We have a beautiful Splash Cochin rooster who is a gentle giant and he's very tolerant of our dogs, barncat, contractors, etc. He's a great protector, taking care of the chicks and ducklings on our tiny hobby farm and gently supervising them. Last year, we only hatched 4 of his chicks but he was still very young (didn't even have tail feathers). I want to mention that this guy is often carted around and used in Chicken 101 workshops because he's so easily handled (if you can handle his weight, that is) and he's always been great for folks to pet and learn to hold, etc. He even will crow on cue - I crow, he crows.
He's roughly 18 months old, so still fairly young. The broody mammas and chicks are in three separate brooding hutches where he can visit and check in to make sure his ladies and chicks are being taken care of. Which he does several times a day, spending entire hours walking back and forth between the hutches (they are within a few feet of each other).
This year, our summer has been very mild and that has apparently stimulated the ladies as we're having a broody explosion. Two of his favorite hens are brooding eggs (with two chicks in the last 24 hours hatched), his other favorite is raising chicks and really wanting to get back with her rooster. I want to give those chicks another few weeks in the grow out pen, however. I think the breeding explosion may have made him very protective as he's been attacking men! He's perfectly fine with me, which may be due to my gender (female) or that he's just very accustomed to me as I let him and his ladies out, feed and pet them, put them away at night, etc. He's had no personality or behavior change to me at all - he's still happy to be petted, sung to, given treats, etc. Then men, however, are carrying around brooms!
Is there any hope that this is just natural territorial protectionist behavior and he'll calm down once the chicks have matured and the ladies have stopped brooding?? Am I completely deluded in hoping for that? Any suggestions of things I could be doing (or the men)?
He's roughly 18 months old, so still fairly young. The broody mammas and chicks are in three separate brooding hutches where he can visit and check in to make sure his ladies and chicks are being taken care of. Which he does several times a day, spending entire hours walking back and forth between the hutches (they are within a few feet of each other).
This year, our summer has been very mild and that has apparently stimulated the ladies as we're having a broody explosion. Two of his favorite hens are brooding eggs (with two chicks in the last 24 hours hatched), his other favorite is raising chicks and really wanting to get back with her rooster. I want to give those chicks another few weeks in the grow out pen, however. I think the breeding explosion may have made him very protective as he's been attacking men! He's perfectly fine with me, which may be due to my gender (female) or that he's just very accustomed to me as I let him and his ladies out, feed and pet them, put them away at night, etc. He's had no personality or behavior change to me at all - he's still happy to be petted, sung to, given treats, etc. Then men, however, are carrying around brooms!
Is there any hope that this is just natural territorial protectionist behavior and he'll calm down once the chicks have matured and the ladies have stopped brooding?? Am I completely deluded in hoping for that? Any suggestions of things I could be doing (or the men)?
