Rooster behavior question...

[Sequin]

...Thanks in advance for helping me out here!!

Ok, so this is my first time owning a rooster. My boy is very handsome and while I wouldn't exactly call him "Sweet" he is good about not flying at or attacking people. Actually, he tends to support me when I am herding the girls in at night and helps in herding them to the pen. And if I have to catch one of the girls and she makes a big fuss about it once she is in the coop/pen he tends to 'correct' her and give her a nip. So, I am pretty sure I have his respect. However, I stll tell him daily it is never too late for catching the bus to freezer camp. He is always calm once I pick him up. My son and husband can also pick him up and he does nothing but wait it out calmly. So, I would say he has a good temperament. Which is very important to me.

However, my concern is with the girls he is being kept with. I Hate the "help me he is KILLING me" squawk they do when he holds them by their neck feathers and hops on their back. Will they simmer down and not squawk so much as they figure out what he is doing, or will he get the hang of satisfying that responsibility to where it won't wear so much on the hens that they squawk their little lungs out? If it doesn't get better, I think I will have to rehome him perhaps. Because my neighbors are going to think I am past insane keeping a "mean" rooster in the pen. They already think one of my dogs is vicious because she barks at them. I might be able to convince my DH to build a special rooster bachelor pad - but I cannot guarantee that. What is everyone's thoughts on this behavior? Is it normal? Does it get better the more 'practice' the roo gets? My poor girls. I think he is making them nervous and fearful of being around him. Any thoughts?

 

[lovinlife]

I've never had a nice rooster. I've heard they exist though.

 

[jhm47]

If your rooster is very young, and just learning to mate, he will be clumsy. Are your hens laying yet? If not, they will not be very receptive to his clumsy mating attempts. Give everyone some time, and things will calm down considerably.

 

[ranchhand]

Hate to say it, but my mature hens always sound like their being plucked alive when my mature roo mounts them. He is an EE, they are Barred Rocks. And they tell the whole county about him.

 

[Sequin]

They are approaching the egg laying age; but as of yet have not started laying. I will give it some time then. The hens that Are of laying age are not impressed with him and kind of look at him like the words in that old song "Never gonna get it". He tries to boss them a bit and they reservedly but unmistakeably let him know he Ain't the man. Ha, I love watching that on chicken t.v.

Thanks again!

Hate to say it, but my mature hens always sound like their being plucked alive when my mature roo mounts them. He is an EE, they are Barred Rocks. And they tell the whole county about him.

Oh dear. Our boy is an EE too. Yikes! Well, I will wait a little bit, but if it doesn't calm down he needs to find a home where his owners can live with the noise. Or I guess there is always that bus he can catch... I just hate hearing animals sound like they are in pain or suffering. Thanks so much!​

 

[Flockincrazy]

...Thanks in advance for helping me out here!!

Ok, so this is my first time owning a rooster. My boy is very handsome and while I wouldn't exactly call him "Sweet" he is good about not flying at or attacking people. Actually, he tends to support me when I am herding the girls in at night and helps in herding them to the pen. And if I have to catch one of the girls and she makes a big fuss about it once she is in the coop/pen he tends to 'correct' her and give her a nip. So, I am pretty sure I have his respect. However, I stll tell him daily it is never too late for catching the bus to freezer camp. He is always calm once I pick him up. My son and husband can also pick him up and he does nothing but wait it out calmly. So, I would say he has a good temperament. Which is very important to me.

However, my concern is with the girls he is being kept with. I Hate the "help me he is KILLING me" squawk they do when he holds them by their neck feathers and hops on their back. Will they simmer down and not squawk so much as they figure out what he is doing, or will he get the hang of satisfying that responsibility to where it won't wear so much on the hens that they squawk their little lungs out? If it doesn't get better, I think I will have to rehome him perhaps. Because my neighbors are going to think I am past insane keeping a "mean" rooster in the pen. They already think one of my dogs is vicious because she barks at them. I might be able to convince my DH to build a special rooster bachelor pad - but I cannot guarantee that. What is everyone's thoughts on this behavior? Is it normal? Does it get better the more 'practice' the roo gets? My poor girls. I think he is making them nervous and fearful of being around him. Any thoughts?

It's normal behavior how many hens do you have they need 8-10 hens per roo and if he is young he is like a teenage boy and will settle down as he gets older

 

[Folly's place]

You have pullets and a cockerel, and this is how things will be for a while yet. Nobody knows what they are doing! It's easier to raise cockerels in a mixed aged flock, where there are adult roosters and hens to make the youngsters humble, and so they can learn polite chicken behavior.
Your boy may turn out fine; at least so far things are going okay. What's hard is learning early warning signs of unwanted behaviors, something that takes experience. You will be getting experience as time goes on!
Mary