Rooster behavior???

[sniper338]

I have a black copper marans roo about 4 months old... he has no other hens, just alone in the coop.. i put in a few pullets the other day just to see what he would do... they are too young for me to feel comfortable yet to leave them...

But he would fluff up and drum his feet real fast and spin in a circle... like he was excited and liked them is what i got out of it.. then they would eat together a bit, then he would do it again...

I dont think ot is aggression at all, but im no expert... id like to get the pullets out of the brooder soon and throw them in with him, just makes me nervous because of the size difference...


Whats this fluffed up drumming his feet dance? I couldnt tell but he coulda been dropping a wing jigging, but it was in circles... not around the hen... ill have to do it again just to start them interacting...

 

[Pork Pie]

Hi, it's not aggression, just excitement at having some girls around him. Until the pullets are sexually receptive to him, he should not try to mate with them and he, in theory is not sexually mature yet. I don't know how old the pullets are, but I would imagine at they should all be fine together, but keep an eye on them for a while to reassure yourself that all is well.

Ct

 

[sniper338]

Hi, it's not aggression, just excitement at having some girls around him. Until the pullets are sexually receptive to him, he should not try to mate with them and he, in theory is not sexually mature yet. I don't know how old the pullets are, but I would imagine at they should all be fine together, but keep an eye on them for a while to reassure yourself that all is well.


They are small... still just over 2 months old... just got all their feathers in...
Ct

 

[Pork Pie]

They should be fine. My roo was fine with my mixed age flock. He's more likely to look after them and call them when he has food, rather than trying to mate or harm them.

Ct

 

[jak2002003]

Sounds like he will be fine...

He is doing his display dance to impress them.

They do that.. as you have seen.. by stamping their feet, spreading out a wing and dancing around the hen in a circle.

It shows he has a good temperament... because occasionally a badly behaved rooster will just grab a hen and jump on the back of her.

 

[RooDen]

Its the flirty dance I call it when the roos tend to show their moves and impress the ladies. But since your pullets are young keep an eye so that he doesnt forcefully mounts them considering he's been alone for that long without a hen. I have had roos go after young pullets if left alone for a long period.

 

[sniper338]

Yeah ive liked his tempurment so far... he will come up and eat meal worms out of my hand, he likes being pet sometimes, sometimes i can hold him and pet him in my lap... he doesnt get aggressive with me at all... yet at least... i try to make sure he knows who feeds him..

 

[aart]

It's amazing that he's dancing and not just trying to jump them.....
....most young cockerels have no manners whatsoever and don't know the difference between a pullet that's not ready and one that is.

Maybe it's because the chicks are just that, still chicks.

Do let us know how he gets on....and good pics are always nice.

 

[Ridgerunner]

I’ve seen a 13 week old pullet willingly squat for a 13 week old cockerel. I’ve seen a dominant hen mate with another hen lower in the pecking order in a flock without a dominant rooster. Many people think chicken mating is just about sex, it’s not always. Many times it’s about dominance. The one on bottom is accepting the dominance of the one on top, either willingly or by force.

It’s one way chickens establish dominance over a flock. If I take my rooster away from his flock for a few minutes then return him, the first thing he does is mate a hen to show he is still in charge. That’s why a dominant chicken is so jealous of any other chicken mating in their presence, usually a dominant rooster with immature but maturing cockerels but I’ve also seen a dominant hen knock a cockerel off a hen when he tried to mate in her presence. They are usually not going to allow another chicken to establish dominance while they are watching, not without a fight.

I don’t know how that 4 month old cockerel will interact with those 2 month old pullets. He’s a lot more mature than they are and his hormones are telling him to dominate the flock already. It’s quite possible due to his maturity (compared to them) that he will not mate with them until they are ready, which is normally about the time they start getting ready to lay. It’s possible he will force his attentions on them earlier. The only thing I can suggest is to watch them and see how they interact. It could go extremely well or it could get messy.

They are flock animals so it is probable he is just showing his joy in finally having other chickens around.

 

[aart]

..... it is probable he is just showing his joy in finally having other chickens around.