I have this really smart Rooster.......

[DaveOmak]

I wish I had a video..... I have this Roo... He will make sure the ladies are getting some of the treats.... walks around inspecting everything that is going on.... I threw a bunch of grapes in the coop this AM.... 90% still in the cluster, and a few loose ones bounced around...
Well, my tiny lavender orp. liked them... she is the first to try stuff.... all the other Sagitta hens just looked at the grapes... I swear they are stupid... finally the Roo went over and nipped at a grape... made some weird cluck like "these are good"..... a few more tastes and really let out a "THESE ARE REALLY GOOD" cluck... a hen sauntered over to watch him eat..... He immediately picked up a grape and dropped it at her feet..... Well, the hen was sucked in by this "charming" maneuver and bent down to pick it up.... He grabbed her neck feathers and was jumping to mount her so fast...... TOO LATE..... she was gone and cackling all the way...

I don't know how they learn these "cunning tricks".... there's no HBO in the coop or run... I wish I had a GO-PRO to film all the crazy stuff that goes on.....

The Roo is 7 months.... the Sagitta hens are 5 mos. and the Lav. Orpington and Wyandotte are 4 mos... or something like that...

 

[chooks4life]

lol that's not a cunning trick, that's incomplete instinct in action. He should not be immediately trying to mount right after offering food --- that kind of rooster tends to cause hens to choke on food, it's pretty common. No wonder he got rejected.

He will learn to wait a minute or so then try, and chances are after the hens learn it's not a fruitless trick, he'll be welcomed. Some roosters end up permanently unwelcome because they lose the hen's trust by only faking the tidbitting, or continually approaching overly aggressively, or immediately jumping on them or hurting them --- eventually the hens will ignore them, or worse, avoid them, though they'll go to roosters who know to bide their time and approach them gently.

Normally in their complete and natural family unit, with a rooster and one or more hens and their chicks, the male's job is to find everything from food to nests, to help feed both hens and chicks, to help snuggle chicks and defend the family, etc... Hens also do all the same, including defense, usually. It's very much a partnership with mutual respect and appreciation, they can be quite attached to one another too. I've had a few roosters and hens who were never the same after they lost their favorite.

Segregating the genders for many generations and using artificial breeding, incubation etc has led to loss or confusion of some of these natural instincts in many breeds, or family lines of some breeds, hence garbled or warped instincts in action.

At least your lad knows to feed them; given time he should display more instincts and become a good rooster, hopefully. Some males only know to chase, fight and attempt to mate with hens, and even with chicks and other males (and human legs and hands, and turkeys and other fowl or even mammals, etc...), they're almost devoid of all instinct except those for mating and fighting. No use, they stress the whole flock out and damage productivity and cause harm.

Hopefully your lad turns into a great one.

Best wishes.

 

[chooks4life]

Quote: This bit is where he's showing some instinct, tidbitting (roosters tidbit to hens and sometimes babies, hens tidbit to babies) and the hen is showing her corresponding instinct by coming over to him, which is where he stuffs up by jumping on her, and scares her off.

The age difference is the issue here I think, he's the oldest, they're not ready to mate yet. Plus both he and they will be clumsy to begin with, usually. Some of them hit puberty and act like old veterans, lol.

 

[DaveOmak]

Thanks for the great information... Hopefully he will mature.... Nightly, he does change hens to roost next to.... I suppose that's a start... I am new to raising chickens..
Learning a lot here....

Dave

 

[ivan3]

Perfectly normal behavior. What I found interesting is that our first roo would, occasionally, when forage was scant, pick up a stem of straw and give out with the tidbitting call, the hens would run in and stand at a distance (offered prey not squirming/fluttering/struggling?) until sure of the catch. No potential conjugal assignation without a real `diamond' (no paste, thanks). Hens are looking for the calories, roo is often looking to mate. Same in Red Jungle Fowl.

An unschooled or `rough' cockerel/roo will do more than pull a few feathers from the backs of some hen's heads (abrasions/lacerations), daub a small amount of pine tar on the affected area and the roo will be more cautious, if not nicer (stuff tastes terrible - wear gloves when applying and warm it up first-very viscous).