Is Rooster Dance Always Aggressive?

[MysteryChicken]

I handle all cockerels, & pullets from day 1, to adulthood. I treat everyone the same, nothing's changed.

 

[AngelicaRoss]

I don't fear Demon(Good reason for the name), but he's so aggressive.

He's been mean since he was a chick. He did tame, up abit when he was young, but now he's worser, then he's ever been. Charging the fence, following me along the fence. Biting me when grabbed, kicking me up my legs everytime I go into the coop.

He killed my friendly Sumatra cockerel, Shadow, but now I'm stuck with the boy that's filled with pure evil.

Oh, that's horrible! My Felix is less aggressive than he used to be. 2 years ago someone (I think it was my 11 pound hen Poppy) bit him in the eye and he's now half blind. I had to help him learn to walk and eat on his own again. I thought he'd be nice after that but as soon as he was able to run again he started kicking and biting me again. He runs into things a lot and is afraid of the other roosters now.
He was a bratty chick but he was my baby. As soon as he hit puberty he turned on me. The other roos are pretty bad at being roosters but Felix is a good guard.

 

[centrarchid]

We recently had to cull one of our young roosters due to human aggression. We have another rooster left, Bruno. Bruno was always pretty mild mannered, he doesn't brutalize the hens, he takes treats from my hand and gives them to the ladies and he has never done anything aggressive to any of us.

This morning I was giving some fresh corn to the hens and I started going to the garden. Bruno followed me for a little bit, which is not unusual because he always thinks I have treats. I turned to look at him and I swear it looked like he dropped his wing ever so slightly. Like a very very subdued version of the rooster dance without the shimmy or feet stomping.

Am I being paranoid because of what happened with the other rooster VERY recently? If he did do the dance, is the dance always considered aggressive? Am I going to have a problem?

You are likely seeing what I call feed bucket aggression. He experimenting with ways to get you to provide food. If he gets a reward, he will eventually come at you on a regular basis.


See first option in link below.
https://www.backyardchickens.com/ar...hicken-directed-at-humans-man-fighting.75750/

 

[MysteryChicken]

Oh, that's horrible! My Felix is less aggressive than he used to be. 2 years ago someone (I think it was my 11 pound hen Poppy) bit him in the eye and he's now half blind. I had to help him learn to walk and eat on his own again. I thought he'd be nice after that but as soon as he was able to run again he started kicking and biting me again. He runs into things a lot and is afraid of the other roosters now.
He was a bratty chick but he was my baby. As soon as he hit puberty he turned on me. The other roos are pretty bad at being roosters but Felix is a good guard.

Demon is like turning 12 months on the 28th, of September, so he's pretty much over the puberty thing. Some just don't change.

I rarely keep mean roosters, especially this bad. Only certain ones that meet certain traits I need for breeding, stay for awhile.

 

[OzarkChooks]

You are likely seeing what I call feed bucket aggression. He experimenting with ways to get you to provide food. If he gets a reward, he will eventually come at you on a regular basis.


See first option in link below.
https://www.backyardchickens.com/ar...hicken-directed-at-humans-man-fighting.75750/

I think you are right. He has gotten increasingly bold when I feed them. He started standing right on my boot and jumping up to take the food out of my hand before I even throw it. He also has been refusing to get out of my way when I walk, I have to physically nudge him aside with my boot. Obviously not scared of me at all.... probably not a good thing. Sadly he did flog my son yesterday so we can't keep him now.

 

[MROO]

My rooster suddenly got all hormonal and started flirting with people. He started chasing people to mate with their feet

When my top rooster was a youngster, I was his main love-interest. I can't tell you how many times I had to wipe "warm and wet" off my hands and ankles ... UGGGH! Luckily, he figured out that lady-chickens were much more responsive and appreciative. Now he just comes to me for treats and the occasional nexk scratch. He's totally respectful, but he's adamant, "No treats, no attention." Works for me! I'm hoping his two proteges follow his example. So far, so good!

 

[BecaHawaii]

I'm kinda stuck with him at the moment. He's my dad's Sumatra, & he's too pretty to eat.View attachment 2821003He bit me on my arm three times the other day. I had to remove him from the area briefly.

It's funny. Out of 3 butt heads I have out of 21 roosters, he's the meanest.

18 of my Roosters, are friendly, & respectful. While only 3 are meanies.

Demon, is the worst of the worst.

Cinder, is an ankle biter.

Daredevil, he rarely bites, or kicks hands, he attacked my face once, but hasn't done it again in years. He seems to have fixed his behavior since those few incidents.

They are never too pretty to eat.

 

[canne50]

We recently had to cull one of our young roosters due to human aggression. We have another rooster left, Bruno. Bruno was always pretty mild mannered, he doesn't brutalize the hens, he takes treats from my hand and gives them to the ladies and he has never done anything aggressive to any of us.

This morning I was giving some fresh corn to the hens and I started going to the garden. Bruno followed me for a little bit, which is not unusual because he always thinks I have treats. I turned to look at him and I swear it looked like he dropped his wing ever so slightly. Like a very very subdued version of the rooster dance without the shimmy or feet stomping.

Am I being paranoid because of what happened with the other rooster VERY recently? If he did do the dance, is the dance always considered aggressive? Am I going to have a problem?

Maybe keep a bit of the treat for him to call the girls.

 

[McChooky]

I think you are right. He has gotten increasingly bold when I feed them. He started standing right on my boot and jumping up to take the food out of my hand before I even throw it. He also has been refusing to get out of my way when I walk, I have to physically nudge him aside with my boot. Obviously not scared of me at all.... probably not a good thing. Sadly he did flog my son yesterday so we can't keep him now.

Was you with your son when the rooster flogged him and was he in the run or coop?

 

[Thorson]

I see my neighbors rooster just chase hens down and jump on them with no courtship. A very good read is chapter 3 in Temple Grandin's book "Animals in Translation" Grandin explains that the dance triggers a fixed action pattern in the hen's brain, and she crouches down into a sexually receptive position so the rooster can mount her. A rooster that fails to do the courtship dance for a hen is the product of single trait breeding program and should be culled in my opinion. If a rooster doesn't dance for the hen , it's in the pot he goes. I rember all of the roosters I saw as a child growing up in rural New Mexico, dancing before mounting. I don't remember then hens running away from a dancing rooster. but that was in the 60's. I'm watching to see if I have any roosters out of the 18 Wyandotte's I got at the feed store.... if they don't dance... in the cooking pot they go. I now live in Washington State and have several friends with chickens but they choose not to have a rooster. Finding a rooster that has retained the courtship dance hard wired brain might be a challenge these days. Selective breeding programs can be problematic.