When will my BR Cockerel "man up"??

[purplepeep]

Just curious to find out what others' thoughts were on this

I had 27 hens... of various breeds (RIR, BR, Delaware, RSL/mix) but one of them turned out to be a boy, that we have decided to keep, providing he has nice manners. Here's the thing though, out of all of the birds, Puck the rooster (my 4yr old named him) is the biggest wimp. If the dog is in the yard tormenting the chickens, Puck is the first one making a beeline for the coop, or cowering under it. Whenever the small hawk nesting on our property is squwaking away, puck is the first one to take cover. If I go into the run all the ladies come to see what I have brought them, and puck hangs back. He's even scared of the tomatoes I tossed into the run. When will Puck pull on the big-boy pants and start acting like the man of the house??

or do I have a wimp for a rooster, plain and simple?! Could his timid behaviour have anything to do with the Pekin drake that shares the chicken run? The chickens and 2 ducks have been brooded together since day-old and have always lived together, without paying eachother much notice whatsoever. The drake is much more interested in following his 'wife' around and doing whatever she quacks at him.

Is Puck still too young to display rooster behaviour? Will he act more manly once 12 of his roommates (all pullets) head to freezer camp in September and he has only 14 ladies in his harem? I don't really care if he becomes the man in charge or not, I was just wondering what others' had to say about my poor little wimpy Puck

 

[gritsar]

How old is Puck?

 

[purplepeep]

haha. Yeah, I suppose it would have been helpful if I added that they are all 8 weeks old.

 

[speckledhen]

Um, he's a baby still. I would never expect a chick, even a male chick, to "man-up". He will need to be at least twice as old as he is now.

 

[turtlynne]

I am by no means a chick expert and I agree there is no way to expect 'manly' behavior from an 8 wk old chick - but my one 'roo is about 15 mos old and still 'shy' around me but also very solicitous of his 'ladies', gentle and for the most part coaxing when feeling amorous; even makes them nests, and I'd far rather have him behave that way than all studly which , for me, results in rooster-noodle soup...

 

[purplepeep]

I was completely kidding around about the "man up" thing. I know they are still babies.

I was just curious about his skittish behaviour because I have read about cockerels being pushy, or bossy, even when they are still in the brooder. I have never had a boy before... (even my meaties are pullets, because I was told that boys would fight with one another, even at a young age) I suppose I was just expecting Puck to be more 'assertive' than the others, like it was instinctual to be in charge or something, or perhaps he would begin to have behaviours that would distinguish him from the girls. It doesn't really matter to me if he becomes big man on campus or not, I was purely curious.

 

[33yardbirds]

I also have BRs, 3 Roos and 13 hens. All are 14 wks. I have one Dandy we call Bad Attitude Bob. Of the 33 birds none mess with Bob. He is first on the scene if a hen squawks and is not afraid to confront my 75 lb Lab. I am afraid he will be the first to meet a bad end as he has a tendency to head out back to the swamp. The Buff Roos I Have are too busy belly bucking each other to take care of their hens. They all started crowing at 11 & 12 wks. Give your boy some time. Oh yeah, Bad Bob is very People Friendly.