Calling all Marans experts!

[BrahmasMama02]

Sounds like he's got a good temperament. And yes, they are starting and then they'll droop over the side.

Excellent! Gosh, I really hope he has a good temperament. I’ve read up on fear aggression vs familiarity aggression, so if he stays away until all the rest come over.. is that like an iffy could go either way sign.. I’m unsure of how to raise him up because I’ve heard conflicting things. I kinda just let him do his own thing. He doesn’t distance himself from me because of anything I did to him, it just seems he’s been acting like that since he hit 5-6 weeks old .

 

[wrathsfarm]

The hackles are his pointed copper neck feathers. Lots of people call the hens copper neck feathers hackles also, but technically it's referred to as the 'cape' on a hen. 'Hackles' on a rooster.

 

[BrahmasMama02]

@wrathsfarm thats so cool! I did not know this !

 

[wrathsfarm]

Excellent! Gosh, I really hope he has a good temperament. I’ve read up on fear aggression vs familiarity aggression, so if he stays away until all the rest come over.. is that like an iffy could go either way sign.. I’m unsure of how to raise him up because I’ve heard conflicting things. I kinda just let him do his own thing. He doesn’t distance himself from me because of anything I did to him, it just seems he’s been acting like that since he hit 5-6 weeks old .

In my opinion, that's good. I want my boys to avoid me at this age. He's learning his boundaries and I mostly ignore them and walk thru them making them move. I still interact with them, call him by name, tell him he's a good boy, talk to him with respect but a stern 'no' when he does something I don't want, like side dancing me for example.
If I see him doing good things I'll treat him, not the girls. Let him show the girls what 'he' found. That's his job.
I don't hand feed at this age at all, you don't trust him yet. You both have earn each other's trust and respect.
If I can try to suggest one thing overall. "Think like a rooster".. and watch him. You'll start to realize his personality and quirks and triggers that sets him off. Don't turn your back on him and enforce your rule when needed.
Disclaimer...This is my view only and how I raise my boys. Others have their views on how they raise theirs.

 

[BrahmasMama02]

In my opinion, that's good. I want my boys to avoid me at this age. He's learning his boundaries and I mostly ignore them and walk thru them making them move. I still interact with them, call him by name, tell him he's a good boy, talk to him with respect but a stern 'no' when he does something I don't want, like side dancing me for example.
If I see him doing good things I'll treat him, not the girls. Let him show the girls what 'he' found. That's his job.
I don't hand feed at this age at all, you don't trust him yet. You both have earn each other's trust and respect.
If I can try to suggest one thing overall. "Think like a rooster".. and watch him. You'll start to realize his personality and quirks and triggers that sets him off. Don't turn your back on him and enforce your rule when needed.
Disclaimer...This is my view only and how I raise my boys. Others have their views on how they raise theirs.

I really enjoyed reading this. This was an awesome take! I have an example. My mom hardly messes with her chickens . All the boys she has right now GOLDEN. Now there were two chicks (at different times) which my sister nursed back to health. Had them away from the flock for a month each. One of which she named Flint . Then the next season she named the second Astro . Well, Flint was an awesome awesome rooster. He would jump on people’s laps for pets. He also protected his girls well( he got killed at 3 this past fall) now … Astro. Well, Astro had a particular hatred for everyone. He went after my face one day while I was sitting down, feeding the hens scratch. He tore my arms UP. I had to rehome him, bout knocked him out with a shovel trying to get him away. He would not back down. Hopefully he’s in a happy home, or soup … he was a real pain. He also attacked my older sisters toddler. Goodbye Astro.

