What is my rooster doing?

[Brahma Chicken5000]

Exactly why people that do not know how to interact with livestock and especially males of certain species should stay away from them...

Couldn’t have said it better myself.

 

[abraga]

This is the first time he's done this. He's still pretty young. Other than this, he's very friendly. He still lets us pick him up and closes his eyes when we do. Maybe, as someone said, it's because of the hawk attack the other day?

Cute video! However..yes..it was aggression. I do think her boots had something to do with it. It was different...the boots. Not an incuse...but an early clue he may be a stinker. U need to get him under control now..or lock him up when u have visitors

 

[chickens really]

What was wrong about it? What shouldn't people do infront of them? There's no way I'm gonna get rid of him, he's just so nice to us. Eats from my hand all of the time. This was the only time it ever happened.

She was loud..Tossed her hair and first put her hands away then tucked them in her pockets..You were behind the Rooster and she was on the other side ...Rooster was protecting you and his Hens..He was in the middle ..Keep him away when family or friends come to visit...He is doing a good job so far...

 

[chickens really]

The thing with Cockerels and Roosters is never set them up for failure...Generally they will fail in an attempt to protect the Hens..

 

[greggooo]

The thing with Cockerels and Roosters is never set them up for failure...Generally they will fail in an attempt to protect the Hens..

I will really have to approach bringing others near very differently. He's still young and I bet he needs room to get used to what his impulses tell him to do. By myself, I go in and they all run to me and eat out of my hands, even he does when the hens do. I'm also thinking that this is the first higher pitched voice he has heard much of, and it does carry stronger than mine...

I think you're right. Their first impulse is to protect the hens from any threat.

 

[Folly's place]

Bulls, stallions, boars, AND ROOSTERS are not the same as neuters or females of the same species, and need to be managed respectfully as the hormonal critters that they are. With chickens, human aggression appears to be separately 'wired' from flock behavior and predator protection. For example, fighting cocks will kill each other, but have been selected for generations to be polite to humans.
Your cockerel hasn't got the message, and might or might not, with 'attitude adjustment' in the future. Mary

 

[greggooo]

What you are seeing is aggressive behavior that needs to be nipped in the bud right now before he escalates and hurts someone. How old is he? Does he do this to anyone else? If he were mine, he probably would end up in the freezer. I don't have time for that. If you choose to keep him and try to settle him down, you may want to consider keeping him locked up when you have visitors. Especially if you have young children that would come in contact with him. He could do some damage to a small child.

I could separate him if there are visitors, if that helps. I'm not gonna kill him, he helps protect the hens. He was ready to attack a hawk that dive bombed the other day. Just wonder if there's a way to show that someone isn't a threat.

 

[greggooo]

I think he is on full alert since the hawk attack. Part of that is good, but he can't be allowed to direct this behavior towards people.

They all act differently now since that hawk attack. It was their first experience with a predator. How do you nip that behavior in the bud? Is it how people are introduced to him?

 

[Tlmcq]

I'm not usually one to just send a bird to freezer camp, but an aggressive rooster is dangerous. I have 3 roosters that live in respect of one another and us. I have had aggressive ones that did not get to stay very long in this world. It can SOMETIMES be corrected, but there are way too many good roos that need homes to deal with a dangerous one.

 

[Tlmcq]

Hopefully he is just shook up and on high alert. The flaring of head and neck feathers usually comes just prior to attack. When noticed It needs to be corrected before getting to the jumping and spurring. A startle or misdirection sometimes works, backing down or running away makes him the winner and promotes the behavior. There are a few different opinions on handling roosters. From pinning him as another dominate roo would do, smacking him back with single swift shot as he comes at you, just to snap him out of it or locking him up away from anyone he may try to assert his dominance toward. The big thing is not to freak out and back off or use your feet or legs to kick out or block as that just initiated a fight by simulating another roo kicking it's feet up. Just keep in mind that if this continues as he matures getting bigger harder Spurs and better technique a rooster can cause serious injury. Good luck and I hope he is just on edge from the hawk experience.