rooster and hen flaring neck feathers at each other?? PICS inculded!

[Jipper]

My speckled sussex has done this a couple of times to my rooster. His name is Big Clyde. I've always named whatever rooster I have that's dominant, that name. I get tickled about it cuz I think its the best rooster name ever. Stole it from my sister.

LOL

seems like my SS is of big frame. Are they like that? I think she's a hen...I was worried there for a minute. Thanks to the forum for the help. Nice forum...

 

[Cee]

I have 5 (almost 4 months old) chickens. One I know for sure is a cockerel. The others have no characteristics of being male, except I noticed recently that, mostly in the morning when I let them out of their coop, the cockerel will fluff its neck feathers up and charge at one of 2 hens and the hens will do it back??? This is our first time raising chickens so I'm not sure what this means? Is it normal or do I have 3 cockerels instead of 1? He does not do this to our 2 buff orpingtons, only to the easter eggers. I know about pecking orders but would the hens compete against a roo?? If we have 3 roosters out of 5 chicks we would be heartbroken

Any help would be SO appreciated! Thank you!

I'm not much help identifying males from females as I'm a new flock keeper.
I can speak a little bit to the ruckus. Sounds like he is trying to assert himself as the flockmaster. And some of the girls aren't having it! This happened to me too. The cockerels started LITERALLY ambushing, jumping on top of the pullets to begin the first awkard attempts at mating. The pullets would sometimes just keep walking and the cockerels would look pretty funny trying to stay on top before falling. The pullets would then round on the boys with raised feathers, chasing and pecking. Other pullets just accepted it, and got back to whatever they'd been doing. As my cockerels began to increase in size more and more of the pullets backed down.
I think it's all just part of the process as they get older. My pullets are 6 months old and cockerels are 5 months old. This is all new to me and I learn a lot here. I have read lots of articles about about roosters. So very reassuring. I'm sure it'll all work out!

 

[bobbi-j]

I'm not much help identifying males from females as I'm a new flock keeper.
I can speak a little bit to the ruckus. Sounds like he is trying to assert himself as the flockmaster. And some of the girls aren't having it! This happened to me too. The cockerels started LITERALLY ambushing, jumping on top of the pullets to begin the first awkard attempts at mating. The pullets would sometimes just keep walking and the cockerels would look pretty funny trying to stay on top before falling. The pullets would then round on the boys with raised feathers, chasing and pecking. Other pullets just accepted it, and got back to whatever they'd been doing. As my cockerels began to increase in size more and more of the pullets backed down.
I think it's all just part of the process as they get older. My pullets are 6 months old and cockerels are 5 months old. This is all new to me and I learn a lot here. I have read lots of articles about about roosters. So very reassuring. I'm sure it'll all work out!

Since this thread is 6 years old, I’m pretty sure the OP has it all worked out by now...

 

[Cee]

Since this thread is 6 years old, I’m pretty sure the OP has it all worked out by now...

Oh gosh, I feel so dumb!

 

[bobbi-j]

Oh gosh, I feel so dumb!

Don’t. Those old posts sneak out of hiding every now and then. I’ve answered plenty of them myself.

 

[Aapomp831]

Why does that happen? It’s super annoying and kind of embarrassing when that happens. Someone else and I were answering a thread the other day, and the OP seemed to get annoyed and declared that the post was from 5 years ago... so why did it show up?

 

[Cee]

Why does that happen? It’s super annoying and kind of embarrassing when that happens. Someone else and I were answering a thread the other day, and the OP seemed to get annoyed and declared that the post was from 5 years ago... so why did it show up?

That's a great question!
I wonder about that too.
Sometimes I remember to look up in the left hand corner for the posting date.
A lot of the time I don't tho.

 

[Aapomp831]

Oh gosh, I feel so dumb!

Don’t feel dumb! It’s not your fault the post showed up and you’re a concerned and caring person. You still could have helped someone who happened to click on this bc they were having the same problem.

 

[bobbi-j]

I think old threads show up when someone searches a subject and key words trigger them.

 

[aart]

I think old threads show up when someone searches a subject and key words trigger them.

They have to be replied to to get back to the top of the list.