Rooster Behaviors

[MotherofHens5280]

Hello all,
I am new to the group and to the world of chicken keeping. I have 8 hens and 1 rooster so far, with plans to obtain a few more girls in the spring. I was wondering do roosters learn how to share over time with the ladies? As of right now he eats first and seems to only care about himself. Im just curious if they become more gentlemanly as they mature or if he would start showing signs now. He is a good boy, he has never attacked me but sometimes he does his little aggressive dance but ends up standing down. He can be rough at times with the hens but nothing concerning yet.Is it because he is young or is he just not fit to be a leader? I have seen him warn against a hawk that swooped in to get girls, so he has potential.

 

[kattabelly]

Welcome to BYC

This article is great place to start: Understanding Your Rooster by @Shadrach

 

[angc11]

How old is he?

 

[Altairsky]

My best roosters started to tidbit at 2-3 months old. If he's over 6 months old and he's still rude with the girls, it's not a good sign.

 

[Perris]

He has no role model, so he'll have to learn by trial and error on his instincts. If there are some mature hens, they will help him. Do read Shadrach's article, it will help even if it's not exactly what you wanted to hear. I don't agree with all of it, but it's a much more reliable guide to rooster behaviour than most posts you'll find online.

 

[MotherofHens5280]

How old is he?

He is about 24 weeks

 

[angc11]

He is about 24 weeks

Hmm yeah that's pretty old to not be showing any rooster chivalry, but maybe he's a late bloomer. My roosters did not have any adult chickens to show them anything but the three I ended up keeping have been tidbitting, finding nests for the hens, and standing guard for the hens' dust baths since they were 4 months old. However, I purposefully sought out hatching eggs sired by roosters with proven records of being excellent roosters that come from a long line of good heritage breed stock which I do believe helps them step into the role quicker. What breed is he and where did you get him from?

 

[HolyHenHouse]

I am pretty new to this too but i have a rooster that acts like that as well and he has tried to get aggresive 1-2 times but you just have to shut it down. Mine is pretty rough with the hens too so i keep him out in the run at night and put the hens in the coup so they can rest.

 

[Mother of Chaos]

He is about 24 weeks

Are the pullets the same age?

 

[Mrs. K]

Not all roosters are good roosters. A lot of roosters are rotten and aggressive. Most are fair, not great, not quite rotten. At your description, I think your rooster is in that category.

The best way to get a wonderful rooster is not to keep a rotten one. IMO culling rotten ones, is an easy decision, but for a lot of people it is not.

The real question comes to a fair rooster, (which is what I have right now) Could you get a better one, maybe, maybe not. Roosters are a crap shoot.

It sounds like you have flock mate birds as in they are all 25 weeks old. Often times, a cockerel raised in this type of flock becomes rotten as he is so much bigger than the pullets, and can bully them around.

If he is not attacking you, not bullying the pullets I would wait a while before culling. If he starts to harass the pullets, or fluff up at you or your children, well, then I would cull him.

If you are new to chickens, and have small children under the age of six, I would strongly recommend culling the rooster. Cockerels have ruined the whole chicken experience for a lot of kids. They tend to attack children first, and a child under the age of 6 can take that attack to the face and eyes. Inexperienced keepers often don't recognize the signs of aggression until the attack.

Mrs K