Rooster Management Questions

[Ezana4CE]

I have a cock that I really cannot stand. He is a nice looking bird. He has nice plumage, good size, weight, he is strong, and fast, but I do not like his characteristics. He is jumpy, loud, crows more than the others, I don’t like they way it sounds, and I don’t like all of his chatter. He is rough on hens and roosters. He yanks fetchers out of both. I’m thinking this guy is heading towards the frying pan sooner than later.

Here are my questions. He’s got some offspring in the brooder.

1. How likely is it that they will exhibit some of his traits having never met him?
2. I spoke with the breeder about replacing some chickens that I lost. She says she has more of his breed. The two hens I had like him were flighty and were both killed. I’m under the impression that the parents of these birds are not the type of birds I’m looking for. On top of that I think they all have the same parents. Can you share some specific questions that you think I can ask the breeder about this line without offending her?
3. I noticed one of my other roasters follows him around a lot. I don’t want him learning a lot of these undesirable ways. If I cull this fellow before the month is out, I wonder how likely it will be that the tag-along rooster will start to act like the one I slaughter. Do you think he’ll follow the next rooster in charge or do you think I can expect him to continue to emulate the undesirable behavior he learned from the guy headed towards the killing cone?

 

[RubelliteRose]

I agree, if he is rough with the hens, he needs to go.

How likely is it that they will exhibit some of his traits having never met him?

I know some people say bad roosters are genetic, but I had a rooster who was good with the hens, but human aggressive. We culled him. He had 4 sons. Two became hen aggressive. We culled them. We kept the two other sons. Neither are human aggressive or hen aggressive. One is what I would call a perfect rooster, he is good with the hens and easily handled by us when he needs to be. The other is slightly more skittish, but once caught, he is also easily handled. Some of my oldest hens don't like him and he doesn't like them, but they all just avoid each other.

If I cull this fellow before the month is out, I wonder how likely it will be that the tag-along rooster will start to act like the one I slaughter.

Hard to say, is he rough with the hens now? It sounds like the rooster you don't like is currently your head rooster. Once you remove him, the remaining roosters will need to establish a new pecking order and you may see new personality traits emerge.

 

[Ezana4CE]

I agree, if he is rough with the hens, he needs to go.

I know some people say bad roosters are genetic, but I had a rooster who was good with the hens, but human aggressive. We culled him. He had 4 sons. Two became hen aggressive. We culled them. We kept the two other sons. Neither are human aggressive or hen aggressive. One is what I would call a perfect rooster, he is good with the hens and easily handled by us when he needs to be. The other is slightly more skittish, but once caught, he is also easily handled. Some of my oldest hens don't like him and he doesn't like them, but they all just avoid each other.

Hard to say, is he rough with the hens now? It sounds like the rooster you don't like is currently your head rooster. Once you remove him, the remaining roosters will need to establish a new pecking order and you may see new personality traits emerge.

Keen eye. Yes he managed to finagle his way from #3 to #1 and I never saw it coming. He is tough with the hens when he can get to them. When I say he is rough with the hens, he is a neck grabber. He won’t dance, he just rushes in, grabs them by the neck or where ever he can get a bite and tries to mount. He bites hard (he’s bitten me once when I picked him up) and pulls out feathers frequently. He isn’t people aggressive, which I don’t mind much, but his rough handling with the hens is a no no. It wasn’t an issue when he was not allowed to mate much by the former top rooster, but now he’s an issue. I keep them separated most of the day. He’s the rooster in my avatar. Pretty good looking fella, but I do not care for him much at all. I’m concerned a bit about his progeny acting like him. I’m looking at, at least 3 chicks that I think he may have sired. If they’re hens, I’m wondering if they will be flighty like their aunts were.

I was good with how the pecking order was. Any of the other roosters would be ok. I hope that the rooster following the one on his way out doesn’t move up. However it goes, I think things will improve once I eat the problematic rooster.

 

[fluffycrow]

I have a cock that I really cannot stand. He is a nice looking bird. He has nice plumage, good size, weight, he is strong, and fast, but I do not like his characteristics. He is jumpy, loud, crows more than the others, I don’t like they way it sounds, and I don’t like all of his chatter. He is rough on hens and roosters. He yanks fetchers out of both. I’m thinking this guy is heading towards the frying pan sooner than later.

