Cockerel being a jerk or just normal behavior?

[PlotTwistPoultry]

This is my first time raising a cockerel with my egg hens because one of the lavender orpingtons turned out to be a cockerel. They are all five weeks old and from what I can tell, he is the only cockerel.

He is honestly starting to be a jerk? He's chasing quite a few of the girls around, but his body posture feels more aggressive than interested. Like, he'll run one pullet out of an area and if another runs past him, he turns and switches targets. There's one Rhode Island Red and an Olive Egger (that I think is actually an Easter Egger) that he'll go after and they will turn and post up against him for a few seconds before running. I don't think those two are actually roos, since their combs are still pretty small but I'm attaching photos just in case. They aren't the greatest since they weren't really interested in working with me

I assume it's too early for him to be sexually maturing, and honestly the girls also have some of their own squabbles. But they aren't nearly as aggressive seeming.

I guess I'm just wondering at what point is the cockerel being an unacceptable jerk vs just normal chicken flock behavior? No one seems to be missing feathers or injured. But it's like if any one of them move too fast next to him, he lashes out at them.

They've also all been together since the beginning.

The cockerel in question:

 

[CoopBoots]

If there is no blood, no feathers flying, and everyone is eating and drinking freely, I would attribute this to normal pecking order jostling.

When his "interest" gets involved, I'd expect him to be grabbing the occasion pullet and her to yell about it and escape. A few feathers may be lost, but it also should not result in real harm. This is a bit different than just bumping chests or bopping others on the head or back to show dominance and get best access to food, water, and lounging locations. I think you'll know it when you see it.

Bear in mind... love amongst chickens can look (and sometimes be) a bit brutal for our standards. If this is your first go-round with immature roosters, it is going to get rough for a while another couple of months in. If he's a good boy, he'll mature out of the excessive roughness, but it can be emotionally difficult to watch them sort it out. I sometimes jail excessively amorous boys for a few of the worst months so he can see but not harrass the girls until they are laying (they won't be receptive to him until they also mature, which takes longer for the girls).

 

[PlotTwistPoultry]

Yeah, I assumed it would be a bit brutal which is why, since there isn't blood or feathers flying, it could just be normal dominance behavior begining. And I fully an prepared for what looks like rough/scarry breeding habits in the future.

I guess my big concern is like, okay is this just the beginning signs of a true asshole of a roo or pretty standard for his age and they'll work it out. If he's going to be a true asshole, I don't have an issue culling if it comes to that. I'll keep an eye on them and see if it gets worse over time or if he seems to mellow back out eventually.

So far, he's shown zero aggression towards me at least. Because that's something I've dealt with in other animals and don't tolerate. He'll even jump up on my lap if I have mealworms to offer.

I guess the answer is just that I'm going to have to wait and see how it goes and make a decision later down the line about his behavior

 

[DLA]

If there is no blood, no feathers flying, and everyone is eating and drinking freely, I would attribute this to normal pecking order jostling.

When his "interest" gets involved, I'd expect him to be grabbing the occasion pullet and her to yell about it and escape. A few feathers may be lost, but it also should not result in real harm. This is a bit different than just bumping chests or bopping others on the head or back to show dominance and get best access to food, water, and lounging locations. I think you'll know it when you see it.

Bear in mind... love amongst chickens can look (and sometimes be) a bit brutal for our standards. If this is your first go-round with immature roosters, it is going to get rough for a while another couple of months in. If he's a good boy, he'll mature out of the excessive roughness, but it can be emotionally difficult to watch them sort it out. I sometimes jail excessively amorous boys for a few of the worst months so he can see but not harrass the girls until they are laying (they won't be receptive to him until they also mature, which takes longer for the girls).

x2. Also, you and anyone that will be around the rooster need to start early (like now) to ensure he knows you are the boss and any human aggressive behavior won't be tolerated. You don't have to hurt him. Simply gently grasp him by the feathers on the back of his neck and use your other hand to gently hold him down to the ground till he stops struggling. If he gets aggressive in the future do the same. Gentle but firm. You do need to be able to handle him safely in the future to trim his spurs and nails so he doesn't accidently hurt your hens. If that fails to curb his behavior or he starts drawing blood hurting the hens then he has to go in my opinion. I make allowances for crazy hormones (and a time out pen is good for that) but I personally don't see the need to keep a mean rooster that won't learn and I can't turn my back on. If he's essential for breeding or something then you can use protective gear but in a regular flock you don't need to deal with that.

 

[PlotTwistPoultry]

x2. Also, you and anyone that will be around the rooster need to start early (like now) to ensure he knows you are the boss and any human aggressive behavior won't be tolerated. You don't have to hurt him. Simply gently grasp him by the feathers on the back of his neck and use your other hand to gently hold him down to the ground till he stops struggling. If he gets aggressive in the future do the same. Gentle but firm. You do need to be able to handle him safely in the future to trim his spurs and nails so he doesn't accidently hurt your hens. If that fails to curb his behavior or he starts drawing blood hurting the hens then he has to go in my opinion. I make allowances for crazy hormones (and a time out pen is good for that) but I personally don't see the need to keep a mean rooster that won't learn and I can't turn my back on. If he's essential for breeding or something then you can use protective gear but in a regular flock you don't need to deal with that.

Absolutely! We posted at the same time, but I've added that so far he isn't aggressive towards me at all. I absolutely wouldn't stand for that and would appropriately reassert my dominance as top flock member.

 

[DLA]

Absolutely! We posted at the same time, but I've added that so far he isn't aggressive towards me at all. I absolutely wouldn't stand for that and would appropriately reassert my dominance as top flock member.

