normal cockerel behavior?

[Teepov]

My 2 month old Ameraucana cockerel keep stepping on the backs of the pullets (they're all the same age, so the girls are not even close to being ready for laying), in a manner that seems as though he's trying to mate with them. This is the second flock that I've raised from chicks and I've never seen this behavior before, let alone in such a young male. Perhaps I've got it wrong and he's just letting the girls know who's boss? They really seem to hate it though, and yell whenever he jumps or steps on them. He usually does it when they're taking a little snooze and are lying down, not when they're standing.
Is this normal?

 

[mnferalkitty]

I just noticed that same behavior in my grow out pen. I am going to say its normal. But it will be interesting to see what others say.

 

[Teepov]

Thanks for the reply: it does make me feel better that someone else is observing this behavior and makes me want to agree with you that it's probably normal.

 

[JakeBremer]

He is trying to mate. But wont be able to do anything until he is sexually mature. When i first saw my Americana Rooster(6months old) try to mate with my hens. I was dumbfounded. But a week later the hens started to lay. How old are your hens(pullets)?

 

[Teepov]

Same age: two months

 

[Wishing4Wings]

Don't know if this is quite the same behavior, but it's the first time anyone's mentioned chickens stepping on each other, so I thought I'd share.

I got 9 different breeds of chicks this spring, 2 of the 10 chicks were EE (hatchery Ameraucana crosses). When the chicks were only about 2 weeks old, I noticed that one of the EEs would step on the other chicks more frequently than could be accidental. Lots of yelling and screeching from the victims. This same EE started "chicken bombing" (think of kids doing the cannon ball into a pool without the pool, landing on a chick instead). Again, much protesting from the victims, and then they all started doing it! I just assumed that they were figuring out the pecking order.

As they got older, less stepping on others occurred, except when competing for treats or if a hapless individual was just in the way. Turns out this particular EE is a cockerel, and now at 3+ months he is working out the how-to's of mating, grabbing neck feathers and trying to jump on, but he has not tried to step on any pullets (that I have noticed). Maybe he's been trying to figure it out all along! A veritable mating protege! By the way, the girls are having none of it!

 

[NYREDS]

Normal bahavior in chickens, as in humans, is a range not a point. Your cockerel's behavior is certainly within the range of normal behavior.
The pullets notbeing ready to lay is irrelevant. The notion that male fowl only mate with females old enough to produce eggs is wrong.
At 2 months your cockerel's behavior is more likely related to dominance that mating as he is not near sexual maturity.

 

[Teepov]

Wishing4wings: that's super informative
I couldn't help but smiling when I read about your precocious boy.