is my roo attracting me or aggressive?

[wildorchid053]

i have a roo who started out as matilda. who now is a matt lol. when i go into the run and talk to the chickens he is the first one beside me.. he fluffs his body not his neck and does this little stomping dance with his feet.. is he telling me get away from them or is he doing a mating dance? hubby says he sure comes fast when i call them? he intimadates me a little..he pecks at my shoes he might become a free range bird if he is aggressive and the coyotes and foxes can have him.. lol jk

 

[Judy]

It is a mating dance but also a dominance dance; he is trying to establish dominance over you. Since there is no attack involved, you might be able to manage him quite well simply by "kicking" him to tell him to stop.

I am not talking about a real kick. Sort of pick him up with the side of your foot, lift a bit, and gently toss him a few feet. If he tries to mate a hen and is close to you, do the same thing. Both tell him you are actually the dominant one. This has worked for me with some roos.

If they actually attack, there are other approaches (see RoosterRed's approach) which reportedly sometimes work, but I won't fool around with a real attack roo, either, so have not tried them.

 

[Judy]

BTW, I wouldn't give him to the foxes and yotes. It will show them how good chicken tastes. I have found that attack roos make good chicken and dumplings. You probably have a neighbor that would agree if you can't do this.

 

[Blisskat]

Sounds like the mating dance to me. Is he sticking one wing down and doing the stomp dance around you? That would be the mating dance.

When I see the chickens fight each other they ruffle out the neck feathers and get really tall standing. Also, it seems to me that he would be attacking with his spurs if he were aggressive to you.

 

[gritsar]

Quote:
I agree with ddawn. They try the mating dance first and when they see they can't get you under control that way, they progress to more dangerous intimidation. Get him under control now.

 

[wildorchid053]

ty very much.. he is 12 weeks so no spurs yet.. but i have been forceably moving him around showing him it is my territory.. he is not amused but it works.. i move him from my hens.. and his food dish..and he goes into a corner.. the run is 18x24 so he can get out of the way lol... i hope it works.. sort of like the dogwhisperer lol

 

[Quack Shack]

Tuck him under your arm as you do chores outside and let him watch you treat the flock without him around giving orders. I do that and also flip them on their backs and rub their chests. Funny after I put them down and they kinda stand there for a bit. Seems to work at least for awhile.