Rehabilitating an aggressive cockerel

[chickenenthusiasts5698]

That is remarkable, and encouraging. I have 2 Young cockerels right now and I want to keep them both. At 2 months there is a clear dominant one and they get along with each other. I will only have 10 pullet/hens and have been considering keeping them in a separate bachelor pad to avoid over mating and injured hens/pullets. But wouldn't it be great if they could all live in harmony like yours do. Keep us updated on your progress please. Very interested to know how this all turns out.

I had had 2 roosters and 9 hens and it was fine! No overbreeding or fighting.

 

[ValerieJ]

I had had 2 roosters and 9 hens and it was fine! No overbreeding or fighting.

That would be nice.

 

[chickenenthusiasts5698]

That would be nice.

The only reason I got rid of one was because he became people aggressive.

 

[Fueron]

Male to female ratios aren’t exact in small flocks. All that matters is that they get along well. I have two cockerels and one pullet that all live together and they are just fine.

 

[azygous]

A few years ago, I had two chicks hatch from a clutch a broody sat on. One pullet and one cockerel. The cockerel used the pullet as constant "practice" from the time they were four months old, and the flock rooster pretty much ignored her. By the time both were a year old, the little female looked like a doggie chew toy from being constantly mated.

Conclusion: as @Fueron says, it doesn't always matter what the ratio is. In my pullet's case, she was just as overmated with one cockerel as if she had a fleet of roosters after her.

 

[ValerieJ]

A few years ago, I had two chicks hatch from a clutch a broody sat on. One pullet and one cockerel. The cockerel used the pullet as constant "practice" from the time they were four months old, and the flock rooster pretty much ignored her. By the time both were a year old, the little female looked like a doggie chew toy from being constantly mated.

Conclusion: as @Fueron says, it doesn't always matter what the ratio is. In my pullet's case, she was just as overmated with one cockerel as if she had a fleet of roosters after her.

My problem is I have a low tolerance for cockerels and roosters who do that to one or more of my girls. This time I don't want to cull when that happens, so I will have a bachelor pad ready whether I use it or not.

 

[KaleIAm]

do ducks have a pecking order ive had ducks but never noticed

My ducks absolutely have a pecking order.

 

[mandelyn]

That is a lot of great info on the roosters. What does it mean when you say your young cockerel has "become a bit of a pet"? Do you handle him differently? Does he come up for treats or sit on your lap? Or do you just hang out together?

The back story is he started to get after the pullets way too soon, way too aggressively. So I snatched him out and put in with the growing out Turkeys and a couple of older cockerels. That rocked his world, being low man on the pecking order quite suddenly. So the next time I saw him, he came running up to me, chattering non stop. I asked him what was wrong and if he was getting picked on, he had this whole big story to tell me. He let me causally pick him up. Ever since then, he's learned to come when called, fly onto my arm or anything I pat my hand on. He helps herd the Turkeys to bed. He knows the other cockerels won't come near me, so if he's near me they won't come for him either. He sees my flock status. He's pecked me twice and I pinned him down for it. Now I can reach out and pet his belly without getting pecked, so long as I'm slow about it. He was raised hands-off... as in I provided food and water, a couple of words and then I was gone until the next day. Now suddenly he wants to hang out and be friends.

It's neat how they learn by watching. The older Bresse cockerels in that pen were quite flighty. In watching the younger guy interact with me, they've come in for a closer look and they aren't so jumpy. I caught them all recently to feel up their frame/structure to see who's making the final cut to the breeding pen. The bachelor group share a fence line with a project group that has my best rooster in it. They get to watch him with his hens and see how it's done.

But yeah, he'll climb onto my lap now, no catching needed.

3 of my prospects for next year I've never had to put my hands on besides checking them out, they're very sane and reasonable. Some others have already gotten their dinner invite. Now there's this weirdo who wins "Friendliest rooster of the season". He hasn't yet come at me in jest but I bet he will. I'll snatch him right out of the air if he does. The young ones will look for sparring buddies and that isn't me.

 

[azygous]

I'm thoroughly enjoying @mandelyn 's rooster stories. They remind me of one important detail that I don't believe has been mentioned. You must never show fear to a rooster or cockerel. Many rooster battles have been lost before they even begin when the human is afraid of their roo.

 

[chickens really]

do ducks have a pecking order ive had ducks but never noticed

No actually it's not a pecking order actually with Ducks. You will have the Drake and lead Hen. Then the others just follow along.