Should I give him a chance? Obnoxious cockerel

[Chkhunfalls]

This blue sapphire gem/blue plymouth rock turned out to be a rooster. He has been tearing out feathers from the hens trying to mate them. He's about 5 months old. I am giving away an australorp rooster to an auction who is aggressive with humans, but good with the hens. This sapphire is the other way around. He's good with people but rough on the hens. I've read various things. But he doesn't seem to blend in well with the flock even though he was raised with them. They avoid him. I have 7 juveniles growing up, 5 hens his age, and 3 adult hens. The adult hens attack him back when he tries to mate them.

Not sure how much time I should give him? He's separated in a kennel right now just to give the hens a break. He is a gorgeous bird and although I was about to give him to the auction, I'm considering giving him a chance.

 

[nuthatched]

Hopefully he'll settle down after puberty.

 

[SourRoses]

Nope. Why should the girls suffer the torture of a bully?
Even when the... "assertive" cockerels do settle down a bit, they're never as nice as the Roos that never behaved that way.

 

[Chkhunfalls]

Hopefully he'll settle down after puberty.

Yeah I'm pretty split on the info I've read. Some people say there are roosters who never show such rough behaviors to hens even as teenagers, they are gentle. Seems like I'd have to test out a lot of roosters. Wish our australorp wasn't such an ass to humans. He's spurred my sister and attacked us multiple times.

BTW I LOVE your profile GIF of sir Hiss

 

[Chkhunfalls]

Nope. Why should the girls suffer the torture of a bully?
Even when the... "assertive" cockerels do settle down a bit, they're never as nice as the Roos that never behaved that way.

Yeah. In your experience you've had well behaved roosters even while they're just getting hormonal? Some ppl say the obnoxuious ones can mellow out at ~1 year. But I agree it is hard to wait it out while the poor hens are gonna suffer.

 

[SourRoses]

Yeah. In your experience you've had well behaved roosters even while they're just getting hormonal? Some ppl say the obnoxuious ones can mellow out at ~1 year. But I agree it is hard to wait it out while the poor hens are gonna suffer.

Yes, I've had docile cockerels... the first one was an English Orpington and he wouldn't force any pullets even though he was much larger than them. Breeding didn't happen until the eldest ones were laying, and he left the young ones alone. He was respectful of people despite being huge, so much so that I could sit in a chair with my flock and not worry where he was.
He was sweet in every way with his flock, we were impressed so I bred exclusively from him and have some of his grandsons and great grandsons at cockerel age now. The temperament shows through and they are not mean to the hens or pullets even as they're beginning to mate.
Some of the sons of the prior generation were segregating for temperament... aka some showed genetic tendencies from the other half of the equation (the hens male ancestors). I culled heavily for that.
It's already showing results.
Or as Brian Reeder put it... "Anything you're not selecting against, you are passively selecting for. This is Negative selection."
I personally think the bad attitudes are unnatural compared to how their wild junglefowl ancestors would behave towards their hens. I think this is a people caused problem, and we should all try to better the hobby for those who come after.

 

[igorsMistress]

He is not a bully or a bad boy. He is young and inexperienced. Clearly the older girls know how to handle him. Those his age and younger don’t have the experience to deal with him and so he’s learning along with others who don’t know what they’re doing either.

If he is human friendly that’s half the battle. His hormones are raging so give the guy a break. Put him in jail or keep him from the birds his age and younger and the hens will teach him how to behave.

 

[ShrekDawg]

I say give him a chance

 

[SourRoses]

He is not a bully or a bad boy.

Pulling feathers out?
I've seen a lot of cockerels learning to mate, some of the assertive ones will grab neck feathers and hold them even as the pullet is trying to get away... but for the feathers to actually come out, it means he's being rather determined about it.
The last cockerel I had who actually pulled feathers proceeded to keep pecking until he scalped the hen and I had to put her down as well as him.