I raised 3 Australorp cockerels up over the winter. The first I attempted to desensitized to my presence and touch, the second I would occasional boss around and pick him up and tote him around the yard, the third revieced no attention at all. The first one turned out extremely aggressive at 4 months and continues to stomp about and bite me (drawing blood and ripping my skin many times), he is now 19 weeks old and is progressively becoming more aggressive to the pullets and hens when trying to breed them. The second is very kind to the pullets/hens and dances around so much for them, he is always talking to them and bring them treats he finds. However he will not take being pushed around or walked through, he immediately reacts to this by attacking my leg (with less success than his brother luckily).
The third is PERFECT! He ignores me even when I bother the hens/pullets, he moves out of my way and treats the girls very well. He is breeding the hens without damaging them (no ripped combs or missing feathers) and he is making sure they come in the coop before dark.
My advice... Wait until you can tell their sex at 4 weeks-10 weeks and then begin socializing the pullets only; Ignore the cockerels and don't worry too much.
