"Nice" Roos?

[Dill]

Everyone always acts like roos are "mean" (no animal is deliberately mean though...). Why is that? If I get roos, as well as hens, will my roos be just as sweet as my hens? These will be pets btw (or as I like to say, companions.. "pets" sounds like they're toys or something

) so I want them to be friendly and sweet.

 

[Mahonri]

Our last roo was crazy.

He was constantly mean to us and the hens.... and he was a Delaware mix that we got from McMurray. AND NOISY!

We rehomed him.... but I should have put him in the freezer.

 

[Minx]

My light sussex rooster "seemed" nice natured when I went to look at him and on the next visit to bring him home. After a few weeks of getting established with the girls he is doing a brilliant job of looking after them to the point if I put myself between him and one of the hens he will go in for the attack.

Bruce and I now have an understanding

LOL

 

[rooster-red]

Remember that roosters are preprogrammed by nature as defenders of the flock, that is their purpose, to deal with what they perceive to be a threat to the flock.

It really depends on the individual rooster.

I have a big RIR roo, and the are notorious for being "mean" but mine is very well behaved and I can turn my back on him without any fear of being attacked.

Check out my roo behavior page, the link is in my sig line, it might help.

 

[Guinea Goonie]

Thanks, I read your page on roos. Unbeknownce to me, I have done this. I guess I am a natural roo hey.

I have a red jungle fowl roo that I can go pick up any time I like. Sometimes he is not interested in being picked up and runs, but mostly, he submits. I give him treats and put him in the horse barn during the winter months. He and a loyal hen are staying in there as I type. He has water, grain, hay and bugs in the stalls. The animals keep the barn fairly warm and it is closed up tightly at night. This is the ONLY roo i do this with. I have about 5 other large roos in the chicken barn and they have a pecking order. I have about 3 small batam roos also. I think the bantam roos can be more aggressive than any other roo. If you pair them up with a hen, they seem to do pretty well. The big roos try thier luck with just about anything that will sit down.

 

[Dill]

I read your page, it was very informative.

I think I'd do good with roos. I am the alpha of my dogs (course they aren't agressive..) andit just came like natural to me. (I had never heard anything about alpha before).

 

[Southernbelle]

IMO, a nice roo is good to his girls, watches for danger and does not challenge me. I don't try to make my roos into lap pets. They need to have a healthy respect for me since I'm the alpha roo. I didn't cuddle or play with them when they were babies and I don't give them treats or try to pet them.

My hens give me my "must cuddle chickens" fix

 

[Godsgrl]

I do know of one nice rooster. He has NEVER dropped a wing, or challenged us, has NEVER even gone for a small child. He watches out for other hens and chicks, warning them of dangers. He is so vocal, likes to grumble and fuss. We love him, he's a BIG RIR/EE roo. They aren't all bad, once in a while, you find a gem.

 

[MissPrissy]

You will never understand until you have been on the recieving end of a good flogging by a large standard sized rooster. Then flogged again because you thought you could change his basic nature. The flogged again because he refuses to allow you to set foot inside his domain.

Oh, to be so young and looking at the world so optimistically with rose colored glasses ...

 

[Appytaz]

I have a very nice silkie roo. He does a very good job of keeping up with his girls (he only has 2) will let me know when they need/want food or water (my guys free range and sometimes the dogs will slurp up all of their water) but he has NEVER (knock on wood

) made any movement or action of agression to any of us (other animals included) He does get treats but the girls usually take them away from him. He has learned to hide real close to my chair at worm snack time so I can sneak him the small worms. For me, he is the prefect little rooster! I had a very honest fear of chickens before getting him. He has really helped me that.