Many roosters have very individual personalities and enjoy attention from caretakers! If your rooster really likes you, he just might dance for you! Make sure your rooster and his hens have plenty of space of their own. Crowding a rooster may make him feel threatened and cause unwanted displays of aggression.
It's not uncommon to hear a chicken scream when it sees someone it loves. This is actually a sign that it's happy you're there. Your flock may also express their love through coos and other soft noises when they're near you and content.
High Energy. The easiest and fastest way to know if your chickens are happy is to watch them. A content chicken will participate in normal chicken activities, such as pecking and scratching the ground, taking a dust bath, hunting for bugs, nesting, preening, and laying eggs.
While they may not seem like the most obviously affectionate of animals, most backyard chickens grow very accustomed to their owners, often delighting in being picked up, petted and talked to in a soft and gentle manner.
Spend Quality Time
One of the best ways to get your flock to trust you is to spend time with them. If they're chicks, pick them up and spend some one-on-one time with them every day. Let them see your face and talk to them. They will get comfortable with you and even nap in your hands or on your lap.
Signs Of An Aggressive Rooster
Aggressively flapping his wings. This is to make him look bigger than he is since he sees you as a threat. Raising his hackle feathers at you. This is also done to make himself appear bigger towards threats.
Chickens can recognise up to 100 faces
These faces included those of humans! Chickens even remember positive or negative experiences with the faces they recognise and pass that information on to members of their flocks.
Don't act threatening toward a rooster or his flock. Avoid chasing his hens to catch them or performing stealthy behaviors that could be taken as the stalking of a predator. Just be calm and make sure your rooster is aware of your presence. Talking to him in a calm voice can help.
If he thinks you will back down and leave, he will continue to display aggression in an effort to chase you off (as a perceived predator) and protect his ladies. So when your rooster begins to show signs of aggression, or starts to chase towards you, make him retreat, by walking boldly towards him.
Chickens are fun to watch, and even though roosters tend to be less people-friendly than hens, some of them can be docile and friendly. This is especially true if they have been handled and picked up, starting when they are young chicks.
A rooster often has his favorite girl, with whom he spends most of his time. She is not necessarily at the top of the pecking order, but he will treat her like a queen. It's possible that other hens might be envious of her role, because when the rooster is removed, his favorite hen is sometimes picked on by the others.
Silkie roosters are known to have very docile temperaments and friendly, calm personalities. They adapt well to confinement and would be a good fit for small backyard flocks. Silkie roosters (and hens) are not very cold hardy due to their unique feather type that does not trap heat well.
A good dominant rooster will spend about 70 percent of his time looking out for his harem, watching for predators and interference from other roosters. Research shows they are also good providers, leading hens to the best food.
The hen will crouch (dip her head and body) to indicate receptiveness to the male. The rooster will then mount the hen and grab her comb, neck feathers, or the skin on the back of her head or neck to help hold onto the hen's back.
Roosters do the cutest little dance when they're excited. Sometimes this excitement may be an expression of positive feelings (like happiness), and sometimes it may be an expression of negative feelings (like anger).
Most chickens prefer to sleep on a roost rather than on the floor or in a nesting box. And trying to do the right thing, many backyard chicken keepers provide roosts in the form of broom handles or round bars. However, a perfectly round roost is actually one of the worst choices for chickens.
When a rooster wants a hen he demonstrates this by hanging one wing down and circling the desired hen. They will seek out food for them and chirp excitedly to coax the hens to the food. Rooster's will wait until the hens eat before he eats.
Protection. Some chickens may also squat as a way to protect themselves. That's why chickens squat when you pet them.
One way to do this is to pick up the rooster and hold him steady, no matter what he does. Hold him there until he has been calm for 15 to 30 minutes. Then set him down. If, as you set him down, he resumes fighting, pick him back up and repeat the process.
Taming Aggressive Rooster Behavior
Take a few steps or even run toward him. DO NOT walk away from him or turn your back to him until he has surrendered to you. The process may take a little while, but be patient. Be prepared to stand and stare at him, but don't walk away.
A protective rooster will also approach predators (and often people), and pretend to peck around while keeping his eye trained on suspicious activity. Depending on his size and temperament, a protective rooster will also fend off attackers or sacrifice himself for the flock.
You may be surprised to learn that chickens can be taught to recognise their own names. Chickens do have ears, they're just not external ones. (That would look really odd.) Sounds are very important to them, they can make over 30 different distinct noises to communicate with each other.
Many roosters will go through a period at about five or six months old where they suddenly become more aggressive. This is because they are reaching sexual maturity, and they suddenly have new hormones racing through their bodies, and begin crowing, among other things!