My baby roo thinks I'm his mum- is this normal?

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DoraHexplorer

DoraHexplorer

In the Brooder
5 Years
Feb 14, 2014
12
0
22
I got a baby rooster 9 days ago with 2 slightly older hens from a local poultry farmer. I think he'd been separated and put on his own in a cage as he brought him out last almost forgetting they had him.

For the first 2 nights he slept in the hen house with the 2 hens ( I have a large hen house for my 8 grown ladies) as I wanted them to establish a relationship - they free roam in the day time in an enclosed large pen away from the rest of my flock.

On the third night I went to put the hens to bed and he followed but then he turned around looking scared and wriggled into my coat!! He really did not want to go into bed with the two hens as I realised they were bullying him. So I got my dog crate put straw in it and brought him home still in my coat .

Since then we have a routine, he goes to chicken school in the day and follows me up the path and then goes into the pen- first on his own watching the others but gaining confidence being outdoors without being bullied and now that he's a little better I let the 2 hens stay with him too. But he's still climbing onto my shoulder at night and wriggles into my coat and then sleeps on a hot water bottle in the dog cage and speaks to me. He even likes a cuddle before he goes to bed and protests if he doesn't get one.

My plan is to wait until he's big enough to defend himself and then start putting him in with the flock or the two ladies at night, but until then has anyone else had this experience? He seems such a sensitive little soul, I've had a rooster before he died aged 7 and I loved him dearly but I never expected a rooster even though a baby to be so affectionate. Has anyone else had a similar experience? I think he's 8 weeks old, he's still got a chicks voice and squeezes a lot chatting all the time.

Any feedback welcome.
Dora
 
Hard to say with young roosters. Generally, they are the standouts- the cuddliest, most outgoing, members of a flock even in the brooder. People adore them and are certain they are pullets - they are so sweet. Then they morph into total roosters for good or bad.

Some folks say the more they are doted on as youngsters the less respect they have for humans when they get their masculine surge of hormones. That the human mum or dad becomes one of their flock that they boss around & often punish to keep in line. This eventually leads to the rooster in question having a one way trip to freezer camp.

Other folks think if you mainly ignore young roos and care for them without making friends, they keep a bit of fear of humans and accept humans as Alphas. I don't know that either theory is true but people on either side can point out examples of being right. Ones raised this way are usually harder to catch(when necessary)

I've never had a roo but, I think it is mostly a genetic trait. If they come from good stock that treats their hens well, is protective and tolerates humans with no show of anger I believe they are born with it. If the humans don't mess it up by spoiling or abusing them, I think they will turn out okay.

My friend has a silky roo that was very ill when she got him, seizures, wry neck, etc. etc.He got babied to the hilt and we all thought he would die over nite. But he didn't. Then he acquired a small harem of 3 hens. He wasn't physically able to catch them, zipping around, for breeding(thankfully) but he got extremely possessive over them. When my friend picked up one of the hens and she protested - the rooster spurred her badly on the leg. She claimed he never did it again because she yelled at him. But, she has her special brand of truth that most of her friends(me included) don't believe.
 
Thank you for your feedback that's really interesting and I guess all will remain to be seen, when his hormones kick in, I'm sure he'll be back in the hen camp at night by then, so he'll be treated as my last rooster was and we had a lovely understanding and respect. He's already with hens but he's terrified of them and showing no interest whatsoever so far, so I think I'm doing the right thing in keeping him safe from potential harm.

He really is a little treasure , I love him already and he will never end up in the freezer that's for sure, I've been vegetarian since I was 9 and I'm 42 now, I don't believe in eating my feather or fur children , even if they turn on me :)
 
Welcome to BYC. Glad you decided to join our flock. Drumstick diva has stated the situation with roosters extremely well, so I will just add, please feel free to ask any other questions you may have. We are here to help in any way we can. Good luck with your rooster.
 
Hello there and welcome to BYC!
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Drumstick Diva X2. I agree in that the more you give attention to a young cockerel, the more likely it will be that he will become aggressive at some point. Not always, but it is very common for them to understand you more when they are young and then take advantage as you when they are adults. The have the instinct bred into them to learn a lot of body language. So by being overly sweet to him, you are telling him that you can be taken advantage of. So I believe it is best to keep your distance with males. Give them the treats last, don't get all lovey dovey with them. Don't be cruel, but ignore them for the most part. Some roosters are very sweet and stay that way. But many of them do turn on their human owners. So just be careful with him. :)
 
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Glad you joined us!

X2 on Drumstick Diva and TwoCrows' advice. Good luck with your cockerel!

And feel free to ask any other questions you have. We're all here to help.
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