Sanctuary resident Roy is the king of protecting his flock, but he’s still learning how to trust and socialize with humans. While it’s easy to find Roy’s behavior humorous, it’s also critical to understand why roosters behave the way they do, because mischaracterization of rooster behavior can, and has, lead to cruel industries like cockfighting and many abandoned and unwanted roosters.
We asked some of our friends from a variety of farm bird rescue and advocacy organizations to share what they know about the lives and behaviors of roosters!
A Lesson on the Lives of Roosters
This information was compiled by a group of sanctuary partners who focus on rooster care and education: Farm Bird Sanctuary | Chicago Roo Crew | All Species Kinship | Triangle Chicken Advocates | Rooster Haus Rescue
An important way to look at and learn about chickens is by examining their ancestor, the Red Jungle Fowl. It is crucial to know that nothing about chickens is “natural” as they are a domesticated species. Many chickens exhibit very different behaviors than Red Jungle Fowl as a domesticated breed, with a huge array of individuality. That said, it’s possible to generalize to some degree the “roles” of roosters and understand their behavior as a result.
Roosters are often the providers and protectors of their flocks. They take protecting their flock very seriously and will resort to attacking perceived threats if necessary. This is a courageous and admirable quality in roosters as humans are much larger than they are and can appear as an immense threat to them! Many human interactions with roosters involve cues that most people may not even pick up on. When a human takes a hen’s egg, she often (and rightly!) gives an auditory cue that someone has taken what is hers. This alerts any nearby roosters, and they may attack as a result. Again, very courageous and loving behavior.
Chickens were originally domesticated to fight, not as food sources. This is just one reason that roosters often have high levels of testosterone that would not be found in nature. It is quite literally in their genes. Young roosters, much like many young male animals, are often burdened with a surge in testosterone during their first spring. This can cause fights between roosters that already belong to a family at sanctuary, or an increased aggression toward their human caregivers. Unfortunately, for roosters who are not at a sanctuary this can pose a serious threat to their lives.
Bart
Roosters are killed every single day for their sex as babies. Avoiding the mass murder at hatcheries is only one hurdle. Months later, these birds are growing up and often dumped because they were bought as hens and either not valued, or illegal to keep as roosters. They will again be offered almost exclusively death in many ways, including being locked out of their coop, being dumped, or being directly killed. There are roosters that will make it to a few months of age despite these obstacles. However, next round of abuse isn’t far off, though, as their hormones do eventually surge. Roosters are then taken from the flocks they defend and sent to “freezer camp” (a term the backyard chicken keeping community uses to describe slaughtering and then freezing them).
In the face of all of this, roosters are still seen as mean. But they’re really not! Roosters, like most other animals, will almost always give the respect back that they receive. When a rooster has accepted a human as his friend and flock member, he is the best friend you could have. Roosters are personable and amazing guys. Roosters are extroverts. Roosters who come to sanctuaries after surviving their previous circumstances eventually forgive humans for any suffering they previously experienced because of the time the spend socializing with their loving caregivers. A rooster’s love takes time to earn… like everything worth anything does.
Roosters can be aggressive and there are ways to deal with aggressive roosters kindly. One of the best ways to deal with an aggressive rooster is to handle him often. Scooping him up and carrying him around during chores, taking a hike, watching a movie are all easy ways to spend time with your rooster. When a rooster kicks, a great method is just to immediately pick him up. Reacting or yelling will only make him more aggressive.
Learn to read when roosters are on the defense. If he has a hen friend laying an egg, or is keeping an eye on the sky while is friends dustbathe, he may be less enthusiastic about human presence. It’s also crucial to ask if your rooster could be communicating illness, injury, or discomfort if he is acting differently. Being familiar with your rooster’s overall behavior and keeping regular tabs on his health is important for this reason. Could he have a sore on his foot, lice, or anything else that could be causing agitation?
Providing a large and enriched environment is important to rooster health and well-being. A happier rooster is a happier caretaker. Lots of perches, an area to dustbathe, and shade are all that’s needed. It is also crucial to have predator protection (including aviary netting) to keep roosters safe and care-free!