Opinion question about a cockerel

[LaurenRitz]

I have a 4 week old Bielefelder x Black Australorp that I am pretty sure is a cockerel. Comb and wattles are already red.

Last week I saw his mother chasing him around and wondered what was going on. Then I saw another hen doing the same, and wondered more.

So yesterday I saw him fly at his mother, basically doing the whole cockerel thing, and I can see why they were putting him in his place.

Is this the start of agression? I haven't seen this kind of behavior before in a chick so young, but this is the first chick I have seen raised in an adult flock rather than a sibling group.

Will the others teach him manners?

 

[fluffycrow]

Yes. Play fighting with their mothers isn't all that uncommon, the more rambunctious kids from either gender will do it

 

[BigBlueHen53]

One certainly hopes so! I had a BJG cockerel that at a week or so old was challenging me in the brooder. While the other chicks would move away from me while I changed their water and filled their feeder, this bold fellow would charge my hand and chest-thump me. How cute, right? Well ... yes, but .... I hardened my heart and started "thumping" him back. I only tapped him a tiny bit harder than he'd thump me. At first it escalated, as you'd expect. But finally he got me pretty good (he was a week or so old by this time), so I tapped him pretty good. He decided not to come back for more and that was the end of it. He made a fine rooster and I really liked him. He ended up protecting the flock from a dog or coyote, I forget which. I think I lost a couple of my Sweet Black Austrolorps as well, but he gave his all for them. His name was Chicken George. One of the good ones.

 

[Nym]

I'm very new to rooster-raising, but based on my observations of a slkie male raised (hatched and raised by my Pekin) the young males tend to spar quite a bit. Silkie cockerel would spar with his sister quite often when the older hens wouldn't play. I didn't see as aggressive as it didn't last more than a few seconds; then they would go about their biz. Sometimes Silkie sister would be the instigator! No worse than my dogs having a play session.

 

[LaurenRitz]

That makes sense, especially considering that he's the only chick so he has no one else to play with.

Thanks.