Here are my questions. He’s got some offspring in the brooder.

1. How likely is it that they will exhibit some of his traits having never met him?
2. I spoke with the breeder about replacing some chickens that I lost. She says she has more of his breed. The two hens I had like him were flighty and were both killed. I’m under the impression that the parents of these birds are not the type of birds I’m looking for. On top of that I think they all have the same parents. Can you share some specific questions that you think I can ask the breeder about this line without offending her?
3. I noticed one of my other roasters follows him around a lot. I don’t want him learning a lot of these undesirable ways. If I cull this fellow before the month is out, I wonder how likely it will be that the tag-along rooster will start to act like the one I slaughter. Do you think he’ll follow the next rooster in charge or do you think I can expect him to continue to emulate the undesirable behavior he learned from the guy headed towards the killing cone?

It definitely makes sense for extreme aggression to be genetic, but I’ve yet to experience it.
Most people on here just don’t hatch and raise up to adulthood enough birds for their personal experiences to guarantee anything.
I would at least give the offspring a chance, if you have the space, time and money for it.

It’s definitely possible that her line isn’t what you’re looking for.
A breeder shouldn’t really be offended by a direct question on the temperament of their line (and should answer truthfully), but we all know that this isn’t always the case.

I’m assuming that the one that follows closely is second in command, and is already mating. Has he shown any “concerning” signs while mating? If not, I doubt he will develop any when/if the head rooster leaves.

Keen eye. Yes he managed to finagle his way from #3 to #1 and I never saw it coming. He is tough with the hens when he can get to them. When I say he is rough with the hens, he is a neck grabber. He won’t dance, he just rushes in, grabs them by the neck or where ever he can get a bite and tries to mount. He bites hard (he’s bitten me once when I picked him up) and pulls out feathers frequently. He isn’t people aggressive, which I don’t mind much, but his rough handling with the hens is a no no. It wasn’t an issue when he was not allowed to mate much by the former top rooster, but now he’s an issue. I keep them separated most of the day. He’s the rooster in my avatar. Pretty good looking fella, but I do not care for him much at all. I’m concerned a bit about his progeny. I’m looking at, at least 3 chicks that I think he may have sired. If they’re hens, I’m wondering if they will be flighty like their aunts were.

Can you tell us some more info about his mating attempts? Do hens protest when grabbed? If so, then yes, he should be wiser as a mature male.
Not dancing isn’t a concern at all. Dancing is rarely coupled with mating, and roosters have more than one ways of asking for consent

 

[Ezana4CE]

It definitely makes sense for extreme aggression to be genetic, but I’ve yet to experience it.
Most people on here just don’t hatch and raise up to adulthood enough birds for their personal experiences to guarantee anything.
I would at least give the offspring a chance, if you have the space, time and money for it.

It’s definitely possible that her line isn’t what you’re looking for.
A breeder shouldn’t really be offended by a direct question on the temperament of their line (and should answer truthfully), but we all know that this isn’t always the case.

I’m assuming that the one that follows closely is second in command, and is already mating. Has he shown any “concerning” signs while mating? If not, I doubt he will develop any when/if the head rooster leaves.



Can you tell us some more info about his mating attempts? Do hens protest when grabbed? If so, then yes, he should be wiser as a mature male.
Not dancing isn’t a concern at all. Dancing is rarely coupled with mating, and roosters have more than one ways of asking for consent

@fluffycrow So this is less confusing, #1’s name is Hawk. The one that follows behind #1 was #4 his name is Dodo. Dodo was #4 when Hawk was #3. Now I’d say that Dodo teeters between spot #2 and #3. Both are Brahmas and both were low in the pecking order initially. Then they got big and realized their strength once the dominant roosters were respectively vulnerable (at different times) after challenging one another. It is itough to state Dodo’s rank. I would say #3 with more certainty because I’ve seen him stand his ground against all but #1. I’ve seen him beat the others that challenge him, but he isn’t consistently dominant and I haven’t seen him challenge anyone. He isn’t an aggressive natured rooster at all. He really only had an issue with one other bird and he straightened that one out. The old top rooster used to protect Dodo, but Dodo didn’t return the favor. The world of roosters is brutal.

