Rare Rooster

This Spring I got some chicks to round out my flock (it was no easy task during chick mania). I wasn't my best year. I think I got 10, more than I intended, but I had to get them at separate times. Out of 10 female pullets I got a rooster, and a severe scissor beak.
The scissors beak was doing well. She was small enough to squeeze between the door and coop. One day she was gone. I think something got her.
I have had very bad luck with roosters in the past. No matter what I did they were super mean, and would attack anyone who came in the chicken yard. When I realized one of the Australorp was a rooster, I was bummed. My policy is if they don't try to hurt people, they can stay, otherwise they have to go. So far all roosters had to go. I know it's dumb and irrational, but it always hurt my feelings to raise it, feed it, always treat it kind, and they attack me every chance it gets.
This rooster is so timid. He avoids me like the plague.  I think he is quite low in the on the pecking order. He sleeps on the lower rug of the roosting bars. It very strange. One of the hens pulls neck feathers, and his are missing.  I do wish he wasn't terrified of me, but I will take that over aggression. He would be gorgeous if he had his neck feathers, that makes him look kinda silly. I should probably give him a name, because it looks like he might get to stay.

Roosters can be a challenge. I've got one that's on the edge, but so far he hasn't crossed the line, so he hasn't been turned into compost yet...

1. Were the chicks being mothered by a hen, or being hand raised? Having adult hens teaching chicks how to behave seems to improve the odds of the boys growing up to be good roosters - no guarantee though.
We can't do that with our industrial hens, but if a hen goes broody, that can give us a pool of young roosters to choose from.

2. If a group of hens has been raised together and are getting along, you will have a "top chicken". She may, or may not, be willing to  cede her position at the top to a rooster - particularly a young rooster - with grace.

3. How well have you identified the feather plucking chicken? Does she do this when you're around? Have you ever tried shooting her with a squirt gun? You have to do it while she in the act, just like training many other animals. Chickens *really* don't like getting wet. A squirt won't hurt them, but it will send a message. Unfortunately, a hose is slight overkill. Some spray bottles have adjustable patterns, including a fairly tight pattern, so it doesn't have to be "gun shaped" to be effective. It's just the guns seem to have a longer reach and better aim!

I got chicks from my work (co-op), so I raised them.
strange enough the rooster seems to be quite low in the pecking order.
I have no idea who is pulling neck feathers. It never happens in front of me. I don't think it's still happening. I'm not sure, but some seem to have grown back, and my flock is starting to look more normal. It very noticeable on the rooster.  Unfortunately I lost 8 chickens since spring. If I forget to close the coop at night a raccoon 🦝 will eat one of my hens. Maybe the feather puller was one that was eaten. Time will tell.

Slick the timid rooster has found some courage unfortunately. Slick doesn't really fit him in my opinion, but my daughter came up with the name because he has the most beautiful black feathers that look iridescent green in certain lights like an oil slick. I could think of anything better, so slick it is.
Slick has challenged me a handful of times now. At first I could point my finger at him and say in a firm voice we are not going to do this , and he would walk away.  One time he did go at me, and I kicked him, which irritated me because I didn't want to use violence with him, hoping it wouldn't encourage aggressive behavior, but unfortunately instinct kicked in.
Now I use an old shovel like a walking stick. Most of the time he leaves me alone. When he does decide to challenge me I can often stare  him down. So far I  have only had to use the shovel once (not to hit, but use like a shield). It's a bummer to have to be on guard when I'm in the coop, but so far he's not enough of a nuisance to make me want to get rid of him.

Just don't turn your back on him! Dang roosters!

Slick attacked my son today. He's an adult, and handled it. I'm sure that rooster was sorry he messed with the wrong guy. My son was traumatized when he was 4 by a very mean rooster. I'm not a farm girl and couldn't kill it but I got rid of it. He has a very low tolerance for roosters. He told me today this is strike 2. If Slick attacks again he will end up dinner. He asked me if I would be angry with him. I told him we can't keep a mean rooster, and if that's what he needs to do I won't be mad.
I really couldn't believe a rooster could be so timid. It's very strange that he's started to act like a rooster when he is more than a year old. I guess he's just a late bloomer.  Most of the time he leaves us alone. The one time he came at me it was a quick attack, and one kick and he backed off. Now I carry an old shovel, and he hasn't  tried anything since with me. I fear Slick is living on borrowed time.

I don't think of a 1yr old turning mean as a late bloomer. Some just keep getting meaner, as they get older, and some start young. I think if I was your son, that feathered fool would have been dinner, already - especially if he's been chasing my mom around. Like I said, 3 strikes - on a case by case basis.

In my experience, roosters tend to stay nice (to us people) for longer if they have been raised by us from an egg onward. So roosters that were given to us as adults for various reasons, they were more likely to turn mean earlier on. The last rooster that we were forced to enjoy in a gravy was 2 years old. He was extremely nice up til the sneak attack on me from behind. I now have a renewed sense of healthy fear. I do not turn my back on any of our roosters (there are 3, each over a flock). I also observe that an individual rooster will sometimes start to show aggression toward my husband first, sometimes just little signs. I pay attention, because it seems that once a rooster begins this, he will eventually become aggressive in general even if he is still being super nice to the rest of the family presently. They always start with my husband. He spends less time in the pens. Maybe that is why, I'm not sure. I hope you are able to be at peace with whatever happens to your guy.

I can accept what ever happens. I'm not attached to him. For the most part we give each other plenty of space. I carry my shovel and keep my eyes on him.  I can usually tell when he's going to attack. Most of the time I can look him in the eye and tell him to back off and that usually works. I'm not going to lie it's a lot nicer to not have to be on guard and carry protection every time I enter the chicken yard, at the same time he does watch out for the hens and he is beautiful, and even though I don't like it, it's hard to fault him for acting like a rooster.  I'm pretty sure his time is limited.