What is my Rooster trying to tell me?

[BelovedBirds]

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!

oh he's precious!

 

[stargirl]

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.

Ha! Sod’s law! He probably heard her

I know I’m just a random internet stranger but I swear, I’m not even exaggerating here! He’s so reliable that on rainy days I’ll sit in the car with him (the paddock is a not right by my house so in bad weather I sometimes drive down) - believe me, my husband would *not* allow that if there was any risk of him pooping in there! I even wear my nice knitwear around him!

My best theory to explain it is this: when he was still young, I tried to get him to wear chicken diapers in the house. He hated them. I’ve had success with them on ducks and chickens in the past so I thought he’d get used to it but without fail, every time I put one on him he’d flop on his side like he’d been shot and wallow around dramatically until I gave up and took it off. And because he didn’t like it, he would never, ever, poop in the diaper.

Now the diapers are long gone and he lives outside, but I think maybe he’s just learned to associate me with not pooping, somehow? The cuddles are rewarding enough for it to have become a reinforced behaviour, I think, but I honestly don’t think I could recreate this same set of circumstances with another bird if I tried!

My only other theory was that it was related to dominance or relationship somehow - the not crowing around me as well, made me wonder if he might be withholding these things because he thinks I’m a giant rooster or similar. But it seems, by all the rest of his actions, that I’m more of a sexy hen to him, so clearly not!

 

[Shadrach]

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!

Most of the cockerels I've known well went off me when they discovered hens.
I've had quite a few go for me over the years but there is always a compromise there somewhere if one is prepared to find it and work towards it.

 

[Geena]

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!

I hope he stays a good boy for you, he's very cute!

 

[Geena]

Most of the cockerels I've known well went off me when they discovered hens.
I've had quite a few go for me over the years but there is always a compromise there somewhere if one is prepared to find it and work towards it.

Yep! But they are only doing what they are biologically determined to do, claiming and protecting their hens and staking out territory. The smarter ones learn to compromise, the not so bright ones, well, we know what most often happens with them.
Seems like people often make the mistake of thinking of cockerels in human terms - he used to love me (sit in my lap and cuddle) now he hates me (flogs my legs) When really he is just growing up, hormones are flowing, instinct takes over, and he's doing what roosters usually do.

 

[BelovedBirds]

Yep! But they are only doing what they are biologically determined to do, claiming and protecting their hens and staking out territory. The smarter ones learn to compromise, the not so bright ones, well, we know what most often happens with them.
Seems like people often make the mistake of thinking of cockerels in human terms - he used to love me (sit in my lap and cuddle) now he hates me (flogs my legs) When really he is just growing up, hormones are flowing, instinct takes over, and he's doing what roosters usually do.

I agree,
Personally I dont think it makes a rooster "bad" to be aggressive- it's just them doing their job. I dislike seeing so many ending up hated, or abused.... I understand the problem people have, but still.

 

[Shadrach]

Yep! But they are only doing what they are biologically determined to do, claiming and protecting their hens and staking out territory.

Sure, common to every species on the planet as far as I'm aware and that includes humans.
I've never been entirely happy with thou shall not anthropomorthise. Perhaps the reality that we humans are just another animal is hard for some to accept.
So, I don't agree that people are always making a mistake of thinking of cockerels or any other creature in human terms. Suppose I suggest it's the humans who think of themselves as a species above all other creatures that is the problem here.

 

[BelovedBirds]

For sure!
I think they meant more in terms of people putting human emotions onto animals, and expecting them to always respect and even love us- when in nature, it just doesn't always work that way. A cockerel is going to do what a cockerel is going to do, their primary job is to fertilise and protect their hens from any threat- and often they end up seeing us as the threat- and become "aggressive" towards us. With the exception of a few who are very clever birds who have grown to love their humans. I venture to say that the reverse isn't a "bad" cockerel, but simply one with stronger hormones, naturally good.

 

[Geena]

Suppose I suggest it's the humans who think of themselves as a species above all other creatures that is the problem here.

That too, for sure!

I meant more that they tend to judge a cockerel's behavior based on how humans are supposed to act. That he might cuddle with you one minute, then go for you the next, is nothing personal, he's just doing his thing.

 

[Geena]

For sure!
I think they meant more in terms of people putting human emotions onto animals, and expecting them to always respect and even love us- when in nature, it just doesn't always work that way. A cockerel is going to do what a cockerel is going to do, their primary job is to fertilise and protect their hens from any threat- and often they end up seeing us as the threat- and become "aggressive" towards us. With the exception of a few who are very clever birds who have grown to love their humans. I venture to say that the reverse isn't a "bad" cockerel, but simply one with stronger hormones, naturally good.

Thanks, that's exactly what I meant!