Sullen, rebellious, four-month old cockerel

[azygous]

Darrell is a four-month old Black Cochin cockerel, and his attitude gets worse by the day!

A few weeks ago, when I determined that "Dagney" wasn't who I thought she was, but was actually a junior roo, I renamed "him" Darrell and took him out of the female population. Since he's been in the rooster pen, he's gotten more and more skittish, and downright hostile to me. He was hand-raised, complete with "lap-training" all throughout his chickhood, but now he's wild and suspicious of me.

I fear his hormones are making him this way, but that he's going to present a real problem as he continues to mature.

Has anyone had a cockerel like this, and were you able to turn this behavior around? If so, what did you do?

 

[awesomefowl]

I have never dealt with this. I would say, EAT the rooster! You can find poultry processers which will process them for only a few bucks each

 

[gryeyes]

If you can, give him some more time. The raging hormones really change the boys for a while. Think of each week as one year of life comparison to us, so a 16 week old cockerel is a 16 year old boy, with all the 'tude and testosterone.

Once they get a bit older, they settle down some. Plus, older pullets/hens CAN let him know his advances aren't welcome and he'll have to larn some manners if he wants to take them for a ride.

So to speak...

Just my suggestion.

 

[azygous]

He certainly behaves like a sullen teenager! He refused to come out of his coop this morning so I just left him there with some water.

I returned several times to coax him out with some grain, but he would eat a tiny bit then go back into his sulk.

Finally, I opened the coop and began talking to him like I did when he was a baby. It got through the crazed hormones somehow, and I managed to pick him up without him going into a complete meltdown. (Wings flapping, legs kicking, claws scratching, and screeching to the high heavens - yes, a tantrum!)

I got him on my lap, talking softly, he ate some more grain, and then I got him into the rooster pen without his usual meltdown.

I admit it. I spoil my chickens.

I needed to be reassured that time will probably help in this situation. After all, It took over a year of fighting with his two year old brother Stan to make a civilized rooster out of him. Now he cuddles under my chin instead of plotting his daily flogging.

Girls are so much easier!

And I don't want to hear a single word from the "chickens are not people" crowd! Of course they are!