What Does His Behavior Mean?

[ClareScifi]

When he was hatched, his StepMama and rooster sibling pecked him very bloody. Had I not rescued him, he would have died. I am sure of that. He was really pecked up something awful. It's a wonder he survived.

 

[BrattishTaz]

Quote:
My rooster lost his eye when a rougue game bird of my neighbor's jumped the fence. There was a brief scuffle and either my roo ran into something or a spur scratched him. My boy was left with a tiny scratch on his eyelid. It did not look bad at all. It ended up getting infected and the antibiotics didn't work fast enough. He almost died. By the time he started recovering, the eye drifted upward and clouded over. It took him a couple of weeks to adjust but he is now a fully functioning, happy alpha roo. It was just a freak thing.

Injuries happen sometimes. I've had to deal with a few here despite being very careful. Fortunately, chickens heal quickly in most cases.

Your rooster will figure out the mating thing. You need not worry about that.

At nine weeks, he is a bit young to be doing much more than practicing.

Edited to say: I still wouldn't allow the playfighting. It could become a big issue later.

 

[ClareScifi]

Yes, I'm glad you mentioned the playfighting problem. I will make sure the neighbor doesn't do it again. He hardly ever gets to see the Rooster, so I don't think it will be a problem. I'm always around and will tell him what I've learned, so he won't do it again. Once this neighbor gave my sweet hens some of his French Fries when I wasn't around. I had to nip that in the bud, too! Fatty foods like that-- a lack of common sense on his part. He said he would never do it again.

Sorry about your Roo's accident. Glad he adjusted well and is happy. So many freak things to worry about out there. I'm really not cut out for Motherhood. LOL.

 

[BrattishTaz]

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The best advice I can give you is to enjoy the good times and prepare for the bad. I have dealt with some heartbreaking situations but the good outweighs them by far.

A little treat of French Fries won't hurt them. I mostly stick to a high quality feed but I have been known to bring my favorite little roo (the one-eyed one) in for a spoon of ice cream every now and then. They all got blueberry and strawberry muffins left over from Thanksgiving today. It makes them happy and gives them something to fuss over.

 

[sourland]

I would recommend that you stop the 'play fighting' before he becomes more human aggressive. He needs a grilfriend or 6.

 

[ClareScifi]

I don't give my chickens French Fries and starchy foods. Fatty liver disease is a real problem for chickens, especially broiler types like Barred Rocks and Buff Orpingtons and can lead to their unnecessarily early demise. I believe this is what killed my hen one hot day this past summer. I think she ate too much scratch her first winter and the disease built up in her. How I miss her!

 

[ClareScifi]

My Boy didn't try to peck me this morning when I went to check on him in the solarium. Yippee!

I think I will try to introduce him to Saffrenee today. I think she is half Leghorn and half RIR or BO. She has a very sweet gentle personality. Her sister, a bit bigger, Buttery Blanche (BeeBee, for short), tried to peck me this morning as did Charlie Brown, my Baby's rooster brother who pecked my baby badly when he was first born. The big huge roo brother, Guy, didn't try to peck me and let me pet him. I believe he's half white leghorn, and half RIR.

Do RIRs tend to have sweet personalities similar to BOs?

The Bantie is flighty and won't let me touch her. She doesn't peck the others. She might also be a possibility as a girlfriend for my Baby. It's a beautiful day here, good for such an experiment. If I can figure out a way to separate Saffrenee and Merry Etta from the others, so my boy can play with them in safety.

Are 9 week old chicks too small to let free-range when there are half feral cats around? If so, maybe I can coax them into the coop for a while and let the others play in the run.

 

[Pele]

Quote:
I couldn't agree with you more Gryeyes. This is going to be a HUGE problem in a couple of weeks. As this rooster starts coming into his horomones, he'll get more and more aggressive with the OP, as he thinks she's a chicken..... specifically, a very attractive female chicken.

Wether he takes it out on your shoes, or you get unfortunate enough that he focuses on your hand..... it's a pretty gross problem. (There was another poster on here earlier this year that was beside herself because her isolated hand-raised rooster tried to mate her shoes constantly, leaving them...... in less than ideal condition.)

Not only that, but in his teenaged horomone haze, he'll try to dominate his beloved hen (OP) to show her how manly he is. He'll get upset and confused when you don't submit.

You need to intergrate him with actual hens asap, or things will just spiral downward. Most likely he'll want nothing to do with them at first, but after a while, he'll start getting the idea.

 

[elmo]

Quote:
No worries there. Roosters don't even have prostate glands.

http://www.poultryhub.org/anatomy-and-physiology/reproduction/

 

[keesmom]

Quote:
I couldn't agree with you more Gryeyes. This is going to be a HUGE problem in a couple of weeks. As this rooster starts coming into his horomones, he'll get more and more aggressive with the OP, as he thinks she's a chicken..... specifically, a very attractive female chicken.

Wether he takes it out on your shoes, or you get unfortunate enough that he focuses on your hand..... it's a pretty gross problem. (There was another poster on here earlier this year that was beside herself because her isolated hand-raised rooster tried to mate her shoes constantly, leaving them...... in less than ideal condition.)

Not only that, but in his teenaged horomone haze, he'll try to dominate his beloved hen (OP) to show her how manly he is. He'll get upset and confused when you don't submit.

You need to intergrate him with actual hens asap, or things will just spiral downward. Most likely he'll want nothing to do with them at first, but after a while, he'll start getting the idea.

X3. He needs to become part of a flock ASAP. Yes, he will get pecked. He will also do some pecking. It's all part of being a chicken. That's why the playfighting has to stop. He's a rooster, not a dog, and roos take their fighting seriously. It determines who's the king.

Also, be prepared to remind him as he matures that YOU are the flock leader.