My rooster has suddenly turned into a little feathered ninja, launching surprise attacks on me! It appears to occur the day after I spend only 5-10 minutes with them. Have I merely spoiled him, or is he attempting to convey something? I do not quite understand why he behaves this way; he is otherwise very sweet. I cuddle with him and everything, and he is never aggressive. Is he displaying dominance, or is there something wrong with him? Additionally, how often do they crow? He seems to start crowing the moment he hears my voice and continues until I stop by. Is that normal?
Honestly, I'm not a fan of "chicken cuddling" for a variety of reasons beyond the mere fact it's a good way to pick up a salmonella or e coli infection.
Chickens aren't like dogs or cats. Their behavior is much more "hard wired" than a lot of traditional pets. They only really interpret physical contact as related to either fighting or mating.
So, it could be that when he was younger he interpreted your touching him as you asserting your physical dominance over him and now he's returning the favor.
Alternatively, if you also cuddle your hens he may interpret that as you trying to mate with them and he sees you as a rival he wants to drive off.
The third option is that he's just overly aggressive and wants to attack you no matter how you raised him.
How often roosters crow and what it means depends on a lot of things. Sometimes its to show dominance, other times they're just excited. My three roosters will often split the flock into different foraging parties, and they'll crow from time to time to keep track ov where everyone is.
Another time one of my roos snuck into the house behind me to raid the cat's food-dish. When he was done he crowed to let me know he was ready to go back outside.
As far as what you should do it really depends on what the nature of the "attack" is. If he's only posturing and trying to herd / chase you, you might be able to work with him and get him to calm down. If he's flat-out trying to damage you (pecking, kicking, beating you with his wings, and / or trying to use his spurs on you) it's probably gone too far to salvage him.
It also depends on whether or not you have small children or if you frequently have strangers come by. Small children try the patience of even the most docile roosters, let alone the tetchy ones. Some adults are even dumber than small children when it comes to interacting with poultry.
