Rooster behavior

[natemoore1986]

I've posted many times about my super human-aggressive EE rooster that everyone, including my wife, wanted me to kill. I thought he was too beautiful to kill, so I decided to keep him and deal with it. He did start flogging a hawk that got into the run and killed a brand new egg layer, so he serves that purpose at least.

After eight years, he and I understand each other. I can get into the run with him, sit down, and he'll walk right up beside me and just hang out. I don't do that often, because it's a little nerve-racking. I've noticed that the trick is to get my head down to his level and maintain eye contact, and always moving slowly.

Sometimes when I'm walking by the run, my movement will trigger him. Hackles raised ready to flog, I bend over to get eye-level with him, maintain eye-contact, and he will, within a few seconds, pretend like he's pecking at the ground foraging for food. But he isn't really foraging. He's faking.

What's with this behavior? Is he acknowledging I'm not threat? Is he giving me a false sense of security because he's about to pounce? Have I intimidated him, and he's trying to act all nonchalant?

It's just an interesting behavior I've noticed.

Human aggressive EE rooster

Nerve-racking coexistence

 

[Chickassan]

He is calling you a girl and inviting your pretty self over for some "treats" he has for you.
You don't want one, trust me.

 

[Dyna1999]

We have the same issue! Ours is a Welsummer! He’s attacked us several times and has the same behavior! Thought about getting rid of him ourselves but he is a handsome rooster! Hoping he will outgrow this behavior! He waits for me to come around back of the run and runs up to the fence like he is attacking me! Then we do a dance as he will follow my every move until he tires of it!

 

[Oncoming Storm]

Trust me, pretty Roos aren’t worth it. Once they get you and scar up your arms and legs, looks no longer matter. I’ve dealt with human aggressive and hen aggressive Roos and most of them end up dead. Not by me. One was eaten by raccoons and one disappeared after killing two of my hens. Our current butthole is sitting in a cage after stripping the hens and trying to kill the other roosters. My dad refuses to get rid of him because he’s pretty but at this point after he ripped every single feather from my roosters head and almost pecking out his eyes, I could take a gun to him. But my first rooster was super human aggressive and me being young didn’t know how to deal with it. He sliced open my dads arm and cut through my jeans. With the last human aggressive rooster who ended up getting rammed by my goats poor sod, we would battle it out and I would establish my dominance. He’d spur at my legs and I’d give him a kick. None of my roosters mess with me now except for the sebright who sneak attacks and then scurries off to the depths where he came from. I love my birds and I hate having to deal with aggressive birds. I always think they’ll grow out of it but after finding your hens with no back feathers and your pet too shivering bleeding in the corner, you tend to lose faith in them and would rather have them gone. I think the best way to deal with aggression is to establish dominance and respect. In my flock I am the caretaker. I keep order and I don’t take nonsense. Sorry this got really long and deep. I just don’t enjoy aggressive Roos lol.

 

[Dyna1999]

Thanks for the response!

 

[natemoore1986]

Trust me, pretty Roos aren’t worth it. Once they get you and scar up your arms and legs, looks no longer matter. I’ve dealt with human aggressive and hen aggressive Roos and most of them end up dead. Not by me. One was eaten by raccoons and one disappeared after killing two of my hens. Our current butthole is sitting in a cage after stripping the hens and trying to kill the other roosters. My dad refuses to get rid of him because he’s pretty but at this point after he ripped every single feather from my roosters head and almost pecking out his eyes, I could take a gun to him. But my first rooster was super human aggressive and me being young didn’t know how to deal with it. He sliced open my dads arm and cut through my jeans. With the last human aggressive rooster who ended up getting rammed by my goats poor sod, we would battle it out and I would establish my dominance. He’d spur at my legs and I’d give him a kick. None of my roosters mess with me now except for the sebright who sneak attacks and then scurries off to the depths where he came from. I love my birds and I hate having to deal with aggressive birds. I always think they’ll grow out of it but after finding your hens with no back feathers and your pet too shivering bleeding in the corner, you tend to lose faith in them and would rather have them gone. I think the best way to deal with aggression is to establish dominance and respect. In my flock I am the caretaker. I keep order and I don’t take nonsense. Sorry this got really long and deep. I just don’t enjoy aggressive Roos lol.

I'm not really sure you read and understood all of my post. Not asking for advice for what to do with him. I've had him eight years. I'm not going to kill him. I can go into the run with him, provided I do not do certain things that trigger him. I pitty the cat or hawk that gets into the run with him.

Just wondering what that peculiar behavior is.

 

[LaFleche]

Sometimes when I'm walking by the run, my movement will trigger him. Hackles raised ready to flog, I bend over to get eye-level with him, maintain eye-contact, and he will, within a few seconds, pretend like he's pecking at the ground foraging for food. But he isn't really foraging. He's faking.

What's with this behavior? Is he acknowledging I'm not threat? Is he giving me a false sense of security because he's about to pounce? Have I intimidated him, and he's trying to act all nonchalant?

This particular behaviour you described is his way to threaten and shake a fist at you.

Usually accompanied by lowering the shoulder facing you.

 

[Oncoming Storm]

I'm not really sure you read and understood all of my post. Not asking for advice for what to do with him. I've had him eight years. I'm not going to kill him. I can go into the run with him, provided I do not do certain things that trigger him. I pitty the cat or hawk that gets into the run with him.

Just wondering what that peculiar behavior is.

I know, I apologize for getting so intense. I think the particular behavior is him trying to test you, keep you on your toes. Sometimes the salty ones are the best ones.

 

[Lady J]

I have noticed two of my hens missing feathers on their backs and having deep cuts around their wings from the rooster's claws.

He and I have had a couple of showdowns where he has attempted to flog me. He backed off after I got in a couple of good licks with my rubber boot. No issues since then although I fully expect him to test the waters again.

Is this normal or do I have a mean and aggressive rooster on my hands?

 

[natemoore1986]

I got in the run with "Buck" yesterday, and we locked gazes. I eventually backed him down into the main run by taking little steps, and shut the door. No hackles. No flogging. I know if I had "come at him" (walked at a normal pace), he would have taken that as an attack and it'd be game on.

I do appreciate that he has enough respect for me to not immediately go into attack mode.

I interpret the fake pecking at the ground as him trying to be nonchalant about my presence, but I'm only an amateur chicken sociologist/psychologist.