Rooster Behavior

[Brent4224]

So, I am confused. I have a rooster that is not aggressive but stays pretty distant from me at all times. However, I have an extremely aggressive hen. Whenever she attacks me, and I push her back he will charge her down. He will also charge her down if I grab her when she attacks one of my smaller or weaker chickens. He immediately starts pushing and pecking her. I don't understand why he doesn't seem to care much for me being around. He actively keeps a 3-foot distance unless I'm giving him a treat.

 

[sourland]

Be thankful for a rooster that treats you with respect.

 

[Brent4224]

Be thankful for a rooster that treats you with respect.

I appreciate the warm welcome. However, I must ask if this is normal behavior? I appreciate him and I won't be removing him. He's very good at keeping order in the flock. I mostly just don't understand his motivations.

 

[kcan2]

Welcome to BYC!
It sounds like you have some interesting flock dynamics going on!

One really helpful lesson I learned early on from BYC is that feeding hens treats should always go through the rooster. If the rooster perceives that you are "tidbitting" for his hens, he can get offended by that.
Shadrach's article Understanding Your Rooster helped me a lot in working through some misunderstandings!