Mannerisms of my rooster. Is he expanding his flock?

[CariLynn]

Kicking an animal, I don't care what it is, is abuse! Your rooster isn't "being mean" he is protecting his flock and something about you may make him assume you may hurt his hens, so he is protecting them the only way he knows how. If they perceive you as a potential threat, they will also go after you as well. I have raised several roosters, one was a Jersey Giant cross, a Bantam cross, and a Barred Rock. My current roo is a beautiful older Buff Orpington, Chief, who has gone after me once, and that was because I had tried to catch a hen to doctor her, she slipped through my hands, I grabbed her tail and he assumed I was hurting her, so I had a big caramel colored feathery mass hurtle himself at me!!

What you can try to do, is if you can grab him and pick him up, do so. Carry him around, pet him, flip him over in your arms and make him stay that way, till you set him down, do this often. This is a sign of dominance and that YOU are the alpha hen or roo, not him. Do this often and several times a day for a while, couple weeks or a month.

As for the "dance" he is doing, we call that the Pimp Dance. When they do that, it is to see if the hen is receptive to their advances, if she is she will squat and spread her wings some so he can climb up and balance and mate with the hen. If they aren't receptive they will ignore him or walk away and he should go about his business.

 

[Pele]

The entire purpose of the domestication of animals is making them able to co-habitate with humans. Aggressiveness in a domesticated animal is counterproductive and a backwards step. Get rid of it, and encourage only genetic dispersal by animals with positive productive traits.

The first time you miss with your bat, and your roo doesn't miss your eyes with his spurs, you'll regret the entire silly mess. Just get a nice roo. No need to make a barnyard soap-opera out of walking 20 feet.

 

[godsartfarms]

I haven't had birds for long, and came about chicken ownership completely by accident, but my cockerels have taught me that if I treat them with kindness I get so much more out of the experience. If you kick a cockerel you make a mean cockerel and yeah, you'd better carry a bat. But the mean nature of the bird was brought out by you.

We got 12 pullets so the cockerels could have normal lives and the boys are working it out. One is the consummate gentleman and protector in-charge (OEG) and the other is the hormonal hen chaser (SLRW) who gets his butt kicked by the OEG. So if the awful one gets at a pullet no and then he doesn't do too much damage before he gets his butt kicked again. He seems to be settling down too. Only one pullet was hurt in 6 months and she was sickly to begin with. No feather loss or need of saddles on the girls. If that starts, we will find a pet home for him.