Is my rooster getting aggressive?

[FowlPlay2]

My rooster, Rusty, is 15 weeks, and he’s got some behaviors that concern me a bit. Recently he’s been following me around more, even when all his hens are elsewhere. He’s also been eating out of my hand which he’s been too skittish to do in the past. I did try to pet him today and he jumped and kind of tried to spur my hand, but I also think I just spooked him and it was reflex. My old rooster, who we had to cull due to aggression, was terrified of us until he became aggressive so Rusty being more friendly is kind of throwing me off. He’s a good rooster to his hens, and he’s gorgeous. I would just like to know if anyone has an opinion on if he’s going be a mean one or not.

Quick picture just because.

 

[Mother of Chaos]

Don’t hand-feed, and don’t try to pet him. Treat him with respect for his role as Flock Boss, and demand the same respect back. In human terms, think formal courtesy, not friendliness.

Don’t do things that he would interpret as competition, like petting his hens or giving them treats directly.

No telling how he’ll be in a month, two months, six months. They’re all individuals. He’s good with the girls, and presumably they like him - this is important.

He’s very handsome!

If you haven’t read this, I hope you’ll do so and bookmark it for frequent reference:
https://www.backyardchickens.com/articles/understanding-your-rooster.75056/

 

[PeaShack]

I have 5 Roos and 4 hens (what happens when you hatch your own eggs)..

If there is any aggression toward me, I push them down to the ground to let them know I am the boss. Later, I also pick them up and give them pets and snuggles so they actually gather at my feet and wait to be picked up.

Trigger just turned 5 months and would come hauling as fast as he could to peck my leg if I wasn’t watching him. Since I started picking him up he has stopped the aggression.

I’m sure there are going to be a lot of different opinions on this!

 

[DLA]

I have 5 Roos and 4 hens (what happens when you hatch your own eggs)..

If there is any aggression toward me, I push them down to the ground to let them know I am the boss. Later, I also pick them up and give them pets and snuggles so they actually gather at my feet and wait to be picked up.

Trigger just turned 5 months and would come hauling as fast as he could to peck my leg if I wasn’t watching him. Since I started picking him up he has stopped the aggression.

I’m sure there are going to be a lot of different opinions on this!

I do similar with my rooster the moment he starts following me and giving any indication he's trying to herd me or offer me treats and making those sounds like they do when they're wooing a hen. I grab him and push him down and hold him, then he gets carried around under my arm for about 5 minutes (like a football - lol) till he remembers I'm the boss. Roosters have to be reminded of that regularly. 95% of the time that settles him and fixes him for a few weeks until his rooster brain kicks in again, but he's a pretty good guy overall. Great with his girls. I always offer any treats to him first and let him distribute them to his girls.

p.s. I forgot to mention when I'm carrying him around under my arm as part of re-education, I always keep one hand holding on to his comb so I can control his head, you don't want to get pecked, especially in the face in case he doesn't get the hint that he's not in charge.

 

[McChooky]

My rooster, Rusty, is 15 weeks, and he’s got some behaviors that concern me a bit. Recently he’s been following me around more, even when all his hens are elsewhere. He’s also been eating out of my hand which he’s been too skittish to do in the past. I did try to pet him today and he jumped and kind of tried to spur my hand, but I also think I just spooked him and it was reflex. My old rooster, who we had to cull due to aggression, was terrified of us until he became aggressive so Rusty being more friendly is kind of throwing me off. He’s a good rooster to his hens, and he’s gorgeous. I would just like to know if anyone has an opinion on if he’s going be a mean one or not.

Quick picture just because.

Makes no sense he's following you around and eating out of your hand if he wasn't friendly before. I would take this friendliness as a warning sign but maybe I'm wrong. I let my Rooster eat out of my hand too but I don't try to pet him.Roosters don't like being held unless you've carried them around like babies from day one which I don't do

 

[Pigeony]

Following you around is never a good sign for a rooster. He's doing one of two things: he's trying to treat you as one of the hens or he's treating you like a threat to his place in the pecking order. Either way the behavior is much the same, he's following you to wait for you to let your guard down so he can attack or mount you. At 15 weeks, he's coming into his own and has decided you're lower in the chain o' command than he is. By offering him treats directly by hand, you're telling him that his new train of thought is correct and reinforcing the behavior. I would suggest you stop feeding him by hand and put up a tough front whenever he's trying to follow you. Don't let your guard down around him for some time, if ever.

 

[RubelliteRose]

He’s also been eating out of my hand which he’s been too skittish to do in the past. I did try to pet him today and he jumped and kind of tried to spur my hand, but I also think I just spooked him and it was reflex.

I am not as concerned about him eating from your hand as the attempted spurring. Following you and ignoring his girls is also not a good sign. Aggressive roosters often like to attack after stalking from behind. Make sure to keep a very close eye on him and watch for further signs of aggression.
We currently have 3 good roosters, but have had to cull 6 for either human or flock aggression. It can take a while to find a really good rooster, but it is completely worth it.
Our roosters can all be hand fed, don't care if we handle or pet the girls, can be handled themselves(for med checks or spur trimming - they don't enjoy snuggles, but neither do some of our hens and that is ok ) and are good to the hens. I usually try to offer treats to the older 2 roosters first, but not always. They don't care either way and will loudly tidbit the girls for what they "found" in my hand. Unless we offer watermelon to Blue, our head rooster, when he is alone. Then he quietly tidbits while eating his favorite treat as fast as he can before the girls notice

If there is any aggression toward me, I push them down to the ground to let them know I am the boss. Later, I also pick them up and give them pets and snuggles so they actually gather at my feet and wait to be picked up.

I have read that some people have had good luck with this method. We tried this with our second human aggressive rooster and it seemed to work for several months. He stopped being aggressive towards me completely, but he elevated from foot pecking to trying to spur my adult daughter and my husband so he was culled.

 

[kattabelly]

Then he quietly tidbits while eating his favorite treat as fast as he can before the girls notice

One of my cockerels does this sometimes - though in his case I think it's at least partly because he also tidbits over things like their feeder and dead leaves, so the others don't always pay much attention to what he's "found" - and it's hilarious. Like he's so excited about whatever he's eating that he has to keep telling himself all about it