Rooster Behavior

[Smileybans]

My rooster is about 14 weeks old and just started doing this weird dance when I let him out of his coop in the morning. He kind of puffs up his shoulder feathers, to make himself look bigger(?), and stomps his feet. He knows me and I talk to him to let him know it’s me before I open the door but he still does it. He shares a coop with two girls, 4 weeks younger than him, and a run with six olive eggers. The olive eggers are in a different coop and I let them out after him. I thought maybe he was doing it because there’s potential males in the olive eggers, who are 8 weeks old. But they’re out after him. They don’t see the dance. Is it for the ladies? Here is a picture of him. I can try to get a video of him dancing but it’s pretty brief.

 

[sourland]

Testosterone is rising, and he is starting to feel his oats. Discourage this behavior as it can escalate.

 

[SueT]

I'd say he's trying to assert dominance and he may become aggressive if you don't stop it. Step toward him and make him move out of your space. Every time.
Welcome to BYC, keep us updated!

 

[bobbi-j]

I agree with Sourland andSueT. He’s not trying to impress you - he’s trying to show dominance. When you are out with your chickens, move decisively and with confidence. If he’s in your way, walk where you want and make him move. If he starts sneaking up behind you, turn around and back him up. Just keep moving him away from you until he respects your space.

 

[bobbi-j]

Kind of a follow up question, and I can start a new thread if needed, but we have a silkie that I think is a rooster. We call her a she in hopes for a hen since she’s my husbands pet and not going anywhere either way. Her name is Lil Chi. But is it okay for my husband to hold Lil Chi and have her sit on his lap even if Lil Chi ends up being a rooster? Lil Chi is only 4 weeks old but has a big straight comb. I don’t have any good pictures of her in natural light. I don’t want my husband to worry that he can’t hold his pet chicken even if she ends up being a he.

The only way to know is to give it a try. There are no one-size-fits-all answers to chicken keeping. There are many people here on BYC who have “lap roosters” and it works out just fine. (I’d be more concerned about how your two roosters are going to act together when they both reach maturity.) I believe @centrarchid has roosters that are handled often, (and maybe used for educational purposes?) and they are well behaved.

Just like people, every chicken has its own personality. Some are more snuggly than others. I would just caution you to learn what signs of aggression to look for so you can recognize them if they happen.

 

[bobbi-j]

I’m finding there is no real planning in keeping chickens.

You got that right!

 

[MadamPoofyBrow]

He will do it to impress the hens, but it's not good if it's directed at you. Let him know now it's not okay so it hopefully won't become a problem later.

 

[Smileybans]

I'd say he's trying to assert dominance and he may become aggressive if you don't stop it. Step toward him and make him move out of your space. Every time.
Welcome to BYC, keep us updated!

Alright. I’ll try that over the next week and see how it goes. I have noticed he stopped talking to me before I opened the coop. He used to talk back when I called his name. Now he doesn’t talk and just dances when I let him out. Now that I think about it they’re probably related. This is all very new to me.

 

[SBFChickenGirl]

I agree with Sourland andSueT. He’s not trying to impress you - he’s trying to show dominance. When you are out with your chickens, move decisively and with confidence. If he’s in your way, walk where you want and make him move. If he starts sneaking up behind you, turn around and back him up. Just keep moving him away from you until he respects your space.

X2.

He needs to know that you're the boss and respect your space. There are a couple great articles on here about doing that, you could find them pretty easily.

 

[SBFChickenGirl]

My husband started the lap stuff when he was a chick and I thought it was okay. But if it makes him more aggressive I’ll stop. He only does it if I’m sitting. The hens will only come up occasionally if he isn’t up on my lap. Does having him sit on me make him think he’s higher on the pecking order?

Exactly. When he gets his huge hormone rush, he'll view this as you submitting and you allowing him to take advantage of getting in your space. Don't let him up on your lap, and don't hand feed him. He needs to respect your space, not be invited into it.