What is my Rooster trying to tell me?

[BelovedBirds]

Haha! Oh man, it’s going to break my heart when he dumps me for his hens! Men can be so fickle

My husband will often come into the paddock with me, and Eagley just sort of ignores him. Apart from one occasion when he tripped over a hen, and Eagley gave him a good telling off - before going right back to ignoring him.

We haven’t had a cuddle or anything in there though, come to think of it. I’m guessing in rooster-speak, any physical contact might be construed as ‘mating’, so that might be an interesting experiment!

Eagley sounds like a good boy! Gosh I would so love a rooster someday!

 

[McChooky]

You'll rarely raise a rooster as sweet as this. Its hard to win a roosters heart. You're blessed!

 

[BelovedBirds]

You'll rarely raise a rooster as sweet as this. Its hard to win a roosters heart. You're blessed!

I know! They are somewhat a rarity, but I'd take any rooster honestly! I just love em

 

[McChooky]

I know! They are somewhat a rarity, but I'd take any rooster honestly! I just love em

It seems to make them happier to have a lot of hens lol

 

[Geena]

I don't want to be a party pooper, but I had a rooster that behaved similar to yours (never a lap bird though) When he was about a year old, it turned into full on attacking. He was my first cockerel too, and I spent a lot of time holding and feeding him. As soon as he got that surge of testerone, he became a total jerk, attacking me and chasing my kids everywhere. He went to freezer camp and I don't try to socialize cockerels anymore. I hope that's not the situation with your boy, but just a word of caution.

Yep, sorry, but he looks like he's working up the nerve to attack you. If you're lucky he may never get there, but be prepared. In my experience the cockerels that turn out to be the very best roosters are the ones that quietly, but confidently stand off to the side when you are around.

 

[BelovedBirds]

It seems to make them happier to have a lot of hens lol

I'm sure!

 

[K0k0shka]

I'm very curious about the pooping thing specifically, because all the rest have been answered (here or in articles) and make sense from a behavioral standpoint, except for the pooping. I personally haven't had a chicken that would not poop on me, but I have a friend who has a pet serama rooster who she claims never poops on people. He's an educational animal that gets handled by strangers (lots of kids, too) constantly, and I know she'd know best, so I always took her word for it. Then one day I attended one of her seminars and held him in my lap. He fell asleep on me and we snuggled for quite a while. I knew to let go of him if he was stirring, as he might be trying to tell me that he has to go (that's how she avoids him pooping on her). So when he woke up, I took my arms off of him and leaned back in my chair, giving him all the space he needed. He stood up, stretched, pooped on me and THEN hopped down! It was quite funny, because she'd just been telling the crowd about how he never poops on people. Ha! I guess there's a first time for everything. And I'm still confused about the pooping thing.

 

[BelovedBirds]

I'm very curious about the pooping thing specifically, because all the rest have been answered (here or in articles) and make sense from a behavioral standpoint, except for the pooping. I personally haven't had a chicken that would not poop on me, but I have a friend who has a pet serama rooster who she claims never poops on people. He's an educational animal that gets handled by strangers (lots of kids, too) constantly, and I know she'd know best, so I always took her word for it. Then one day I attended one of her seminars and held him in my lap. He fell asleep on me and we snuggled for quite a while. I knew to let go of him if he was stirring, as he might be trying to tell me that he has to go (that's how she avoids him pooping on her). So when he woke up, I took my arms off of him and leaned back in my chair, giving him all the space he needed. He stood up, stretched, pooped on me and THEN hopped down! It was quite funny, because she'd just been telling the crowd about how he never poops on people. Ha! I guess there's a first time for everything. And I'm still confused about the pooping thing.

come to think of it, my ducks never poop on me. When they they were ducklings I spent a lot of time with them sitting on me- the first hatched 4 days before her sibling. She NEVER pooped on me, all that time, she would tell me she wanted to go down, she would poop in the brooder, then ask for pick ups again. And to this day, she has never pooped on me. Her younger sister did occassionally as a duckling but now does not.
Not a rooster, but, there's another example

 

[K0k0shka]

come to think of it, my ducks never poop on me. When they they were ducklings I spent a lot of time with them sitting on me- the first hatched 4 days before her sibling. She NEVER pooped on me, all that time, she would tell me she wanted to go down, she would poop in the brooder, then ask for pick ups again. And to this day, she has never pooped on me. Her younger sister did occassionally as a duckling but now does not.
Not a rooster, but, there's another example

I'm so jealous! All of my chickens are pets that were hatched and hand-raised by me, and extensively socialized. They'd climb all over me when they were chicks (and the ones that aren't too heavy and lazy still do). I've been pooped on so many times... The worst is when they poop in my hair Cecal poop in my hair, the worst!!! Immediate shower, no way around it. I'd love a chicken with better manners, but no luck so far.

 

[stargirl]

Yep, sorry, but he looks like he's working up the nerve to attack you. If you're lucky he may never get there, but be prepared. In my experience the cockerels that turn out to be the very best roosters are the ones that quietly, but confidently stand off to the side when you are around.

I understand why you’d think so - especially when I go back and look at that video in isolation. And perhaps I’m just being terribly naive! But truly, I get *zero* aggression vibes from him, ever.
He’s never so much as pecked me. I sit on the floor with him for about an hour a day and he’ll do his little wing dance and come and sit on my lap or preen my hair.

So to be fair to him, here’s some of that too:

Doing my hair -

https://imgur.com/I8yU6MP

Getting cozy -

https://imgur.com/oXUKrsz

Shoulder snuggles -

https://imgur.com/HhzEcLB

What’s kind of fascinating though is that if I didn’t *know* him, I’m sure I’d interpret the video the same way you did. I work with rescue birds a lot and I always find there are such tiny nuances in their behaviour and communication that can totally change the tone and meaning, and often they’re things that are difficult to verbalise to another human being.

Another example - this is him running to the gate to let me in, which he does every day.
It *could* seem aggressive, like he’s trying to stop me coming in - but his feathers are down, he’s doing his happy chatter sounds and ‘love wing’, and when I go in, all he wants is to hang out with me and have me scritch under his wings

https://imgur.com/7N7yeE9

(please excuse the ridiculous baby-talk and the fact that I apparently sound like a 13 year old girl! I’m nearly 40!)

Obviously, with him not even being 1 yet this could allllll still change very rapidly. I wont be letting him get so close to my face and squishy bits if I’m in any doubt!