socializing cockerels, to pet or not to pet?

[WriterofWords]

My roos are all hand raised just like everyone else. This means they are friendly and lovable towards me or any family that holds them, but not so much towards strangers!

 

[easteregger96]

With my roos, I have a red one (that I bought with all the chickens I have). He is a sweetheart. I bought him and all my hens from an individual down the road from my house when they were about 5 months old. They weren't treated the way I thought appropriate for them. They had no shelter or food or water anywhere that could be seen. Broken glass and lots of trash all over the ground and the guy told us that just recently he had found almost 200 in the field behind his house where something had gotten them or they ran off and got sick. His field was littered with dead chickens and roosters. I was so mad I could have strangled him! So, I was taking a big chance at buying from him. Luckily, they were all healthy. Even though they didn't look like it. They were skin and bones. I brought them home and gave them a good home with lots of room to run and fresh food and water everyday. My red roo is very social and loves attention. He also waits on me to leave the chicken house before he will go outside ( he goes outside with me). My other roo is a dominique. When we got him, he didn't even know what grass and dirt was and he was real skinny too. The people who gave him to us had kept him on concrete. He is a little older than my red roo. He is very social and talks to me everytime I go out to do something in the chicken house. He will actually come into the chicken house with me and wait to be fed. He is very patient. So, I don't know if they are thankful for their good home and recognize me in that aspect or if they are naturally like that. It makes me wonder because I have heard so many bad stories of roos attacking people, but I don't want my situation to change.

 

[cafarmgirl]

I'm not convinced yet that it matter's either way. My RIR roo was held, carried, petted, coddled, you name it. And he was the nicest, tamest bird. People couldn't believe we could pick up and carry around this big rooster. Well then he matured and all that went out the window and he started acting like, well, a rooster! He was not extremely mean or aggressive and it really didn't take to long to teach him, in a humane way, that we were not to be messed with and that he was not going to dominate us.

I have a feeling that a rooster raised with minimal handling would also need some lessons in respect upon reaching maturity. I know there are some out there who are very nice birds and never require intervention but I think an awful lot are typical roosters that require a little training! I don't expect my rooster's to be pets. They have strong instints and a purpose in life that doesn't always lend itself well to being a lovable pet. If they turn out sweet it's a happy surprise, if they are typical roo's that's fine too, if they are rotten, mean things, constantly looking to attack, they go.

 

[chicmom]

Well, I've had several roosters.....I truly think you have to look at it on a case to case basis.........Here's what I've experienced:

First rooster was a BCM. He was gigantic, and I bought him fully grown, but young enough not to have his spurs yet, just the nubs. He was not the least bit tame....he was fine at first but as soon as the hormones hit, he was constantly attacking me when my back was turned.......I re-homed him with a warning to the new owners......

I had a very tame Cream Brabanter rooster that I raised from a chick....babied him alot, and he was such a sweetie....Loved to be cuddled....UNTIL the hormones hit.....He became extremely relentless, hurt me a few times, and....OFF WITH HIS HEAD.

I had a GLW cockerel that was pretty respectful of me. I did raise him from a little chick and he got extra attention. This was probably my best rooster, although he suffered from a knee injury for a long time, and so I gave him to an Amish family to eat.

I have a very large Wheaten Marans rooster and he was purchased as a young adult, fully grown but no spurs yet. He mates with the ladies now, and he gives me my space and respect. He has never attacked.

So with my personal experience, I'd say you just have to take it one rooster at a time. It's very random, I think.

 

[Hopeful Peacock]

This all is very helpful. I appreciate your detailed responses - thank you!

At what age do the hormones hit, usually?

 

[ginznchix]

I hatched 4 roos last year and treated them like pets, holding them , hand feeding them, etc. and every one of them turned on me. Each dominant one would turn, I'd get rid of him, and the next to become dominant would then turn. Down to one now, my favorite, my baby, and he's the worst of all! I'll be hatching again soon and I will NOT get friendly with the roos. Of course in the beginning I couldn't tell which were roos so I babied them all! I'll put more effort into figuring out their sexes this time.

 

[MustLoveHens]

Quote:
Depends on the breed. Some roos are slow to mature and others are not. Usually about 6 to 8 months. My Aseels mature much later about a year and a half.

I have raised many roosters, all hand raised and I have to say that meanness imo it's luck of the draw and breed.

 

[Sunny Side Up]

With roosters I think their outcome is due partly to nature, partly to nurture. I don't give my chicks/chickens any special handling to try and make them more friendly, but I am careful to treat them all with kindness so they need not be fearful towards nor wary of me. My grown roosters aren't lap pets but neither do they stalk or attack me. Neither are any of the 25 young cockerels I'm raising for the table, except one.

I think it's easier to make a docile rooster become hostile due to fear through mishandling than to tame the behavior of a naturally aggressive one.

 

[Arielle]

I only have young boys, so they are a little standoffish just like the pullets. So in preparation to their maturing, I have read about the boys.

IT's worth searching for this info here on BYC because very knowledgeable people lurk here. Know chicken communication, like the horse whisperer is for horses (which I do have) but for poultry. How to become the top "chicken " in the coop to avoid a rooster feeling like he needs to defend his ladies. Personalityies and temperments vary between breeds, strains and individuals, or at least it does with horses and dogs , so why not chickens too. Learn to talk chicken.

 

[gritsar]

One thing I have found interesting with my three broody hatched chicks, all cockerels. One was injured at a few days old and had to be brought in the house for care and isolation.

For two days I had to carry this chick everywhere and I do mean everywhere. The only time we were seperate was when I would take a shower, then DH would have to hold it. DH rigged me up a sling so I could carry the chick on my chest at all times and I slept with it on the couch. Finally it was recovered enough to return to the coop.

Out of those three chicks, now 8 weeks old, two are extremely friendly. The one that was injured, Rowdy, is terrified of me.