha rooster, you are one of his hens, and is attempting to show you his dominance. Roosters will often show their girls a "good" place to nest. The cooing and dancing is normal rooster mating dance. I'd break him before it goes much further and show him you are the alpha rooster not him. If you don't you are gonna be rethinking that stew pot as you bandage yourself up.

Being a noobie and jumping in with 2 hormonal teenage roosters aint the best introduction to raising chickens. You ever add hens to the flock you will have to have 2 pens to split them up, rehome one rooster, or cull one. You try to put them both in the same pen one will take the other out.

 

[Weeg]

I want to start out by saying Welcome to BYC! Also, nice work rescuing two gorgeous boys! Not everyone is willing to take on that challenge. Good for you!
You shouldn't have any issues with them as long as you never have hens. Add more roosters if you like, make sure you quarantine, and do an introduction period, but other than that don't worry to much about your beautiful boys.
As for the dancing, he sees you as a hen. The scratching behavior is him showing you where to lay an egg. I find that my bantam rooster does this a lot. He's a tiny Serama, and loves my attention. He loves getting his photo taken, and does the shuffle dance around me if I kneel down. I haven't had any issues with him. I don't discourage it either. He's a very sweet boy. Doesn't mind being held, and is always very interested in what I have for the flock. I wouldn't worry about it to much as long as he doesn't get "assertive". Pecking would be a sign. At that point holding him down and "pecking" back might be a better option.

 

[Tonyroo]

Welcome to byc.

I don't think you have to concern yourself with what your roosters are doing at the moment. They're just being teenagers, once they get old enough they will calm down and understand there situation with you.

I'm raising a young rooster with his dad and the hens all in the same coop without much issues. I'm having him observe his dad handle the ladies, so he can be good like him.

 

[BeginnerCoopMom]

Wow! Thanks for all the replies everyone! I want some hens eventually, and have a separate pen already in progress for them. I like the idea of a bachelor pen on the opposite end of the property, away from the hens, in the event I end up with some roosters when I hatch things.

This is all far in the future, and if I introduce one of my boys to my future hens they will definitely be older and more mature.

In the meantime, I'll go "break up" with my rooster boyfriend and continue to work on my pens and enclosures.