The best advice is probably not to pet him. His mindset is probably changing and when that happens the hens are “his” and pets are probably perceived as threats. I had to start treating mine this way once he grew out of baby stage and he has been a great boy 5+ years now.
Also keeping cool today was one of my neighbor’s hens, who found a nice shady spot on a paver and put it in park for a good bit:
During which, my bantam rooster made enthusiastic overtures, but she effectively shut down whatever he had in mind by ignoring all his attempts at light conversation.
Fuzzi are you having an extra humid summer in NC? It sure has been a heavy one in MI and I am curious to know if you’re getting anything out of the ordinary there. The chicks look happy about their suntime, humidity or no! :love