Roo dilemma.

[DobieLover]

Nardole has started escorting the hens to and from the nesting box when they free range.


No one compares to Nardole the Brave. Who ever heard of a young cockerel coming into his hormones waiting for the hens to squat for him?! He's a total gentleman, and a knight in shining armor all in one package!
The long and short of it is, Nardole has spoiled me, and now I am being unfair, so I'll cut Rory some slack and appreciate his good points: his crow, he gets along well with Nardole, and really, he isn't bad--there are plenty of really awful young cockerels out there, and all Rory is is mildly annoying.

Good! Then you'll keep him.

 

[Dona Worry]

Good! Then you'll keep him.

Keep him, and see if I can't get some gorgeous babies out of him next summer. . .!
There is the possibility of getting a THIRD coop to add to my little city. I won't have any trouble filling it!

 

[MissChick@dee]

I never have any luck with roosters. Ima so jealous

 

[Abriana]

Is he ever CUTE!! Cockerels are just like that. They will grow out of being mean to the hens, but he may not grow out of the aggression. Make it obvious who is dominant from the beginning, and you might be able to keep him.

 

[bobbi-j]

Beautiful boy. It all boils down to how much nonsense you want to put up with. Keep him, see how it goes, and cull him later if you wish.

 

[Biddybot]

If he's not jumping at you and trying to spur you for no good reason whatsoever and not behaving like too much of a degenerate skirthound with the hens, I'd give him a chance. He looks smart, in both senses of the word!

What's his disposition like? If you pick him up, what does he do? Struggle like a maniac and squawk? Go limp? Enjoy getting the back of his neck massaged and his wattles gently rubbed? And when you put him back down, what then? Does he stand there looking stunned for a few seconds, fluff up and shake out his feathers, and then walk off? Whirl about and stare at you confrontationally? Run away as fast as he can? There really is a lot you can determine about any chicken just by handling them a bit. You might even find that he's a really nice guy who only seems sneaky because he's curious about you and interested in interacting with you more.

 

[Dona Worry]

If he's not jumping at you and trying to spur you for no good reason whatsoever and not behaving like too much of a degenerate skirthound with the hens, I'd give him a chance. He looks smart, in both senses of the word!

What's his disposition like? If you pick him up, what does he do? Struggle like a maniac and squawk? Go limp? Enjoy getting the back of his neck massaged and his wattles gently rubbed? And when you put him back down, what then? Does he stand there looking stunned for a few seconds, fluff up and shake out his feathers, and then walk off? Whirl about and stare at you confrontationally? Run away as fast as he can? There really is a lot you can determine about any chicken just by handling them a bit. You might even find that he's a really nice guy who only seems sneaky because he's curious about you and interested in interacting with you more.

I'm not much for picking chickens up-- I prefer to stroke them gently when I shut them in for the night, and occasionally I scoop up Clara because she lets me. I'll have to try picking him up and see what he does.
I will say, he is following me with intention. He sometimes does that pretending to pick up food thing that often is the precursor to a cock fight, and he is 100% doing it AT me. . . But always juuuuuust outside of my bubble.
He's also strutted into my path like he intends to block me getting to the hens. . . But he hasn't quite got up his nerve yet!
I'm almost hoping he does try and force me to walk around him, he'll soon discover I don't step aside for anything-- not cows, not horses, not pigs, and certainly not a bratty hormonal cock!

 

[Shadrach]

If Nadole is doing escort duties then I would think there is a good chance that the other rooster will learn from Nardole.
This is how the new groups tend to form here. Nardole being an exceptional rooster may try and escort every hen but this becomes almost impossible as the number of hens increases.
The other rooster may try to escort hens that Nardole doesn’t. Here a rooster has favorites and these are the hens he will respond to when they give an escort call.
Here, as soon as a rooster impresses the hens enough for them to follow him by finding them food, escorting them to and from egg sites etc, their behavior changes and they become much more predictable and easier to deal with.
You write you have other coop possibilities so I would consider establishing an entirely new group around the other rooster.
He is a lovely looking chap. You’ve been very lucky with your roosters.

 

[aart]

and occasionally I scoop up Clara because she lets me.

What does he do when you scoop up Clara?
That for me is key....always part of assessment here.

 

[Dona Worry]

SO I mentioned I was almost hoping he would try and block me?
Well he DID!
I was carrying the water back to the coop, and he decided he was a big man and if he stood in my path, doing the little head bobble thing, I'd walk around him. I did not. I kept walking, and I EXPECTED him to move, but he also did not.
So what happened?
I tripped over him.
It was a game of chicken, WITH A CHICKEN, and we both lost lol.
I tripped over him and almost landed on my face, somehow hit my knee with the waterer and spilled water all down my leg.
He got kicked, stepped on, clocked by the waterer.
We both learned a valuable lesson!
When I walked back the the house he stayed in the bushes and sulked. I think that's the last of his attitude I'll see for today at least!