The only concerning sign with Dodo is that he prefers the petite ladies and he’s over 10 lbs. he is absolute hell on them because he will grab a neck as well. He just doesn’t pull feathers. I’ve had to buy saddles for the girls because of him. When I finish reorganizing my setup I have a specific role for him. I think it will fix this issue. When hens are neck grabbed they almost always protest. Who wants….nevermind. Anyhow, they will squat for who they want. But some Roos are sneaky and try to rush the ladies when they see an opportunity. As for Dodo, he was a late bloomer and although he is an adult, he just doesn’t have a lot of experience. His best bet is me allowing him to mate uninterrupted.

As for the offspring, I have the space to see how they’ll develop and I will be observing them and filling my freezer with culls of undesirables. I hope that I don’t loose too many in between, but Moses come with the territory due to living in a rural region.

I’d like to ask the breeder how the parents behave and how many roosters and hens does she use to propagate this variety of Brahmas. Because if it’s a single pair, I don’t think I want any more. She has a lot of birds, I just haven’t walked through where those enclosures are for the healthy and safety of my flock. I only go into the brooding area, but I can see a lot from the brooding area.

 

[fluffycrow]

@fluffycrow So this is less confusing, #1’s name is Hawk. The one that follows behind #1 was #4 his name is Dodo. Dodo was #4 when Hawk was #3. Now I’d say that Dodo teeters between spot #2 and #3. Both are Brahmas and both were low in the pecking order initially. Then they got big and realized their strength once the dominant roosters were respectively vulnerable (at different times) after challenging one another. It is itough to state Dodo’s rank. I would say #3 with more certainty because I’ve seen him stand his ground against all but #1. I’ve seen him beat the others that challenge him, but he isn’t consistently dominant and I haven’t seen him challenge anyone. He isn’t an aggressive natured rooster at all. He really only had an issue with one other bird and he straightened that one out. The old top rooster used to protect Dodo, but Dodo didn’t return the favor. The world of roosters is brutal.

The only concerning sign with Dodo is that he prefers the petite ladies and he’s over 10 lbs. he is absolute hell on them because he will grab a neck as well. He just doesn’t pull feathers. I’ve had to buy saddles for the girls because of him. When I finish reorganizing my setup I have a specific role for him. I think it will fix this issue. When hens are neck grabbed they almost always protest. Who wants….nevermind. Anyhow, they will squat for who they want. But some Roos are sneaky and try to rush the ladies when they see an opportunity. As for Dodo, he was a late bloomer and although he is an adult, he just doesn’t have a lot of experience. His best bet is me allowing him to mate uninterrupted.

As for the offspring, I have the space to see how they’ll develop and I will be observing them and filling my freezer with culls of undesirables. I hope that I don’t loose too many in between, but Moses come with the territory due to living in a rural region.

I’d like to ask the breeder how the parents behave and how many roosters and hens does she use to propagate this variety of Brahmas. Because if it’s a single pair, I don’t think I want any more. She has a lot of birds, I just haven’t walked through where those enclosures are for the healthy and safety of my flock. I only go into the brooding area, but I can see a lot from the brooding area.

I see. Hawk doesn’t sound like he’s the hens’ pick; I usually trust the hens more than I trust my own choices. If they’re being forcefully mated (neck grabbing and feather pulling can and does happen with consensual matings) like how you’re describing, then Hawk is a problem.

As for Dodo, whether his preference for the smaller girls is directly linked to what Hawk allows him to do, or if it’s his own personal inclination rather than an external factor forcing him to conform in such a way will not be revealed until that factor is no longer an issue (or unless you’ve observed anything that would suggest one or the other).
It definitely doesn’t sound consensual though, which regardless of size, is still an issue.

If it were me, I’d ask the breeder something like “Are these birds related to Hawk and Dodo (assuming Dodo is also a light Brahma from the same source) at all? They are likely to be the fathers of any potential offspring, and I don’t want my first generation of chicks to come from related parents just yet.”. Or “I really like that neither Hawk or Dodo are aggressive. Is this something you’ve been breeding for?”