Is 'nastiness' in Roosters truly heritable?

[EweSheep]

Yes it is heritable. Same for humans!

 

[RHRanch]

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x2

totally true

 

[big medicine]

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Beat me to it. I also had a game hen who adopted us and moved in with my Brahmas. Last year she hid a nest on me and brought off a brood of Brahma/game cross chicks. It was amazing in the difference between them and their Brahma cousins, not only in physical appearance, but even more so in temperment. The cross chicks were sparing with each other almost from hatch, sometimes as many as 4 or 5 would form a circle, hackles up. Being of smaller stature and maturing much quicker, the cockerels were soon running the much bigger, less mature, and much more laid back Brahma youngsters all over the yard. Needless to say those guys went on down the road ASAP.

So in my opinion/experience temperment can definitely be passed on.

 

[Stacykins]

Nurture also likely plays a huge role.

Most people with roos probably don't realize that they can be set off, and have a better memory than we give them credit. They might remember the one time they were handled roughly in haste, accidentally punted, had a toe stepped on etc. by a human handler. We all know how underfoot they can get. Aggression is a way to stop that from happening again. So a rooster who had a negative experience can become a mean one.

Edit for spelling fail

 

[saladin]

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I'm sure that nurture plays some role especially if someone (why I don't know) were mean to a cock then that cock might become a manfighter. However, as to a cock becoming mean because of the reasons given excepting the being punted I just can't imagine them doing so or remembering.

You can take 2 cockrels that are nest mates and have been together every day of their lives until say 8 or 9 months old separate them for 2 days and put them back together and they will fight as if they had never known one another. My middle son raises Javas (a far cry from a Game) and he did just what i stated. Unfortunately, the by the time he got back to them (maybe 1 hour) one was dead and the winner was nearly so.

You can take a group of hens that have been together for ages separate them for a couple of day and watch the fighting as they try to work out the pecking order again.........even though they had it figured out just fine up until the two days before.

If a cock is a manfighter the best thing to do is kill it. He's not going to change. Now, I'm not talking about basic protective behaviour over hens or something of that sort. I also have cocks that are biters, but stop after they have biten once. (I have plenty of scars, a world of antibiotics in my system and doctors bills to prove this is a regular event with some: BAD BAD bacteria in the mouth of a cock). I don't consider them manfighters. A manfighter attacks for no reason and always does so. He's stupid and needs to be culled. Never breed from a manfighter....... and has been stated watch out breeding to his sister. She just may pass on the trait.

As I've said before, pardon me Leghorn people, THE MEANEST COCK I EVER MET WAS A LEGHORN: LAKENVELDERS AIN'T FAR BEHIND THEM EITHER.

 

[Oregon Blues]

Temperament is inherited and then you take what the bird was born with and shape it by the way you raise it.

I don't think that an animal that is born truly mean can ever be reliable, but you can sure take a nice natured animal and turn it mean with the wrong handling.

Happens to geese all the time. Nice geese and people try to raise them and treat them like a pet dog and next thing you know, they are crying because their sweet baby attacked them.

Not only is temperament inherited, but athletic ability can be inherited, also. Wild geese pass on the ability to fly for thousands of miles to their offspring, yet heavy domestic geese can not pass on the ability to fly because they can't fly themselves. Yet look at a Canada goose next to a domestic goose and there is very little difference in build.

Fighting game birds pass on their athletic ability. (that's about the only examples I can think of where athletic ability is tested in poultry)

 

[psnider1968]

I have a Black Jersey Giant that is about 5 months old that got after me once and tends to avoid me when I get in the enclosure with him and his women. I've thought about catching him and just walking around with him to see if I can break him. Is it too late?

 

[Oregon Blues]

If you want actual cases of inherited temperament, I bought 2 batches of blue Swedish ducks this spring. They arrived the same age (day old), I raised them the same. One batch is really high strung, near hysterics all the time, easily frightened, easily upset, and really noisy. The other batch from a completely different breeder are calm, friendly, curious, quiet, and not easily frightened.

Since they were raised in the exact same way what explanation for the difference except for inherited temperament?

 

[Chris09]

Quote:
Beat me to it. I also had a game hen who adopted us and moved in with my Brahmas. Last year she hid a nest on me and brought off a brood of Brahma/game cross chicks. It was amazing in the difference between them and their Brahma cousins, not only in physical appearance, but even more so in temperment. The cross chicks were sparing with each other almost from hatch, sometimes as many as 4 or 5 would form a circle, hackles up. Being of smaller stature and maturing much quicker, the cockerels were soon running the much bigger, less mature, and much more laid back Brahma youngsters all over the yard. Needless to say those guys went on down the road ASAP.

So in my opinion/experience temperment can definitely be passed on.

Oh I know, Like I said Hens will pass aggression to her off spring also.
At times I believe the hen will contribute more aggression to the offspring than the rooster does.

Chris

 

[speckledhen]

I agree with Chris. The only reason I never mention hens is because until my little EE/Ameraucana/Sumatra/whatever-she-is hen, Tiny, I never had an aggressive hen, only an occasional aggressive cockerel. I'll never hatch any eggs from Tiny, I can tell you that for certain!