As mentioned before, the rooster is a great protector and a vital part of your flock. As a protector, you can bet he will defend the flock vigorously.
But what happens if your rooster gets too aggressive? Do you know the signs to look for, and how you can help him?
If a rooster is in attack mode, he’ll display some of the following:
- Lowered head
- Foot stamping
- Raised hackle feathers (neck feathers)
- Bringing ‘presents’ (a rooster will do this to bring his opponent closer or to entice subordinate hens for mating)
- Mock charges
- Intensive staring
Understand, this is normal under certain circumstances. Like when he’s defending the flock, as an example. However, as part of his everyday all-the-time behavior…well, that’s not so normal.
Some things you can do for him to minimize the chance of an overall aggressive nature include; keeping the hen to rooster ratio appropriate, hand feed him, keep him mentally stimulated, and a few other things you can find in detail in our featured article.
Rooster has a job to do, and he’ll do it well. Sometimes we just need to help him learn how to turn “the defender” off and on.
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