Cock a doodle doo

October 26, 2010 10:43 AM

What are some good resources, preferably online, for learning about chicken behavior?

I have a rooster that I'm fostering, and I'd like to know more about what to expect from him in terms of behavior and what it means when he does certain things. He is what's known around these parts as a 'gallo fino', a gamecock. I've read various fictional accounts of life growing up on the farm, and they always seem to include a rooster that terrorizes the poor children that have the chore of chicken feeding. Also, everyone who's met the rooster so far comments that he is very friendly and tame 'for a rooster'. I asked my veterinarian if he was docile simply because he's battling a foot infection, parasites, etc, but she said she didn't think so and that as long as I keep handling him a lot he'll remain tame, however, she doesn't treat a lot of chickens, so I'm looking for more information / opinions.

What are some good resources, preferably online, for learning about normal chicken behavior? If you keep roosters, how aggressive are they, really, normally? When I'm poking around in his crate, should I be expecting him to start poking around at my face? Is he going to start attacking small children any time soon? I am only partially joking.

Thanks in advance for any words of wisdom. For those who helped me with the 'what the hell do I feed this thing' question about the same rooster, thanks. He's now happily eating just about anything you give him, but he especially enjoys papaya.

posted by toodles to Pets & Animals (4 answers total)

you can pretty safely ignore the movies on netflix. i've seen them, they're lame.

I trust that since you're asking here, you've already searched youtube and/or google? what did you find, and how did it not meet your expectations?
posted by ChefJoAnna at 11:41 AM on October 26, 2010

Best answer: The Backyard Chickens forums (and the archives in particular) are a great resource.

For more advanced issues, the Merck Veterinary Manual is online as well.
posted by stet at 11:51 AM on October 26, 2010 [1 favorite]

Best answer: This particular type of rooster is generally very aggressive. Yes, he may go for your face. Yes, he will probably go after kids. Other breeds of rooster can be more docile. Not so for gamefowl. If he doesn't feel well, he's probably saving the best for later. He probably has spurs. You will want to watch out for that.

Backyard Chickens is an excellent resource. Be careful, and good luck.
posted by bolognius maximus at 12:21 PM on October 26, 2010

Response by poster: Thanks for the pointers to Backyard Chickens...there's a lot of chicken related stuff out there, from Associated Content on up, so it's great having some help separating the wheat from the chaff.

Thanks for the extra comments too. I think, based on your comment, bolognius maximus, as well as some of the rooster related threads at Backyard Chickens, that perhaps we have the rooster at an advantage at the moment. We don't have hens for him to defend. His territory at the moment, until his foot heals, consists of a 400 size Vari Kennel. He's handled multiple times a day, to treat his foot, and we always include some holding and petting time and hand feeding at the end of his foot treatments, so that he associates us with something other than stinging iodine. So it looks as if we've accidentally ended up doing some of the things that are recommended for keeping your rooster sane.

Thanks again for the help.
posted by toodles at 8:26 AM on October 27, 2010