She said/He said Who's right? Who's wrong? No one!

[meganhundley]

Glad to help... seriously, even a couple days in a cage will change their attitudes... I had a SDW OEGB cockerel attacking my Call ducks viciously the other day... stuck him in a cage for 2 days and now he is sweet as pie... still selling him tomorrow though, don't need another hormonal teenage boy here... :/
If he is gentle with the Silkies and they are fine with him, then I'd leave him with them for now until the LO girls are older... but that is up to you...
Yelling will not stop that... and actually I am concerned about his behavior... a lot of people don't realize this, but his keeping the hens away from you is him seeing YOU as a threat to them... and beating up on them is pure bully... my suggestion is to remove him... and watch him... when they stare like that is a sign of challenge...
I'm not saying this to upset you, but because I am worried for you... even a small rooster can do a lot of damage especially if you aren't prepared, and it sounds to me as if he is just waiting for the right moment...
I truly hope he doesn't do it, but please don't trust him...

You know, I never thought of it that way, your right. I just assumed since he was so hateful to the hens and always so sweet to us that it was the other way around but you're probably right. I'll definitely keep a closer eye on him and seperate him from the others for a couple days.
ETA: The main time he chases the hens away is when I'm hand feeding them dandelion greens and clovers and whatever other goodies I happen to have, do you still think he's seeing me as a threat or is he maybe trying to get all the treats to himself? He rarely stares us directly in the eye, he'll glance in our eyes every now and then but he rarely holds eye contact longer than a second or so. In the evenings he'll sit at the fence beside us and kind of doze off. The other roo pays us little mind unless he wants a clover or 2, then he'll get what he wants and goes about his business, lol.

 

[Ravynscroft]

You know, I never thought of it that way, your right. I just assumed since he was so hateful to the hens and always so sweet to us that it was the other way around but you're probably right. I'll definitely keep a closer eye on him and seperate him from the others for a couple days.

I am glad you will be more watchful... not that you weren't before, lol... it's just that we have to be able to adjust our views to theirs to understand their actions and behaviors...
Animals do not think or feel the same way we do... they think and feel, yes, I have 2 mourning Calls right now... but they can't rationalize the same way we do... nor do they understand complicated connections... simple and straightforward is what they are if you are willing to see it... their needs are formost in their minds... food, warmth, companionship and safety... fear is not a good thing for them as fear breeds aggression...
They need to understand they are the boss of their flock, but you are their boss... and this all should be balanced without fear from either side... they do not show fear as we normally would recognize it, and same with challenge... so we have to learn and adjust our actions in ways that works for you and them...

Ok, I'm tired and rambling now... :/

 

[meganhundley]

I am glad you will be more watchful... not that you weren't before, lol... it's just that we have to be able to adjust our views to theirs to understand their actions and behaviors...
Animals do not think or feel the same way we do... they think and feel, yes, I have 2 mourning Calls right now... but they can't rationalize the same way we do... nor do they understand complicated connections... simple and straightforward is what they are if you are willing to see it... their needs are formost in their minds... food, warmth, companionship and safety... fear is not a good thing for them as fear breeds aggression...
They need to understand they are the boss of their flock, but you are their boss... and this all should be balanced without fear from either side... they do not show fear as we normally would recognize it, and same with challenge... so we have to learn and adjust our actions in ways that works for you and them...

Ok, I'm tired and rambling now... :/

Lol, I understand a little better now. I should have seen it before. As many dogs as I've owned I know staring is always issued as a challenge, I just never placed that same behavior with chickens, if that makes sense. I don't know if you saw but I edited my response earlier to say that the only time he runs the hens off is when I'm handing out goodies and hand feeding dandelion greens and stuff, could that still be him seeing us as a threat or could he be trying to get all the food to himself? He doesn't normally stare us in the eye, he'll glance in our eyes at times but he rarely holds eye contact longer than a second or so. He mainly sits at the fence beside us and kind of fluffs up and dozes off in the evenings.

