Rooster walking sideways at me

[v_mars7]

I had the sweetest Dominique rooster as can be. He would do the little sideways/herding shuffle at me but never was aggressive. He wouldn’t charge or bite. I could walk right up to him and pick him up. He’d eat treats out of my hand. He came when I called. (We ended up with 1 mean rooster that we tried to give attention to, but he was just downright mean. We got rid of him last year.) But we didn’t really have to do much for his demeanor to be a positive one. We lost him after stray dogs got into the run and massacred a few fluffy members of our flock. After we hatched some eggs he fertilized, one of the living chicks turned out to be a rooster! He sounds just like his Dominique papa, and looks just like him too! He seems to be doing okay so far (at 16 weeks). He definitely likes to herd around the smaller hens, but not me (yet). Hopefully I won’t have to perform any dominance techniques on this little guy. The older, larger hens definitely keep him in check . Also had a very handsome Wyandotte rooster that was the sweetest. He never would shuffle at me. We lost him this year too

 

[TT4059]

I was reading this because my rooster was walking sideways at me and pecked my ankles and hand a couple times. I have 3 small kids who like to hand feed him. I have been picking him up for a couple months now trying to break the rooster dance when he comes out the coop in the am. Whoever said try a trash can lid… it worked! In one day!! He stopped the sideways walking after I chased him a bit with a 10gal trash can lid.

 

[LadiesAndJane]

Great trick!

 

[holliedalziel]

You should probably be rid of him. He's wing dancing for you, which is a mating dance, but also can be a sign of dominance. They will pick up and feed on fear, for your daughters safety I wouldn't keep him as things will probably escalate. Roosters should keep their distance if they respect you, yours doesn't unfortunately.

this is the worst advise I’ve ever heard! I have a house rooster that does this and went through a teenage faze and he’s the friendliest chicken on earth now

 

[holliedalziel]

I was reading this because my rooster was walking sideways at me and pecked my ankles and hand a couple times. I have 3 small kids who like to hand feed him. I have been picking him up for a couple months now trying to break the rooster dance when he comes out the coop in the am. Whoever said try a trash can lid… it worked! In one day!! He stopped the sideways walking after I chased him a bit with a 10gal trash can lid.

That’s what I did with my rooster and it stopped him straight away they are very smart they just need to know you’re the boss and no you’re not their girlfriend

 

[Leaderofthefluffybutts]

When we bought our chickens we thought we were getting all hens but one turned out to be a rooster. We don't live in the city so we can keep him. He is about 18 weeks old and for the last few days his behavior has changed. He will do a fast little walk sideways towards me and my 12 yr old daughter. I have read that this could be a sign of aggression or a mating dance. How should respond to this behavior? Also I was handfeeding 2 of the hens yesterday and he walked up to me and bit the back of my hand hard enough to make it bleed. I immediately picked him up and carried him around for awhile. My daughter is a little freaked out by Roo's new behavior. Can roosters sense fear like dogs supposedly can? And how should we react to his sideways walking?
Thanks

Just curious what happened with your Roo? I'm having the exact same issue with my cockerel.

 

[Twilia]

Just curious what happened with your Roo? I'm having the exact same issue with my cockerel.

The wing dance? I have a bit of experience rehabbing "mean" roos.
Aggression is natural and common : )

I am not going to advise you since every one's is a unique situation.
Try to understand him for your situation.
Don't give up just because someone says you should; he is your boy, they don't know him like you do. I trust you to do the best you can ; )
Roo aren't mean for nothing. Check out these two helpful articles:

Ask about Roosters: How to Deal with Aggression, Explained.

After realizing the need for clarity, I decided to create an article for those of you who have roos with behavior issues, those thinking about adding one to your flock, or if you are just curious since the issue is natural to come up for each of us in even the most docile of males. It is...

• Twilia
• Mar 21, 2025
• 4.00 star(s) 2 ratings
• Comments: 3
• Reviews: 2
• Category: Member Pages

Understanding Your Rooster.

The reader needs to be aware that these observations and conclusions are taken from a particular chicken keeping arrangement which was conceived to be as close as practicable to the living arrangements of the chickens' ancestors, the jungle fowl, in order to study the chicken's natural behavior...

• Shadrach
• Jun 6, 2019
• 4.86 star(s) 90 ratings
• Comments: 36
• Reviews: 76
• Category: Maintaining A Healthy Flock

If you need further clarification or help, feel free to PM me ;-)

Twilia;-)