Mean vs nice roosters

[Cryss]

My Buff Orpington is a very sweet gentleman. He has never tried to attack me, or anyone else. He asks to mate, and my girls usually say no, and he takes it for an answer.

This is my First flock of 4. One recently revealed himself to be a roo. The gals are not laying age just yet but getting close. Mr Marvin Roo is showing his oats a little bit but the gals ain't having it. So my question is, how does a roo politely ask to mate? He chases them, they run, duck, n cover. Today for the first time I saw him try to grip the back of the neck of one of the girls. She put up a big squawk and he let go. Was that a polite request as opposed to just chasing or did he cross the line. The one he grabbed is my special needs girl so I worry. Buy the way he will be rehomed at some near future point.

 

[Chullicken]

This is my First flock of 4. One recently revealed himself to be a roo. The gals are not laying age just yet but getting close. Mr Marvin Roo is showing his oats a little bit but the gals ain't having it. So my question is, how does a roo politely ask to mate? He chases them, they run, duck, n cover. Today for the first time I saw him try to grip the back of the neck of one of the girls. She put up a big squawk and he let go. Was that a polite request as opposed to just chasing or did he cross the line. The one he grabbed is my special needs girl so I worry. Buy the way he will be rehomed at some near future point.

Typically cockerels (Immature roosters) will be overly aggressive like an out of control hormonal teenage boy. Grabbing of the combs, wattles, back of the neck is pretty common. A lot of times as the weeks go by they start to settle down and start doing the love dance in which they lower a wing and make a beating noise. It's very quick but really neat to watch. Some hens will just lay down and allow it some won't. If a rooster at this point in his career is continually force mating with his girls and is overly aggressive, is about the time he should be replaced as this can only lead to future health issues and even death in a flock. Fowl mating is aggressive by nature so keep that in mind. Just some roosters are more gentleman like and still get the job done. Those are the ones you keep around.

 

[lazy gardener]

Mr Marvin is still a cockerel until he's a year old. And as a cockerel in a flock of pullets, he does not have an older rooster, or any old biddy hens to teach him proper dating behavior. Essentially, Marvin is a h***y punk teenager who is letting his walnuts do all of his thinking. For him, he will simply take what he wants, by violence if necessary, and that is what it will be b/c he is maturing faster than his female flock mates. While a fully mature roo will also dominate in order to breed, he is also much more apt to take no for an answer, and show discretion. A cockerel will breed anything he can catch. A mature roo will leave the pullets alone until they are laying, or until he knows that those first eggs are imminent. A mature roo will not breed a hen who is molting, while a cockerel doesn't care how much pain he inflicts.

 

[Cryss]

Thanks. Not sure I'll get to observe that dance as he is slated to be traded in females, my breeder guarantees the sex and willingly trades mistakes. Mr Marvin Roo is a Lavender Orpington so I'm not worried about him ending up as soup. He's gorgeous and a good lookout, I hate to party with him but I don't want neighbors giving me grief.

 

[Allie Grace Sanders]

This is my First flock of 4. One recently revealed himself to be a roo. The gals are not laying age just yet but getting close. Mr Marvin Roo is showing his oats a little bit but the gals ain't having it. So my question is, how does a roo politely ask to mate? He chases them, they run, duck, n cover. Today for the first time I saw him try to grip the back of the neck of one of the girls. She put up a big squawk and he let go. Was that a polite request as opposed to just chasing or did he cross the line. The one he grabbed is my special needs girl so I worry. Buy the way he will be rehomed at some near future point.

I guess when my boy asks to mate, he puffs out his neck feathers, and puts his foot on her. If she squats, he will do the act. If not, he politely goes away. He is under a year,so I guess I should've said cockerel and not rooster.

 

[Tlmcq]

I have 6 roos currently and all of them are good guys...I've had a couple experience with mean ones, but they were ones I didn't raise. I believe a lot of it has to do with that. The worst one I had was human aggressive and not very nice to his girls either so needless to say he went to freezer camp. He was an EE. And think his breed has nothing to do with his aggressiveness as I have a EE roo now that is great. My other Roos now include a Brahma, a BO, an Araucana, a Sultan, EE, and a Polish.

 

[Chickassan]

Well I'm glad he pulled through, mine got a little frostbitten but i don't think he's going to lose very much. Stupid wintertime.

Thanks! Amazingly enough, he was free from a woman from Iceland hence him being an Icelandic Rooster. I was so proud the day the official organization said he had one of the largest combs of an American breed Icelandic rooster in history! Sadly he lost 90% of it and most of his wattles to frostbite this year. We had a month of -20 weather and very damp. The rest of the chickens had little to no signs of frostbite but he just took it hard, I almost put him down he was suffering so badly. He came out of it as I couldn't give up on him but sadly lost his crown.

 

[TattooedChicks]

None of my Bantam cockerels have ever been mean. Some less overtly friendly or more standoffish, but of the 20+ males I rehomed last season not one ever attacked us or caused real problems under the age of 6 months. I have kept the two nicest males for myself, both being very cute little Japanese. One is very people friendly and will sit in your lap or eat treats from your hand. The second is more wary but very respectful for the most part, except the occasional crowing/mating when I’m still too close but we are resolving that issue. He mostly keeps a comfortable distance and knows who is boss. Neither have ever flogged or rushed at me, and they often simply regard me with mild curiosity even if I’m handling their girls.

 

[sourland]

I have always had nice roosters. Human aggressive roosters get eaten before they get a chance to reproduce.

 

[GaryDean26]

How many people have a nice rooster versus a mean rooster?

I have had plenty of both. We lost a Black Marans Roost last week to a Predator so we are now down to 17 boys. The only one that I have any hesitation with is our year old Columbian Plymouth Rock. He has never pecked or flogged anyone but he like run at me when I open his pen in the morning. I don't know what is up with that. All the other boys just patiently wait for me to open the door and wait for me to back away before slowly and cautiously leaving the coop. I don't think I will have the Columbian Rock for long. I only need 2-3 boys and go through about 50 a years so no sense in ever keeping one that isn't nice.