My young friendly pet rooster sometimes pecks at me, why?

[cjmama]

I am new to chickens and this website. I fed some chickens for a friend and was able to keep the collected eggs. I made a homemade incubator where I placed the few eggs we gathered. It was fun for my children and I to watch the growth in the eggs. I breed English budgies so I am familiar with candling and etc.
Anyway, one egg silkie hatched. I didn't want it to grow up seperate so I was given a couple of chicks to put with him. The new ones had mites so they were seperated from my pet silkie. They could see each other but not be together.
Once everyone grew up, I realized the silkie is a rooster along with one of the chicks I got from a friend. I still have the silkie rooster seperated from the other two. I recently purchased 4 more hen chicks to go with the two reds, which are a hen and a rooster.
Anyway, the silkie is very friendly, he comes up to me to be petted and held. he will follow me around if I let him out of his section.
My question is why do you think he pecks at my hand when I put my hand into his cage? He allows me to pick him up and is totally fine when I do so. He will close his eyes and doze off in my arms. He gets excited when he sees me but the pecking has me wondering. I wonder if he gets so excited he pecks at me?
He was trying to follow me into the basement last night but he couldn't get up on the concrete since he has a turned in foot. He kept clucking until I went to pick him up. He pecked me when I reached down to pick him up but closed his eyes after I picked him up.
I have witnessed him grabbing my boys jeans when they come around when he is out and I am around. I figure he is protecting me [ his hen]. i am working on that. But could anyone tell me why he may be doing this to me? I have blown in his face and grabbed his beak which stops him for awhile but the next day he does this again. Has anyone dealt with this? He is 6 mos old.
Thank you in advance
cjmama

 

[SnowPeeOstrichU]

Hi there!

First of all, welcome to BYC!

Well, your roo is probably doing it as a defensive thing because he naturally is trying to see who is a predator. It sounds like he's fairly friendly but maybe try having your boys handfeeding him a little. Handfeeding a roo directly shows him that it's you feeding him and that you're not a rooster or threat because roosters don't feed eachother and of course a threat wouldn't feed him.

Also, you might consider giving him some hens or are you not planning on expanding your flock? He may be wanting some lady company..

Do you have any pictures? He sounds like a real sweetie!

 

[cjmama]

Thank you for your reply.
I have stayed away from handfeeding because I thought that they would be more apt to peck at the hands. You do not think so?
I do plan on expanding my flock but I thought that I would use the healthy red island rooster for that.
CJ, the silky pet rooster, is not a normal chicken. By that, I mean he cannot stand up correctly and he has a foot that turns in so he does not walk as fast as the rest. I would be worried that somebody would try to take over him.
Plus, my husband says only one chicken coop. He is worried that I will go overboard with the chicken. I tend to do things like that. Haha so if I'm only going to have one chicken coop I do want a nice healthy rooster that can protect my hens. The red island rooster is also a nice rooster just not as friendly and dependent on me.
cjmama

 

[SnowPeeOstrichU]

true, if he can't take care of hens it might be better that way.

by hand feeding, you don't always have to put it in your hand directly but you can hold, say a piece of pasta for him.. My chickens tend to be decent with aim and don't peck my hands much except overestimating the size of the food so they get my hand a little because they are trying so hard to grab the whole thing, haha

 

[SnowPeeOstrichU]

This is the roo, And(Barred Plymouth Rock) plus Marilyn(Ameraucana) to his right and part of Peaches(red sex link)

 

[cjmama]

I had meant that by hand feeding they would associate my hands with food, therefore be more apt to peck at my hands whenever my hands were in their site..
But by what you are saying, they will not do that unless you have food in your hands?
I think I will have me and the boys hand feed all of them. I would love the personal bond with all of them that way too.
Thanks for that suggestion.
Do you think there is a possibility that c.j pecks my hands because he is excited because I am there? Or as a way of communication?