What is my rooster doing to my hand?

[RandaShea]

This is Merlin; a little background:

I've never kept roosters before, but have decided to start breeding..

Merlin was hatched by me.. and I handle my chickens daily.

He's always been a lover boy.. when he sees me coming he does his little circle strut dance and I always pick him up for some snuggles.

Well 3 days ago he started grabbing my hand like this.. I thought maybe he was trying to mount me/mate me but after googling it looks like it could also be aggression?

Although google doesn't know him I'm hoping some here can help.

He's never been aggressive before, in fact quite the opposite... so what is this? How do I correct it? Should I be worried? Or is he in fact.. in love with me...? Thanks everyone!

 

[Chicken_Obsesser]

Because it is spring time he might just be extra amped up. My rooster was doing a similar thing to me for a while, even though he loved hanging out with me.

 

[gimmie birdies]

you should put your hand on his back and push down gentle. and with your other hand grab his comb. Don't offer him a shoe or a broom, and never let him sneak behind you. be confident.

 

[MapleLaurelFarms]

My guess is that he's being pushy, testing boundaries. I agree with @gimmie birdies that you need to give him a firm 'no' by gently pressing him down on his back for a couple of seconds, and it may also help to stand up and press him forward with your body, chest out. Maintain eye contact (if he won't look at you, it's a good sign), and don't turn your back on him and/or walk away - he'll think your acquiescing.

It may help, but it may not, but worth a try!

 

[BigBlueHen53]

I think @Shadrach is the one to ask about this, he is the authority on rooster behavior. It looks like breeding behavior to me, but what do I know?

 

[fowltemptress]

In my experience it's best not to try to correct rooster behaviors with more rooster behaviors - this includes pressing on his back, grabbing his comb, etc. This can reinforce the behavior because as long as he thinks of you as part of the flock or a competing cock, he'll think of dominance scuffles with you as an option. Ideally, you want to be thought of as something apart from the flock. A creature that will never be competition for hens, and therefore doesn't need to be challenged. Unfortunately you say he was handled a lot by you growing up, so it'll be harder for you to convince him you aren't fair game as a flock member. Picking him up and carrying him when he gets aggressive may help - this is not something roosters do to eachother, so being picked up does not reinforce the idea that you are a competing cock who needs to be attacked more. I also wouldn't allow your bird the opportunity to even grab your hand to do whatever it is he wants to do with it. If he does manage to grab it, I'd pick him up, snuggle him, carry him around - again, the sort of people things folks do to chickens that just does not fit their ability to understand and forces them to view you as something outside of the type of creature they can challenge/mate.

As long as he's not being too aggressive or in danger of hurting someone, in your place I would do all my chores around him as usual, making a point to ignore him. If he's in your path, don't dodge but walk straight towards him so he has to either move out of the way, or step over him if he doesn't move - you don't want to trample him, obviously. But he needs to realize you're going to do what you do, and because you're a creature outside of the flock, he doesn't need to worry his little head about what it is you're doing. Some people say not to feed the hens from your hand because a cock will see this as tidbitting and view it as rival cock behavior - I have no opinion on that either way as all my birds, including the cocks, eat from my hand no problem, but I also make a point of not handling any of my chicks at all until I can discern sexes, and then I only handle the pullets. Your boy was raised so differently it may well be that cutting out hand feeding, if that's something you do, could be helpful in your situation.

The important thing to remember is to not kick him, or carry him upside down, or anything like that that could physically harm him. If you're ever in a place where you feel the need to kick, that's a sure sign it's time to rehome or stock up on chicken in your freezer.

 

[RandaShea]

In my experience it's best not to try to correct rooster behaviors with more rooster behaviors - this includes pressing on his back, grabbing his comb, etc. This can reinforce the behavior because as long as he thinks of you as part of the flock or a competing cock, he'll think of dominance scuffles with you as an option. Ideally, you want to be thought of as something apart from the flock. A creature that will never be competition for hens, and therefore doesn't need to be challenged. Unfortunately you say he was handled a lot by you growing up, so it'll be harder for you to convince him you aren't fair game as a flock member. Picking him up and carrying him when he gets aggressive may help - this is not something roosters do to eachother, so being picked up does not reinforce the idea that you are a competing cock who needs to be attacked more. I also wouldn't allow your bird the opportunity to even grab your hand to do whatever it is he wants to do with it. If he does manage to grab it, I'd pick him up, snuggle him, carry him around - again, the sort of people things folks do to chickens that just does not fit their ability to understand and forces them to view you as something outside of the type of creature they can challenge/mate.

As long as he's not being too aggressive or in danger of hurting someone, in your place I would do all my chores around him as usual, making a point to ignore him. If he's in your path, don't dodge but walk straight towards him so he has to either move out of the way, or step over him if he doesn't move - you don't want to trample him, obviously. But he needs to realize you're going to do what you do, and because you're a creature outside of the flock, he doesn't need to worry his little head about what it is you're doing. Some people say not to feed the hens from your hand because a cock will see this as tidbitting and view it as rival cock behavior - I have no opinion on that either way as all my birds, including the cocks, eat from my hand no problem, but I also make a point of not handling any of my chicks at all until I can discern sexes, and then I only handle the pullets. Your boy was raised so differently it may well be that cutting out hand feeding, if that's something you do, could be helpful in your situation.

The important thing to remember is to not kick him, or carry him upside down, or anything like that that could physically harm him. If you're ever in a place where you feel the need to kick, that's a sure sign it's time to rehome or stock up on chicken in your freezer.

Thank you so much this is good information

 

[ChaosMom]

This is Merlin; a little background:

I've never kept roosters before, but have decided to start breeding..

Merlin was hatched by me.. and I handle my chickens daily.

He's always been a lover boy.. when he sees me coming he does his little circle strut dance and I always pick him up for some snuggles.

Well 3 days ago he started grabbing my hand like this.. I thought maybe he was trying to mount me/mate me but after googling it looks like it could also be aggression?

Although google doesn't know him I'm hoping some here can help.

He's never been aggressive before, in fact quite the opposite... so what is this? How do I correct it? Should I be worried? Or is he in fact.. in love with me...? Thanks everyone!

How old is he, in weeks or months?

 

[RandaShea]

How old is he, in weeks or months?

About 3 months old

 

[CoopBoots]

A rather painful grab can be how a young cockerel tries to initiate mating. Looks like what mine try on the pullets and hens when they are starting out. If he's annoyed with me vs. amorous it is a quick pinch, not a grab and hold.

Can you take video? I don't think this boy is aggressive yet but probably imprinted and thinks you are a sexual option. I've had roosters that always saw me like this, but it never turned into flogging and true aggression.