It can depend on age; how old are they currently? I found that mine didnt try to cop an attitude til around two months old. Specific displays include- pecking at you, chest bumping and dominance displays with the others/fighting. I have 3 roosters (that was our luck in a straight run). I raised them from chicks- picked them up, pet them everyday (yes, everyday... even though it was harder around 3 months). They are now 5 months old and i have never had a major problem with them yet...only once at 2 months did the lead male peck me, i flicked him on the beck and he never was aggressive in the least bit again. I have heard so much about bad roos and i really think that its how they are raised. For example, when I got 3 barred rock hens from craigslist at around 2 months of age and they had an attitude...it took the past 3 months to get them comfortable with being pet. I wouldn't advise getting a roo at an older age...though they can be trained and tamed, is it worth the effort (i only did with the girls bc they showed some promise of eggs. lol)?
Not the OP, but just saw this - my cochin roo is about 3.5 months old and is scared of his own shadow. Does that bode well for the future or should I expect him to turn into a maniac in a month or two? I'd post his pic to the 'what breed or gender am I' but I'm 99% sure he's a roo.
I think a lot of it is hit or miss. Some people cuddle their roos and they are darling little gentlemen until they hit a year old and then their attitude changes. Before long it is off to freezer camp. Others keep their roos at a distance so that they are always very standoffish and hit a year old and are wonderful to their flock. Sometimes it is just the breeding that went into the bird. Large companies breed for egg production or meat purposes and not attitude. Sometimes it is just the breed. My little Sebright roos think that they own the world. They run up and chest bump the back of peoples legs all the time. Sure it annoys the heck out of my SIL but who am I to question nature. Whereas my Whiterock roos have never challenged me or anyone else. Our standard rule is to chase them and make some racket if you see them mounting a hen to let them know that they are not the alpha roos. That doesn't mean that they're terrified of any of us. They will gladly hop on the picnic table for crackers or corn.
What I consider the first sign of having a rooster I need to watch is when they seem obsessed with me when they are VERY young, following me around, acting overly friendly, etc. These are ALWAYS the ones I've had issues with later. The wing drop is a very good indication of a rooster that is getting ready to try to dominate you, as well. That earns them a backhand right out of the chute here-I've never had to do it more than once.
I put the fear of God in my roos when they were young by catching them and clearly dominating them. If I catch them mounting a hen in front of me, I knock them off of her. They know I'm the alpha rooster, for the most part, and have the utmost respect for me. Did my conditioning program make a difference? Who knows. I'm probably just lucky, but my roosters are very well mannered and very good with the hens. I'm very happy with my boys.
abhaya: https://www.backyardchickens.com/web/viewblog.php?id=63850-the-definite-guide-to-roosters. Early signs of aggression can be the rooster acting really smart-alecy towards you, mock charging, basically acting like he owns you, etc. You should correct those behaviors as soon as possible, and you can have yourself a really nice rooster!