 

[meganhundley]

I hate to run, but I can barely keep my eyes open right now, I'll read your response tomorrow, lol. I'm sleepy, see you tomorrow

 

[Ravynscroft]

Lol, I understand a little better now. I should have seen it before. As many dogs as I've owned I know staring is always issued as a challenge, I just never placed that same behavior with chickens, if that makes sense. I don't know if you saw but I edited my response earlier to say that the only time he runs the hens off is when I'm handing out goodies and hand feeding dandelion greens and stuff, could that still be him seeing us as a threat or could he be trying to get all the food to himself? He doesn't normally stare us in the eye, he'll glance in our eyes at times but he rarely holds eye contact longer than a second or so. He mainly sits at the fence beside us and kind of fluffs up and dozes off in the evenings.

It could be that he is just a greedy little s**t, lol... or it could be that he is telling them it is not safe for them to eat from your hands... or it even could be that he is saying no to them because he didn't give permission... hard to tell exactly without seeing all the "little tells"... staring directly in the eye is a direct challenge, but the one to watch for is when he turns sideways and seems to become preoccupied with grass or something on the ground, but really he is watching you out of the one eye facing you... this is the indirect challenge and where he is waiting for the right time to directly challenge...

 

[Ren2014]

It could be that he is just a greedy little s**t, lol... or it could be that he is telling them it is not safe for them to eat from your hands... or it even could be that he is saying no to them because he didn't give permission... hard to tell exactly without seeing all the "little tells"... staring directly in the eye is a direct challenge, but the one to watch for is when he turns sideways and seems to become preoccupied with grass or something on the ground, but really he is watching you out of the one eye facing you... this is the indirect challenge and where he is waiting for the right time to directly challenge...

Our rooster did the sideways.. preoccupied.. watch and then when we past by he would come at us from behind. He's not with us anymore

 

[Ren2014]

I'll definitely keep a closer eye on him and seperate him from the others for a couple days.
ETA: The main time he chases the hens away is when I'm hand feeding them dandelion greens and clovers and whatever other goodies I happen to have, do you still think he's seeing me as a threat or is he maybe trying to get all the treats to himself? He rarely stares us directly in the eye, he'll glance in our eyes every now and then but he rarely holds eye contact longer than a second or so. In the evenings he'll sit at the fence beside us and kind of doze off. The other roo pays us little mind unless he wants a clover or 2, then he'll get what he wants and goes about his business, lol.

Be careful. I think he sees you as a threat.

 

[sjturner79]

Our rooster did the sideways.. preoccupied.. watch and then when we past by he would come at us from behind.  He's not with us anymore

Yeah I wouldn't tolerate that behavior. Roosters are easy to replace. The survivors of my Broodies hatch are mostly roosters I think.

 

[WVduckchick]

None of that talk about rooster behavior would have made sense to me if I didn't have Big Guy. After watching how he takes care of his girls, and how he has acted toward us, everything Ravyn says makes sense. He is a wonderful flock protector. He will not eat treats until all the girls have some first. He calls to them when one gets out of sight. He did have his moments of testing DH and I, but I think we have settled that, and he knows exactly where he stands. He still watches if I pick up one of the girls, but he knows its ok now. Its actually pretty flockin amazing.

 

[kwhites634]

None of that talk about rooster behavior would have made sense to me if I didn't have Big Guy. After watching how he takes care of his girls, and how he has acted toward us, everything Ravyn says makes sense. He is a wonderful flock protector. He will not eat treats until all the girls have some first. He calls to them when one gets out of sight. He did have his moments of testing DH and I, but I think we have settled that, and he knows exactly where he stands. He still watches if I pick up one of the girls, but he knows its ok now. Its actually pretty flockin amazing.

Mine's "all hat & no cattle" If I'm walking along the fence he'll actually run into it, head down, neck outstretched like an angry goose, trying to get to me or intimidate me. The minute I step through the gate, though, it's game over; he keeps as much real estate between us as he possibly can. That comes, I figure, from the first & only time he actually made contact with me; he caught me in the calf, and when he made another run he was met with a boot toe under the chin. End of problem.