Sad day, I will have to rehome...

[Cara]

If you handle a rooster that is not acting aggressively, you may inadvertently encourage him to be that way. The more you handle him, the less fearful of you he will be, and the more likely to attack.

I have several roosters who mate their hens when I am feeding/watering, and have never tried to attack. They are all various kinds of Orpington, and I have never had an aggressive one.

Penning cockerels up for being 'rough' is again a bad idea. Nearly all calm down once they grow up a little, penning them up will result in higher testoterone levels, frustration and more than likely aggression.

 

[rooster-red]

Nuggetsowner :

I believe it may have been rooster red as well as others that told me this. I will keep looking. It had something to do with the fact that you alone should be seen as the alpha roo and therefore a rooster should not be allowed to mate in front of you. I will go look for that original thread again. It was along time ago, almost a year. If it wasn't rooster red I will let you know!

No,

I've never bothered about roo's mating infront of me, it doesn't seem to make any difference in my experience.

My roo's do it all the time, but they still know I'm the Alpha roo and show no signs of aggression towards humans.​

 

[rooster-red]

Quote:

 

[MamaDragon]

Greetings All!

I've got one rooster and 8 laying hens, all free-ranging in the daytime, and cooped at night. Also have 4 dogs, 6 - 12 cats that come and go, three young kids 14 mos, 6 & 10, and all share the same 1/2 acre yard.

The rooster is allowed to do his job, and he has yet to bother any of the other species in his world. The few times he has challenged authority of a child to move him, he's gotten a swift foot about 6 inches behind him, or in front to distract and redirect him.

None of my chickens are pets, they're not handled AT ALL, and they behave like chickens. Kids are the boss around them, even the neighbor's 14 month old. Chickens who attempt to bother the baby are shoo'd away, and no problems so far. The one time a chicken tried going after one of the kids, it got a face full of water from the hose (in my hand as it was happening), and that quickly discouraged all of them from ever trying anything again.

Dogs don't chase the cats or the chickens, kids don't chase the chickens or enter the coop except to do chores, but can chase the dogs, and cats just wander in and out of the chicken run and henhouse, and lay around staring at birds bigger than they are.
One afternoon I walked into the henhouse to gather eggs and had a hen laying an egg at one end of the nesting box, and two of the kittens curled up asleep at the other end.

 

[brandywine]

The logic of not allowing a roo to mount a hen in one's presence is that a dominant rooster would not permit this. In a multi-roo flock, the subordinate males would still mate sometimes, but basically only when the Big Kahuna's back is turned.

So a cockerel that mates right in front of you is "testing" whether he is indeed cock-of-the-walk. And you need to provide the results of that experiment, which is that he gets removed from the object of his amours.

Of course there are lots of good-natured roos who mate in front of their owners and don't become nasty. But there are others who will press what they think is their advantage -- birds that could have been nice, or tolerable, to have around, but end up having to go because they were allowed to nurture a misconception about their place in the hierarchy.

I'm explaining the logic of this practice as I understand it. I can't offer any support or refutation for it at this time.

It does sound to me like this Buff Orp roo is doing some adolescent testing. And if you can supply him with test results that negate his hypothesis ("Maybe I am the hottest thing on two feet here?") you may end up with a good older roo.

 

[2boxers]

Quote:
I am trying to give the boys away. If I can't find them homes before 8/30 (when we leave for the beach) then four of them will have permanent homes in our freezer

)

Anybody in Southern VA need a rir rooster-very tame?

I guess I am just not up on my rooster psychology, but I can't see toting a horny rooster around. Making them get off the hens, I can understand that, but carrying him around? Not this redneck!

 

[Rhett&SarahsMom]

Sorry, but this whole idea of "stopping" the rooster from doing what roosters do is making me laugh.

I remember when I was 13. My folks had bought me my Appy mare. One day we were there to ride and she was in heat. Being turned out in a herd with some geldings of course nature happened and one did what he was "meant" to do.
He mounted her. I got hysterical. "Get him off her!!" My mom and the other adults there just started laughing at me and then told me that it is "what they do" I "got it" right quick

Seriously

If you cant handle a rooster being a rooster dont own one.
My barn owner has a large flock. All free range. Several roosters. If they attack us, or the kids they get sent to the farmer down the road. But most live in peace. And she doesnt follow them around stopping them from being roosters to get that peace. Not only doesnt she have time to do this but I think her husband, the other boarders and I would laugh our butts off at her if she did.

 

[Hangin Wit My Peeps]

I am new, so pardon me, but why aren't you supposed to let them mate in front of you? This could be a huge problem for me, since I have six hens (eight if you count my bantams, but all my other chickens are terrified of the White Ninja Sisters) and five roos. I can't spend my entire day toting roosters around.

WOW did you say you had FIVE roos and six hens? WHEW I believe your going to have some bare backed crazy tired girls there! How old are they? IMO that is way to many roos for as many hens as you have. Usually one roo can handle 10 - 15 hens just fine and the hens are MUCH happier!
To answer your question (I have not read ALL of the thread so if it has been answered please forgive me) about not letting roos mate in front of you. You don't want them thinking your a "hen" so you let them know that they are YOUR hens not his. This way it will keep him in line when you go out to the pen and he won't try any funny business! My Serama has tried MANY times to tell me what to do but each time I push at his chest and tell him NO! Seems to work well

 

[needmorechickens!]

I had read the same thing about not allowing them to mate in your presence if you want to be the alpha roo.

I will shoo my rooster off a hen if they are right there in the run with me when I am trying to feed and water them.
Carrying them around is probably a bit much and should be reserved for truly bad behavior like attacking humans.
I do applaud your determination, though. You are trying to do what's best for your family and that's important!

~Rebecca

 

[Hangin Wit My Peeps]

I believe it may have been rooster red as well as others that told me this. I will keep looking. It had something to do with the fact that you alone should be seen as the alpha roo and therefore a rooster should not be allowed to mate in front of you. I will go look for that original thread again. It was along time ago, almost a year. If it wasn't rooster red I will let you know!

I know what article your talking about because I seen this as well...I just can't remember either who talked about this. It was a VERY good article tho! I'm going to look for it too...there is a lot of good info there.​