Rooster Chat

[the poppster]

At their age I would wager that they are testing the waters and working on pecking order within their group. My cockerels from a June hatch are just now starting to spar with one another even as they learn to crow. It's so cute when they are little. I just had two 9 month old half brothers go at it last week. I expected the larger of the two to come out on top but he wound up  with a muscle injury in his hip. They do mean it when they are mature and fight.

Your roosters will start to show interest in the hens before the hens start to lay. They mature faster. When you notice them trying to grab the hens by the back of their neck feathers and mount them, then it is time to either remove all the cockerels or leave those in that you want to use for your breeding program. They won't have any finesse. The hens will scream, feathers will fly at first but they will learn as they mature.

Yup! I agree with Microchick! Boys will be boys...as long as no one is getting hurt, or things get out of hand...I'd let them work out who is who...it's when they discover the hens and really start pestering them, you might have to separate them in a bachelor pen.

 

[Amelia Egghart]

My boys just had an adorable fight.

They were on a piece of outdoor furniture that had pillows and kept tumbling over the pillows to get at each other. The thing is, when they finally did get at each other.... The big older one would try to sit on the little younger one! Hah. I'm guessing the younger was trying to fight and the elder was saying "stop it, kid." I broke it up after the lesson had been taught just in case the big one might hurt the little one. It was quite odd!

 

[microchick]

It always is the younger ones that are worth the most chuckles. I saw two of my 6 month old cockerels square off and set back to watch them clumsily going at one another, neither making contact, just leap frogging over one another. One of the older BO cockerels saw the sparring match and finally stomped over to them, got between them and first chest bumped one and then the other, forcing them away from one another and chastising them the whole time. He broke up the fight, and then returned to his hens.

I have way too many roosters and have a rooster pen for them to go into come the first of March with the plan to rotate them judged on their merits as flock leader first.

Needless to say he is high on my breeding rotation list come spring.

 

[Amelia Egghart]

What a good boy! LOL!!

 

[pamperedamber]

Thank you so much. I will just let them be then. They are cute. It is going to be so hard to chose which 2 get to stay and which will be leaving. But I have time to enjoy them for a while longer.

 

[the poppster]

I have to agree with most of the Chicken lovers who contribute to this fun informative site. I'm sometimes wishing I could keep all my boys...they have to be the most entertaining of the Chicken sexes....I love my hens as well, just as much...but they're different...the boys are just so..."out there"...driven by hormones they aren't so focused on "Food"...sometimes I don't think they know what they are doing...they're just "Doing it" and can be so funny!

 

[Amelia Egghart]

Oops, looks like the OP removed the post somehow?'or my phone is making things interesting... Sorry! Can't delete this post!

 

[MarySue]

I have a Cockerel who is 8 months old. We periodically have to play a round of "who's the boss?" Of course I must always be the winner. Yesterday after making him submit I was holding him for a while. I smelled an odor that I thought was stinky, poopy feet; he's a Cochin. However when I got in the house I realized it was not his feet. I had stink all over me. I am assuming that it's male chicken scent, like deer who pee on their hocks to spread their scent. But as this is my first experience with a male I wanted to check in here.

 

[the poppster]

I have a Cockerel who is 8 months old. We periodically have to play a round of "who's the boss?" Of course I must always be the winner. Yesterday after making him submit I was holding him for a while. I smelled an odor that I thought was stinky, poopy feet; he's a Cochin. However when I got in the house I realized it was not his feet. I had stink all over me. I am assuming that it's male chicken scent, like deer who pee on their hocks to spread their scent. But as this is my first experience with a male I wanted to check in here.

Check closer...every once in a while chickens will poop out some really stinky dark brownish almost black liquid...I think it's a discharge from the cecal pouches...they are two extensions of the intestine, they contain helpful bacteria that assist in the chickens digestion...it is very stinky and sticky...and the smell stays with you if you get some on you, even if you wipe it off...you need to wash the area to get rid of it. The rooster may have pooped some out when you picked him up...he could have had some on his feet, and if you handled him the smell transferred to your fingers even if you didn't see anything. I have never heard of or read about male chickens having scent glands...I'm not saying it's not possible...just that I've never heard of them. The only thing that stinks more as far as chickens are concerned...is BROODY HEN POOP!!! Ehhhh! Now that stuff is the most vile, disgusting, "Gag-me" GROSS!!! Stuff that could ever come out of a bird!!! Thinking about it...it's probably due to the cecal bacteria! That could be what makes it stink so much!!! The hen holds her poop for up to a day or more, and only poops when she leaves the nest (hopefully) to take a quick drink, bite of food and maybe a short dust bath...then returns to the nest.

 

[MarySue]

Check closer...every once in a while chickens will poop out some really stinky dark brownish almost black liquid...I think it's a discharge from the cecal pouches...they are two extensions of the intestine, they contain helpful bacteria that assist in the chickens digestion...it is very stinky and sticky...and the smell stays with you if you get some on you, even if you wipe it off...you need to wash the area to get rid of it. The rooster may have pooped some out when you picked him up...he could have had some on his feet, and if you handled him the smell transferred to your fingers even if you didn't see anything. I have never heard of or read about male chickens having scent glands...I'm not saying it's not possible...just that I've never heard of them. The only thing that stinks more as far as chickens are concerned...is BROODY HEN POOP!!! Ehhhh! Now that stuff is the most vile, disgusting, "Gag-me" GROSS!!! Stuff that could ever come out of a bird!!! Thinking about it...it's probably due to the cecal bacteria! That could be what makes it stink so much!!! The hen holds her poop for up to a day or more, and only poops when she leaves the nest (hopefully) to take a quick drink, bite of food and maybe a short dust bath...then returns to the nest.

Makes sense! Thanks!