Talk me down - Roo expectations

[MysteryChicken]

One thing I didn't see brought up is that Human Aggressive behavior can be a genetic trait that maybe passed down through the next generations.

Human Aggressive behavior can be pretty bad. Have had the cockerels/roosters attack me from both behind(These are usually cowards), & attack me while facing them(Worst Kind).
Have had one that was so aggressive he'd try attacking us through the fence, also whenever we were in the run, & also kept picking fights with the other birds. He ended up as soup.

 

[UpstateChickenDaddy]

As I live in farm country I am sure I can ask someone to come. I can’t do it myself if it comes to that.

 

[SourRoses]

One question not answered (that I could see) was the time of year. I haven't found it to make any difference. First season hormones are strong, that's why pullets can lay through their first winter (low light) while older hens often can't. Likewise, cockerels will start getting red flushing in the legs around maturity regardless of the sunlight level. It is more intense in spring, but either way, a cockerel will show how he handles those hormones. A good rooster has some self-control.

Whether he's just being curious in coming up to you is still up in the air... you would have to watch for further body language signs of aggressive thoughts. Walking sideways near you, giving you a pointed staredown, etc.
If he seems calm and patient, lets his attention wander off of you, he may just be a friendly sort.

But I consider an aggressive attitude to be just as much a problem as acts of aggression, because the former will lead to the latter sooner or later, and I don't want to breed for that trait.
As @MysteryChicken pointed out, there is a genetic component to temperament.

 

[UpstateChickenDaddy]

Unfortunately with genetics only time will tell as I don’t know the father. I’ll be looking for the redness you mentioned.

As you mentioned hens when should I open the nesting boxes? I have had them blocked off since they moved outside. They are 13 weeks at this point. I guess 18 is about the basic time for orpingtons to potentially start laying. I didn’t want them sleeping in them while they learned to roost. But I don’t want to keep them blocked off too long. Thoughts?

 

[FrostRanger]

I think it depends. I personally never had issues with birds sleeping in the nest so I keep it unblocked. As long as your roost is higher than the nest they should be fine. In any case I'd go ahead and unblock it now

 

[FrostRanger]

As for the rooster, maintaining mutual respect goes a long way (eg, don't chase the hens and if you must catch a bird lock him up first and in return don't take any nonsense from him and make sure he moves out of your way when you're walking by instead of going around him) but after that it's the luck of the draw. Some cockerels are going to be bad no matter what you do or don't do while others have the patience of a saint and are absolute gentlemen. Temperment is absolutely genetic as was already stated which is one of the reasons why most of us here don't advise trying to reform a rotten roo (that and it usually doesn't work anyways plus he'll always be a liability). Your boy sounds great so far and hopefully he stays that way. Most roosters are basically fine, it's just no one ever posts saying "help, my rooster is a perfect gentleman and doesn't attack me". Usually people ask for help when there's a problem so be vigilant but don't worry too much

 

[PrettyCoolChicks]

https://www.backyardchickens.com/articles/understanding-your-rooster.75056/

There is a lot of misinformation about roosters. If you read enough on this forum, basically it appears that everything cockerels do can be an early sign of aggression. Don't believe it. This is a good article that can clear things up.

This article has been super helpful.

I've raised 5 cockerells total now and no aggression issues. I did use the tips in this article to identify early tells and avoid some aggression I could have unknowingly caused though. For example, my roos will dance around me if I'm carrying something they want out of their run. They wont attack me but they might attack what i'm holding... (happened once with a red watering can). Otherwise at worst, one liked to sneak behind me and looked at me wrong, but none ever attacked me.

My first 4 matured late fall, and i feel it delayed their puberty a bit, they started competing for/showing interest in the hens later than i expected and by that time they had a clear pecking order already.
But then it was my first hatch so my expectations may have been overly negative due to reading mostly about the problem roos online as well.

As for nesting boxes, I've kept them open all along, i had to put in a couple fake eggs to make my girls understand the purpose but they never tried to sleep in them.

 

[Ridgerunner]

As you mentioned hens when should I open the nesting boxes?

What problems are you trying to avoid? One potential problem is that they do not lay in the nests but lay somewhere else. Some pullets (not all, but some) start looking for a good place to lay about a week before they actually start laying eggs. So I want the nests open at least a week before they start laying so the nests are being considered as a potential place to lay that first egg.

You don't want them sleeping in the nests since they poop a lot when they are sleeping. You do not want to get poopy eggs. So I want to know where they are going to sleep before they start laying in poopy nests.

If your roosts are higher than the nests you generally don't have this problem. So make sure your roosts are higher. That doesn't always work but give it a chance. Some reasons it may not always work might be that you have pullets that cannot fly, like Silkies. If they cannot get to the roosts then they are going to sleep where they can get. Or they may not have enough room to spread their wing and fly in a tiny coop.

Your roost length may be inadequate for the number of birds you have. They usually crowd a lot closer than the minimum length I often see posted on here but there are limits. Another potential problem would be bullying. Maturity levels are changing as they start to lay. Sometimes you have pecking order issues that can carry onto the roosts at night.

The vast majority of the time I do not have any of these issues, even with a mixed age flock. When I do it is usually easily solved by going out there after dark and removing a chicken sleeping in a nest. It doesn't take them long to learn to not sleep there.

The earliest I've had a pullet start laying is 16 weeks. If I were to block off the nests I'd certainly want them open by 15 weeks of age. But I don't block mine. If they are going to sleep in the nests I want to know so I can solve that problem before it becomes a problem.

 

[UpstateChickenDaddy]

That was what I wanted them to avoid. Before they learned the ups and downs of roosting, I didn’t want them thinking the nestbox was a place to sleep. But chickens are so much smarter than I really realized - they all went inside the coop on their own at dusk (something I had hoped based on the Old Swede’s Farm videos) and all roosted on their own. If anything it was their daddy that messed them up one evening by programming their door to close too early. Until the hormones mess up the happiness, they are at peace together on their roosts and the nesting boxes are now open.

 

[RcoM]

Hi,

This was a great explanation to read, btw.

For #1, I think so, but it's a good thing. He should start looking out for the ladies too soon, where he picks up the food and drops it for them.

Usually, the bad in roosters comes out before the niceties though.

If he becomes overly aggressive with you or the chickens, there are ways to wait the hormones out for a month or two, like pen him up alone and away for what could be that long. I think sometimes people don't give them a chance to get beyond that. Yours may never be overly aggressive. I hope not!

I fully agree! Mine went a bit hormonal in Spring but we went crook at him each time and now he's finally chill as!. It only lasted a few months but he's a good boy now. Born in March 2024. So 8 'months.
Thins which helped:
1.
Dropping the treats over the fence so he doesn't run at the food. Then walk in.
2. Walking around without treats too
3. Putting the trays down before you open coop door
4. Giving him a decent run or play yard with the girls
5, give him enough girls of his own - 6 is good
6. Let them free range together of afternoon

Soon mine learned that I'm no threat and I still help care for him and the hens. He was hand raised so a little brazen.