 

[K0k0shka]

At this age, the boys start to get a little feisty and enjoy sparring with each other (playfully). The girls seem to be less interested in this sort of play. So if he's the only boy, he might be looking to engage one of the girls in a sparring match, but they're running away because they aren't interested in that game. It's normal. Do you have any other chickens beside these youngsters? Is this your first time raising chickens? If it's your first time, and/or you don't have older hens, I wouldn't recommend keeping him. Cockerels and roosters can be total jerks once the hormones really hit them, and it doesn't seem to matter how sweet or friendly they were as babies. The friendliest lap chicks can turn out to be the meanest roosters. If you don't have experience handling rebellious roosters, it can be tough, and dangerous, as they can do serious harm (to you, to the flock, to any human visitors etc.) Also, if there are no older hens in the flock, there will be nobody higher in the pecking order to keep him in check and teach him manners. Older hens are very valuable in the upbringing of young males - they won't tolerate roughness and shenanigans, and will stand up for the pullets, too. So, if you want to keep a rooster, but these are your first/only chickens right now, get rid of this one, give it another year or two until you have established mature hens, and then try again.

 

[Ridgerunner]

I don't think he is the only boy you have. I suspect the RIR and at least one more. Were these sexed when you got them or just pot luck?

At five weeks it is nothing about sexual activity or fertilizing eggs. Obviously there are no eggs to fertilize. It is about dominance. They can start establishing dominance at a very young age. It's usually not that bad until they hit puberty, then if can get really violent. But dominance can start that young. At that age the girls can be involved but it's usually the boys. At that age I'd think it is nothing really dangerous, more like play fighting. But you need to pay attention.

It is usually not dangerous, at least yet. With living animals you don't get guarantees, I had a 2-week-old chick kill another 2-week-old chick by constantly pecking it in the head until it drilled a hole to the brain. In all my years I've only seen that once so it is not common but you don't get guarantees. Anything can happen.

When they hit puberty things can get pretty wild. The boys (and occasionally girls) can fight each other. The boys want to mate the girls and may force them, not to fertilize eggs but to establish dominance. It can get pretty violent. Some years it is not that bad. As long as no one gets hurt I'm OK with it but about once every three or four years it gets so rowdy that I isolate most of the boys by themselves until they reach butcher age.

When is puberty? It can vary quite a bit depending on the individual. Some boys start before 12 weeks, some start a long time later. I'd say 15 weeks is a good average for the start. The girls tend to resist the boys until they start laying, then they act a lot more like mature hens. The chicks are high on hormones and that means it can be erratic. Sometimes getting through puberty can be fairly peaceful but sometimes it is not anywhere close to peaceful.

I typically put all but one cockerel in the freezer by the time they are 23 weeks old. Some pullets are usually laying by then so they do not resist the boy. If you can get past that puberty phase it tends to get really peaceful. But getting to that phase can be hard on your nerves.

Good luck!

 

[DLA]

I don't think he is the only boy you have. I suspect the RIR and at least one more. Were these sexed when you got them or just pot luck?

At five weeks it is nothing about sexual activity or fertilizing eggs. Obviously there are no eggs to fertilize. It is about dominance. They can start establishing dominance at a very young age. It's usually not that bad until they hit puberty, then if can get really violent. But dominance can start that young. At that age the girls can be involved but it's usually the boys. At that age I'd think it is nothing really dangerous, more like play fighting. But you need to pay attention.

It is usually not dangerous, at least yet. With living animals you don't get guarantees, I had a 2-week-old chick kill another 2-week-old chick by constantly pecking it in the head until it drilled a hole to the brain. In all my years I've only seen that once so it is not common but you don't get guarantees. Anything can happen.

When they hit puberty things can get pretty wild. The boys (and occasionally girls) can fight each other. The boys want to mate the girls and may force them, not to fertilize eggs but to establish dominance. It can get pretty violent. Some years it is not that bad. As long as no one gets hurt I'm OK with it but about once every three or four years it gets so rowdy that I isolate most of the boys by themselves until they reach butcher age.

When is puberty? It can vary quite a bit depending on the individual. Some boys start before 12 weeks, some start a long time later. I'd say 15 weeks is a good average for the start. The girls tend to resist the boys until they start laying, then they act a lot more like mature hens. The chicks are high on hormones and that means it can be erratic. Sometimes getting through puberty can be fairly peaceful but sometimes it is not anywhere close to peaceful.

I typically put all but one cockerel in the freezer by the time they are 23 weeks old. Some pullets are usually laying by then so they do not resist the boy. If you can get past that puberty phase it tends to get really peaceful. But getting to that phase can be hard on your nerves.

Good luck!

If you're right and the RIR is a cockerel, that would be my first bet to go in the freezer. While they can be great flock protectors they are know to be aggressive roosters in general. I love my RIR hens but unless I wanted to do breeding I would never have a RIR rooster despite their beauty. Every now and then you get a good one though. You sure are right about mature hens putting young roosters in their place. My young EE rooster (who is very well behaved all around) tried to get fresh with one of my 3yo RIR ladies the other day and she sure put him in his place fast. I almost felt bad for him but it was pretty funny to watch. No one got hurt except my poor roo's pride.

 

[HollowOfWisps]

What you are seeing is a mix of playing and the early establishment of the pecking order. It’s just like with humans. Young boys will start wrestling around as a form of play at an early age. I have two boys 7 & 8, they will wrestle and run around chasing each other all day long. It eventually evolves into more competitiveness when they start to sexually mature like you see with teenager boys. Also just like with humans it is considered aggression when there are injuries and blood.