 

[wrathsfarm]

Holy moly, I would follow moms lead.
Have you read this article?
By far one of my favorites about roosters.
https://www.backyardchickens.com/articles/understanding-your-rooster.75056/#ams-comment-517722

 

[wrathsfarm]

Those tips were what I use in the teenage hormonal years, I also separate my boys when they start harassing the girls. Cockerels mature faster than pullets. He wants to mate and she can't figure out why he went all haywire all of a sudden. I work this up 2 ways and I do this til the last pullet starts laying.
I can put the cockerel in with older hens to tune him up and show him how to treat a lady.
Or I isolate him overnight in a separation pen and let him out to free range late morning and lock him up early to avoid his peak mating times. It's more work monitering him but I can jail him at will to keep the pullets from being too stressed and over bred too early. By doing this I feel I'm protecting my future layers allowing to mature at ease and also this reinforces my rule as the be all, end all. And I only handle him unless I absolutely necessary and mostly off the roost at night. No hugs and cuddles.
I highly recommend a isolation coop and small run or even just a cage for use as a jail, medical pen for an ill chicken or integration of new flock members if possible.
Around a year old you'll see him flip a switch and the hard work has hopefully paid off and you've got a flock leader you can trust.
This is some of what's worked for me. Both my boys I can handle at will with no complaints. I can pick them up and pet them, I can pet them on the roost, I can hand feed both of them and have been face to face with them too many times to count with no more than an odd look.
Am I doing it right? No clue...can I take a beak or spur to the face at anytime? Probably...but that's my way and I'll take it as a lesson learned.
So far it's all been good minus one incident a few days ago. My boys are 3 this month, hand raised since day olds. Like I said I throw some scratch down to the boys to give the girls. Then I spread a little more out on the ground for the lower ranking hens but I leave a small handful to hand feed the boys. This has been a staple. They expect it now, especially Kong. I do this everytime without fail. A few days ago I was rushing so I don't hand feed either boy. Just threw it down, but when I turned to walk away, Kong ran up behind me and slammed into the back of my legs. Startled I spun around which startled him like "uh-oh". There was no advance, he just spun around like "oops, my bad"....
So what's my lesson there? "Spoiled much!!" Or is it no matter how much you think you can trust your rooster, maybe your wrong? And it might just be only a matter of time.
Don't know the answer, yet.


Probably a little of both....

 

[SwampPrincessChick]

Aweee I’ll have to tell him later. Not that he lets me near him he’s the last one to come up to me in the coop.

To clarify.. are these what people call saddle feather growth ?

Let me try to explain saddle feathers:

All chickens have saddle feathers, no matter their gender. All of the feathers that females have will be rounded, including the saddles; meanwhile, the saddle feathers of males will be pointed, and as they grow older, the saddles will develop to be longer and more pointed as they progress, until they finally hang over the sides of the chicken. Only males will have saddle feathers that are a different color than the rest of their body, you will not be able to find a female with bright red saddles or some other color that is not found on the rest of her body, unless she has some kind of hormone issue.

 

[SwampPrincessChick]

I’m unsure of how to raise him up because I’ve heard conflicting things.

There are so many different ideas on how to properly raise males, and overall, you can try your very hardest to make them stay nice, and sometimes it just won't work. Each male has his own preference and comfortable boundary, especially when he grows older. I have heard of people saying to not handle them because it makes them more aggressive as they grow older, and then other people will say showing them affectionate gets them used to humans. It widely depends, so keep doing what you are doing.

The hackles are his pointed copper neck feathers. Lots of people call the hens copper neck feathers hackles also, but technically it's referred to as the 'cape' on a hen. 'Hackles' on a rooster.

All chickens have hackle feathers, the hackle feathers are neck feathers. Males and females both have hackles. If you research more chicken anatomy you will find that the cape starts at the lower base of the hackles and extends to the back. The cape is just that, it is a section of feathers that goes over the back, not the whole hackles.

 

[wrathsfarm]

All chickens have hackle feathers, the hackle feathers are neck feathers. Males and females both have hackles. If you research more chicken anatomy you will find that the cape starts at the lower base of the hackles and extends to the back. The cape is just that, it is a section of feathers that goes over the back, not the whole hackles.

I was misinformed, I apologize and thank you for the correction.