Is it possible to train a rooster to mate with a hen gently?

[307151]

I read here http://www.thepoultrysite.com/articles/1330/natural-mating-and-breeding that roosters do a dance for a hen. I tried to find videos of this but couldnt. I only found a few videos of a rooster trying to mate with hens the same way mind tried to today. It was the first time I've seen him to this. He's almost 5 months old but he was chasing one girl around and grabbed her on her neck, she was freaking out, another (my favourite one) he tried to grab her too and get on top of her, she freaked out and ran to me, I had to push him off her and yell at him. So I'm wondering, can I train him to be gentle and not chase after my girls? It looks like rape and I am not okay with that at all. I do have a small bb I could use too if I'm not close enough to push or yell at him. It doesn't shoot very hard, if you shoot someone with a shirt on, it won't hurt at all. I accidently shot my small dog once, the bb ricocheted off the concrete and hit her, but she didn't make a noise, she only felt that something hit her (and trust me, she would be the one to freak out if something caused her even minor pain)

 

[RoosterCogburn7]

I want him to be a gentlemen. I've only ever heard him crow, never call out for predators or call the hens over for food.

You can't anthropomorphize animal behavior. I would like to cuddle with a Grizzly bear; however, the end result would be painfully fatal. To turn an aggressive mating behavior of a rooster in a smooth Don Juan is equal futile. Ducks also mate aggressively if you have seen them in the wild. The gander mounts the female, bites her neck and dunks her head under the water.

Livestock, pets, and animals need to be understood through their matrix of reality, not something imposed from our own psyche. For instance, all dogs are a pack animal. You can dress them up in humiliating sweaters and so forth, but that does not make them more human. They need to see their owner as the Alpha dog, otherwise trouble and violence ensues for dominancy. Children in a family also need to assert dominancy over the dog. The dog sees them as pack mates and rivals, which can lead to violence, unless they understand that they are at the back of the pack.

Long story short, we need to understand the psychology of animals for what they are, not an imaginary humanity we impose upon them.

 

[justplainbatty]

When a rooster wants to mate he has to sneak up on the hen,grab her on the neck and jump on her then it only lasts about 3 seconds.I know it looks rough for someone who hasn't seen it before but that's just the way they mate.I'd say it was the hen making a fuss that made him get rough to try and hold on to her.After a while when the roosters and hen get more experience you shouldn't have a problem.As for the dancing this is the first I've heard of it and I doubt a rooster would do a dance for a hen because she would just run away.
P.S don't shoot the poor rooster with a bb gun as he is only following his instinct.
Good luck

The rooster dance is so quick and short, if you're not watching, you'll miss it. They usually do a half circle around the front of the hen while dropping their wing and shoulder that is facing the hen. Another interesting thing I have noticed is that the dance/approach is counter clockwise and the hen is mated from the left. Subordinate roos don't have time for this, they have to be sneaky opportunists.

 

[centrarchid]

elizabeth253,

Think about this. Most chickens kept by backyard fanciers are currently dead ends. That means they are very unlikely to have any offspring persisting more than a couple generations. If you intend to buck that trend, then breeding for a purpose will help greatly. Products of the breeding effort must be consistent and have characteristics desired by others that ultimately would want to have what you had a hand in breeding. At this time in our society the crosses will not meet that criterion unless you do many generations of selection with many birds. Otherwise stay within the breed. Do not waste effort on aggressive birds, especially if a given individual is aggressive while others raised with it are not.


The attacks launched likely to have a reason as far as the bird is concerned. Start thinking about that birds thoughts and see where you can removed the perceived threats. That will cut down on the number of roosters that are problematic.

 

[eggorthechicken]

Yes please send me the videos. I would like to inform you all, I've butchered him today. My chihuahua was too scared to go to the bathroom today while he was out there in her sight, so she came back inside and went in there for the first time since I have moved in to our place. I then also later heard him get into it with my dog again, and my cat was by the dog too so I don't know if he went after her too or not. It's shame though, he was well at protecting his girls, he just protected them from the wrong creatures. My dog has never hurt a hen or even a baby chick, neither has the cat. I trust my dog outside with the chickens by himself. I have kept his feather because they are pretty, so I'm wonder how do I go about drying them and puffing them up to be perky again like they originally were?

There's a line between being protective and all out aggressive. A good roo will still protective his hens and should still be respectful of you and your pets. It shouldn't be scary to walk out in your yard for you or your pets. It is a hard thing to do but you don't want to breed that temperament into your flock. I have had my share of rotten roosters too.

 

[justplainbatty]

I read here http://www.thepoultrysite.com/articles/1330/natural-mating-and-breeding that roosters do a dance for a hen. I tried to find videos of this but couldnt. I only found a few videos of a rooster trying to mate with hens the same way mind tried to today. It was the first time I've seen him to this. He's almost 5 months old but he was chasing one girl around and grabbed her on her neck, she was freaking out, another (my favourite one) he tried to grab her too and get on top of her, she freaked out and ran to me, I had to push him off her and yell at him. So I'm wondering, can I train him to be gentle and not chase after my girls? It looks like rape and I am not okay with that at all. I do have a small bb I could use too if I'm not close enough to push or yell at him. It doesn't shoot very hard, if you shoot someone with a shirt on, it won't hurt at all. I accidently shot my small dog once, the bb ricocheted off the concrete and hit her, but she didn't make a noise, she only felt that something hit her (and trust me, she would be the one to freak out if something caused her even minor pain)

OMG! Don't shoot! He is a young inexperienced roo! The hens don't yet get what's going on either! As he asserts his dominance they will begin to submit to him by squatting with their wings out slightly. He will then get better at mounting them and so it goes. It is not rape although I agree it looks that way at first. lol. It's just as it should be at their age! He will learn to dance, hens will learn to squat and that's how chicks are made!

 

[307151]

I want him to be a gentlemen. I've only ever heard him crow, never call out for predators or call the hens over for food.

 

[123RedBeard]

He is just a hormoned up teenager!

Think about how romantic and sensitive a 15 year old is ... He is trying to do something he has never done before, with someone that has never done it before ... It is gonna be awkward until he/they get some practice!

 

[collingwood]

He is just a hormoned up teenager!

Think about how romantic and sensitive a 15 year old is ... He is trying to do something he has never done before, with someone that has never done it before ... It is gonna be awkward until he/they get some practice!

OMG! Don't shoot! He is a young inexperienced roo! The hens don't yet get what's going on either! As he asserts his dominance they will begin to submit to him by squatting with their wings out slightly. He will then get better at mounting them and so it goes. It is not rape although I agree it looks that way at first. lol. It's just as it should be at their age! He will learn to dance, hens will learn to squat and that's how chicks are made!

I agree Mine used to do that and I nearly stopped him but I just thought in my head it's only natural! Because that's what he'd be doing in the wild!

 

[307151]

Also, I've been reading about roosters being aggressive towards humans or pets, so I was wondering what at one age would a rooster try to be aggressive so I could watch for it? The younger rooster actually lets me pet him and pick him up