Raising roosters

[Sparkzthechickenkeeper]

Hey, so I’m raising chicks, I don’t know the sexed and they’re too young to tell, but is there a way to raise the chicks, rooster or hen to be gentle and nice? Obviously a lot of care is going to help but I was wondering if anyone had any tips or experiences they could share?

 

[Yorkshire Coop]

This is a good read ~ https://www.backyardchickens.com/articles/how-to-tame-chickens-from-the-start.67246/

 

[nuthatched]

Generally speaking, no petting or cuddling. If you have 'sweet and friendly ' young cockerels that 'love attention', they have a good chance of seeing you as an equal and will try to dominate you by attacking when hormones flow. Treat your hens as pets, roosters as livestock.
Genetics also play a large part and there are no guarantees, just attempts to stack the deck in your favor.

 

[Sparkzthechickenkeeper]

This is a good read ~ https://www.backyardchickens.com/articles/how-to-tame-chickens-from-the-start.67246/

Thanks!

 

[Sparkzthechickenkeeper]

Generally speaking, no petting or cuddling. If you have 'sweet and friendly ' young cockerels that 'love attention', they have a good chance of seeing you as an equal and will try to dominate you by attacking when hormones flow. Treat your hens as pets, roosters as livestock.
Genetics also play a large part and there are no guarantees, just attempts to stack the deck in your favor.

What should I do if I don’t know the sexes of them?

 

[FrenchFlock]

I’ve only had two roosters in my life, so take these comments with a grain of salt. One was an adopted bantam named Pedro with huge spurs that wouldn’t stop attacking people. He never got the chance with me because I picked him up and cradled him like a baby when he ran at me…rocked him and babbled at him in a “sweet voice” until he looked like he was falling asleep. Then I put him down and went on my way. I was the only one he didn’t attack.

The second is my current rooster Leroy, a large Legbar. I raised him from a chick with the adult hens. It was a risk because he was so little but one I was willing to take because I thought some constructive hen-pecking would help him become a respectful member of the flock. It worked. He didn’t even crow until six months old and while he does perform his rooster duties, is courteous of the ladies and not overbearing. They still peck at him and send him running if he crosses some sort of invisible (to me anyway) line. He will take snacks from my hand but I don’t coddle him and he acts no different than the hens around me. He does crow whenever he sees my husband, which is hilarious because he’s a rather quiet rooster otherwise.

The bottom line to a well-behaved rooster is breed and individual I think, more than handling. I agree with the other comments that roosters (and chickens in general) don’t need to be handled to be “gentle”. My hens are my pets and while they enjoy being close to me in the garden, they don’t want to be stroked or picked up. They are happy pecking around underfoot in safe/calm company. I have one that follows me around the farm, to the back forty if I let her, in hopes I’ll dig her up an earthworm.

I did have a hen, Suzanne, come from a farm who had a huge, aggressive (to the hens) rooster that was so amorous, he caused twelve hens to loose all their back feathers. She did the right thing and made coq au vin out of him. It took a year for poor Suzanne’s feathers to grow back. She is the first to put Leroy in his place and he spends more time with her than the other hens.

One last comment. If you do end up with a rooster that sees you as a competing rooster…just make sure he sees you as the DOMINANT rooster. Lots of my neighbors keep multiple roosters, for breeding and the stock pot. It’s common for only one to crow and cover hens even if there are multiples in the coop. I believe it’s totally possible to put a quick stop to agressive behavior and establish a sustainable and even pleasant rooster-handler relationship. Good luck!

 

[nuthatched]

What should I do if I don’t know the sexes of them?

Take good care of them, start a schedule and repeating phrases they can recognize (i.e time to eat when feeding, move chickies and scoot them out of the way. Etc) but no special treatment like hard feeding or petting.

 

[SourRoses]

I don't raise chickens to be petted, probably because it reminds me of this:

But as for teaching them not to be scared of people... I find it helps to raise them in heavily frequented, but not super busy, people areas.
For instance; our back porch works great because we sit out there several times a day, but we're not running around out there either. So, they get used to us watching them, and used to us talking. They don't expect us to invade their space, so we get to see their normal relaxed behavior.
This of course does not help a whit with necessary handling for health or relocation purposes. I just treat that like what it is, an imposition on their bodily autonomy, and get it over with as quickly as possible.
This is not to say that my method or reasoning is the best, just to explain it.


... and then you have those few... ours is Susie Q. She wants to know "what do you do?" and walk around the yard with you. Watch your step! Don't let her see you leave! Shh, be quiet, it's time for scratch, but I don't have my shoes on yet. Is she a pet?

 

[gimmie birdies]

I think where roosters think you are their equal is when you offer a shoe or a broom to fight. I have had many roosters, but hardly any issues. If a rooster wants to be held he will come up to me. I pick him up, he understands that is not an equal thing- he cannot pic me up. If he is shy, I don't seek him out, and he will never attack me because he is shy.
I never run from a rooster either, he thinks he is winning if you do.