Rooster troubles

[Kyn Garcia]

I added 4 new chickens to my flock a few months ago, unfortunately 2 turned out to be roosters. And of course it’s time for one of them to go cause I only have 7 hens. The bigger rooster is a real butthole and he’s very aggressive with my hens. At first I thought it was that he is trying to mate with them but he doesn’t fully know what he’s doing yet and so he sucks at it and my girls have zero patience for a rooster who doesn’t know what he’s doing. Lol but now I think he’s just being hateful. He chased one of my hens yesterday, I was getting in the car to leave and I see him running full speed and I knew he was after Pep so I got out the car and she is running for her life to get away from him and he’s got a big chunk of her feathers in his mouth. I ran after him and knocked him off his feet, he stopped and looked at me for a second and then went right back to chasing her. She ran to me and I picked her up so he went on about his business but he definitely signed his death certificate with me yesterday. My question is, is something that a rooster coming into his “manhood” does? Like is my other rooster going to start doing the same thing once this is gone? How do you know if you’ve got a good rooster I guess is what I’m really trying to figure out…

 

[DobieLover]

If you didn't know they were males when you got them, they are not roosters. They are cockerels. There is a big difference at this stage of their development.

My question is, is something that a rooster coming into his “manhood” does?

Yes. The cockerels are sexually mature weeks before pullets are. So they chase the unwilling pullets down to force the issue.

Like is my other rooster going to start doing the same thing once this is gone?

Possibly but only time will tell. This is why you should keep him separated but within sight and sound of the pullets so they will accept him back once they are sexually mature and ready for his attention. When they squat for him they are ready.

How do you know if you’ve got a good rooster I guess is what I’m really trying to figure out…

Good cockerels/roosters tend to try to woo the girls before forcing the issue.
They will tidbit for them and actually give them the goody they've found.
They will stand lookout for them.
They will sound the alarm if they see anything they are concerned with that may be a predator.
They will answer the escort call a pullet/hen makes after she's laid her egg so she knows where he and the rest of the flock are.
They are not human aggressive but can be human wary. They can be concerned about you necessarily handling their hens but should not intervene or attack.

 

[BarnyardChaos]

..... is [this] something that a rooster coming into his “manhood” does?

Yes, pretty much. Most do, some don't. Their teenage hormones will settle down after about one year of age or after their first molt. But some will always be aggressive. You won't know until he's older. BTW, a male chicken is a "cockerel" until he's one year old, and then he's a rooster. Female chickens are "pullets" until about the same age, and then they are hens.

Like is my other rooster going to start doing the same thing once this is gone?

Maybe, maybe not. But some cockerels/roosters are more aggressive with the hens than others. You'll just have to take your chances, and see what he does and how the hens react. I agree that the aggressive one needs to go, or at least be separated from the group until he comes into full maturity and settles down.
If they haven't already started fighting each other, it's likely they will - unless your 2nd cockerel is agreeable to take last place and live as a bachelor his whole life. But that's rare.

How do you know if you’ve got a good rooster I guess is what I’m really trying to figure out…

It's hard to identify a "good" cockerel until he's over one year of age, but some will start practicing these behaviors as early as 16-18 weeks. As he grows, observe him carefully for these behaviors:

If you keep a backyard flock and wish to interact with them and enjoy spending time with them, and especially if you expect to have children around: The most important trait is a rooster who *never* challenges humans, but always turns away when you approach. Try walking 'through' him and see what he does. He should get out of your way with no question, every single time.

Other requirements for a "good" rooster (whether or not you wish him to behave with humans): One who defends the flock against any threat, even to the death; constantly observant of the surroundings; calls alarm when he sees a threat; alerts the hens to food he's found or to good nesting spots; breaks up fights between the hens and disciplines troublemakers; herds the flock towards the coop at roosting time and often is the last to enter; and is gentle with the ladies (although grabbing their neck feathers in his beak is necessary to mate, he shouldn't pull out feathers or draw blood). If he's good with all of the above, and the hens are sexually mature and ready to mate, you'll see the ladies readily crouch for him when he dances (they've decided he's a keeper).

As long as both boys are together, any aggressive behavior in one is likely influenced by the presence of the other. If you have the equipment and space, you could separate them from the flock AND from each other, but still where the hens can see and talk to them; and then re-introduce one or the other to the flock for a few weeks and see what happens.

Still, you won't know for sure until they're older. It's really just a crap shoot; you can't train them to be good. They either are, or they aren't.

 

[BarnyardChaos]

They are not human aggressive but can be human wary. They can be concerned about you necessarily handling their hens but should not intervene or attack.

You reminded me of an incident:
Inside the coop one day, I needed to pick up a hen for some issue or another, and she put up a fierce fight when I grabbed her - squawking and flapping, biting, screaming, kicking, the whole bit - and got a few of the other hens upset, too. My #1 rooster, Goldie, came running into the coop, and came to a screeching halt near my feet, looking up at us. I froze, expecting my best "good" rooster to suddenly turn on me and attack - but he didn't. I was able to calm the hen, talk to and stroke her, and Goldie turned and calmly walked back out of the coop. I could almost hear his thoughts: "Oh, it's just the giant-who-brings-food. All is well."

 

[bobbi-j]

You reminded me of an incident:
Inside the coop one day, I needed to pick up a hen for some issue or another, and she put up a fierce fight when I grabbed her - squawking and flapping, biting, screaming, kicking, the whole bit - and got a few of the other hens upset, too. My #1 rooster, Goldie, came running into the coop, and came to a screeching halt near my feet, looking up at us. I froze, expecting my best "good" rooster to suddenly turn on me and attack - but he didn't. I was able to calm the hen, talk to and stroke her, and Goldie turned and calmly walked back out of the coop. I could almost hear his thoughts: "Oh, it's just the giant-who-brings-food. All is well."

I had a cockerel like that for a very brief time. He would always keep an eye on me, but never approach. One day I was encouraging a pullet to go into the run (nudging her with my foot, but you’d have thought I was torturing her by the way she was squawking). He came running up from who knows where, saw me, put on the brakes and eyeballed me before walking away like, “Nope. Never mind.” Unfortunately he was killed by a hawk before his first winter. I think he was defending one of the girls, because she had some feathers missing in her back. I think he’d have been one good rooster.

 

[Lillith37]

I’ve found the cockerels that have been raised by my broody within my flock of hens have all been very respectful and shown it from early on. I’ve had two, Took and Yanga, and successfully rehomed both of them.

I had given three young chickens that I thought were all pullets to my neighbour (who only had one older hen) but two of them turned out to be cockerels. One of them got over the fence back into my yard and I think it was just too exciting for him and he chased and assaulted everyone. It was chaos and we ended up culling him. My neighbour culled the other cockerel eventually — he was fine with the pullet he had grown up with, but was too rough with the older hen.

I think the advice you’ve gotten to separate the cockerel in a “look don’t touch” scenario is probably best if you want to keep him.

 

[Tonyroo]

Your cockerel is behaving normally for his age. And since you don't have an adult rooster to guide him and put him in his place. They generally go a little nuts sometimes in there reactions to other flock members. For people who want to keep there cockerels, it's good to place them in there own pen. So they can't misbehave with the female birds.

When there a year old is when there hormones have calmed down and settle into there new persona.