What's with the rooster dance??

[KarenP]

My RIR is 6 months and found his hormones!! I know what to do when they attack because i've read plenty. He grabbed me by the back of the leg today and i immediatly put pressure on his back until he was laying down in front of his hens!! Why does he do the dance and then attack?? Does he see me aas the enemy, and is trying to protect the girls or does he think i'm one of the girls he can mate with. I am sad,because up until today he was my favorite. I know that's what they do and i knew this was coming, i was just hoping it would come later!!!

 

[runsw/scissors]

The dance means I'm going to mate you. The grabbing onto you means I'm gonna mate you RIGHT now!

Your Roo thinks you're one of his hens...

 

[centrarchid]

Quote:
The dance (aka cutting wing, cutting a wing, dropping wing, wing shuffling and probably other names as well) is an act produced by a confinedent male, usually full adult. My males do it to other birds that are either new or otherwise get the actor excited. My roosters get excited by anyone with a red face but get really excited if the target is also holding body and tail feathers giving the boxy look of a laying hen. The rooster does not always seem to know if target is male or female but the dance at least enables him to show his stuff. If target is submissive (male or female not in mood to mate) it quickly gets out of way and pinches feathers. If hen is ready to mate she will quickly submit and invite rooster to cover her. If target is dominant and not liking rooster, then a fight can get underway and usually very quickly.

 

[KarenP]

Quote:
Isn't this great!!! You might figure that the 11 hens he has would be enough to satisfy him!!!!

 

[WhiteMountainsRanch]

Agreed... you need to assert your dominance.

 

[terrilhb]

I have a Black Minorca rooster that does that to me all the time.

I thought he was being mean. But my friend told me he likes me to much.

 

[Arielle]

My rooster grew into his name raptor-- at 3 weeks or so he was putting every other chick in its place, HE ruled. He grew up king and defensive of his girls, even now that her has been reduced to lutenient, he is to be watched. Today he attacked me, out of the blue, and I was able to grap his legs and pick him up and the bugger bite me repeatedly, even had my finger down his throat. HE went back into his pen!

The only dance he does is frill and bounce and looks like a little dinosaur, strikingly like . . . . a raptor!!!!!

HE's the only roo I have trouble with. I tell him he will become soup . . . don't think that works very well.

I hope your is really doing the mating dance, getting flogged hurts.

 

[gryeyes]

Think of it, chickens live lives defined by "flock members" and strangers who probably want to hurt them/kill them. But there is this large Not-Chicken who could have been part of their brooding, and if not, still provides food to them. The Not-Chicken is a super-status, very different member of the flock. Because if it wasn't a member of the flock, it would try to hurt and/or kill them.

As a young cockerel's fancy turns to pullet and hens with that rush of testosterone, he is also driven to compete with other males. If hens are high status, they may resist his advances. Best to approach all moving objects with a little love dance just in case it's a girl and might submit. If it doesn't submit, it's either a hen which he wants/needs/can't stop and he is the ROOSTER dad gum it! or it's another male he needs to challenge.

If the Not-Chicken doesn't respond appropriately and prove its Super Status (I'm the Boss of YOU and your whole flock, mister!) then the rooster "wins." And that's not good in a backyard flock.

I think it's adorable when any of my roos wing dance at me, but I stop the behavior immediately. They now just try the sneaky way to prove their dominance by bringing me little "presents" like a leaf, or a pebble or a small stick, while they're making that little "Come hither, my sweet pullet, have I got something for YOU!" call. I have to just move on and not accept his present, as I am not one of his hens.

But it sure is cute!

 

[KarenP]

My next question is "Am i doing the right thing down by holding him down for a minute to show him my dominance?" I don't want to hurt him or make him hate me so he starts flogging. Here is a pic of the "king"!!!! His name is Travis!!

 

[bobbieschicks]

Thanks for asking this question because now I know what my White Leghorn roo has been doing! He would walk up and do a sort of shuffle in front of me a few times while I was feeding everyone mealyworms. I figured he was just happy to see me with mealyworms - but it sounds like he's REALLY happy to see me and thinks he will try to mate me! I'll have to nip that in the bud. He's 18 weeks old now and the only king in his castle.

Here's Foghorn at 17 weeks old flapping his wings - guess now I know he was showing off for me and not just peeved because I wouldn't let him out of the run.