Polish roo temperaments?

[Orcae]

We bought 2 polish hens and 1 polish roo the other day. The hens are a joy <3 Simply sweethearts!
I'm not so sure about Calypso, the 1 1/2 y/o roo.

First off, the woman said he was friendly...then refused to catch him by hand, opting to use a net. His spurs also appear to have been cut.
Secondly, they have supposedly received no human contact (living in a big coop) but the hens are friendly and not afraid of people. Calypso, however, won't even eat the tastiest treats from my hand.
When getting the girls today to leg band them, I picked up Calypso so get him out of the way, and he freaked out so bad that I had to put him back down within 4 (Mississippi) seconds of picking him up.
He also glared at me a few times today.

It may sound silly, but I'm paranoid. Roosters tend to hate me. I was the first person our old roo Hannibal attacked, and am the only person Eagle has ever attacked. I was never nervous of roosters until they started attacking me. Mom said since Calypso is 1 1/2 year old and "isn't mean yet" (supposedly) he wont get mean. However, both of our roos that attacked me were indeed over 1 1/2 year old and hadn't attacked anyone prior.
The polishes are living in a cage temporarily until we finish building their building and coop, since we don't want our turkeys and hens to pick on them (Calypso's tail had been plucked out by the woman's other chickens, all except for one feather) so we have yet to observe Calypso's "true" behavior.

What do everyone's polish roos act like? Are they friendly or aggressive? Mom said polishes are mellow and not aggressive, but I've read some posts about aggressive polish roos on here. If Calypso becomes aggressive, he unfortunately has to go. I have to be able to get into the polish coop (once its finished) without having to worry about getting attacked...
Here's a picture of him where his dull spurs are visible. Do they look clipped? We've never clipped our roos' spurs, so I don't know what to look for.

 

[flowerchild59]

I called my polish roo "cocky", aka, demon from hell. 'nuff said.

 

[chickenzoo]

Some are very sweet others can be mean or indifferent... just like people. Polish can tend to be spazzy when they can't see. I often either pull their topknot up into a hairband so they look like a cupie doll or cut off the feathers in front of their eyes, especially when free ranging. I would do this for him. Yes his spurs are blunted but many do that so they won't tear up the ladies with them or trip themselves when they walk.... if they attack... to min damage also. Once you clip his feathers he may calm down and be able to see treats and such. Spend time near or in the pen, in a corner, quietly and throw him treats until he trusts you.

 

[Orcae]

'Lypso is getting more comfortable with humans being around now. He thinks I'm the coolest thing since microwave pancakes when I have treats for him

Something interesting that I've noticed is he seems to be very submissive to the hens, which I've never seen in any of our roos before. Our other roos will give their girls food, point at the food for the girls, etc but poor Calypso wont go near the food when the hens are there - especially Toki, who's definitely the dominant one. I've never seen a rooster act so submissive and timid around hens. Now I'm feeling bad for the poor guy. Toki and Lolita both will run him away from food and whatnot

We're building them their permanent coop now, and we've decided to build two; one for Calypso, and one for the girls. Just in case he gets bullied out of eating enough.

 

[Zaxby's2]

I've heard polish roos can be like that.

 

[Illia]

It depends on lines, really. Most hatchery Polish roosters are unpredictable, because temperament is the last thing they're bred for (along with quality according to the Standard) however I've known a decent handful of non-hatchery Polish and not one of them tried attacking me. My two current boys are very social and friendly.

 

[slamine]

Quote:
They really do depend on the lines behind the birds. There are always exceptions to the rule, but usually the more aggressive and flighty birds come from hatchery stock and the more docile ones tend to be from serious breeders.

 

[CapricornFarm]

If they are nasty , they are outta here! Too many nice ones to keep a mean one.

 

[Dar]

we had a polish roo and sadly a coon got him but he was the sweetest thing.... he answered to his name... or maybe it was the treats

but anyhow he was cool and not agressive at all..

with that said.. my DD will sit in the coop and read the chickens stories in french so they are spoiled

 

[Parrotchick]

I have 4 Polish roos: 1 lavender, 1 buff, and 2 w/c black. None of my roos are mean at all and they ranged in age from 6 months to a few years old when I got them. I don't know if they were from hatchery stock or not since I adopted them from different places (a hobby breeder who was happy to find a good home for the boys, the other a petting farm that likely got Frank from one of those sad poultry auctions). They were all rescued from a probable destiny with a stew pot; I always wonder if they somehow know and are grateful. My two boys with the longest topknots are also the jumpiest and more nervous around people, although even when they can see OK they seem kind of paranoid. The other two are perfect gentlemen but still only very cautiously eat out of my hand.

My Polish hens are on the shy side. They mostly came from hatcheries. They ate out of my hand when they were little and I spent more time with them individually. They still will sometimes but they don't jump in my lap so much anymore.

I'd say keep enticing Calypso with treats, especially when the ladies aren't around. That way at least he'll know that you're in his corner. Hopefully he will get the confidence to rule the roost. Some hens are just so pushy that even when the boys will give them the world they still act like spoiled brats and will trample anyone to get what they want..