The Cuddling Rooster
Photo credit: Friendship photo by Hamzy Selamat (@hamzy) on Unsplash
Rooster's can be very affectionate and even cuddle with their owner's if they have an established relationship between them as demonstrated in this adorable video: The Cuddling Rooster...Grace. We know roosters can be very loving as we have had many sweet and cuddly roosters at Chicken Heaven On Earth Sanctuary. Getting your chicken to cuddle with you takes time and patience. Never act aggressively with your chicken, particularly a rooster, always show patience, love, and give them lots of attention and your chicken will be cuddling with you before you know it. If you are thinking of getting a pet rooster, it is best to get one which is already tamed, or one you raise as a baby chick but keep in mind roosters can get very aggressive when they are going through puberty and there comes a time when they need to be with hens and live in an outdoor coop. Never play fight with your young rooster. It may be cute at first when he is young but it will not be cute when he grows spurs and thinks it is okay to attack you if he views you as a potential threat to his hens or to show how macho he is in front of the hens and particularly if other roosters are present. Some breeds of roosters tend to be very friendly such as Cochin, Serama and Old English. However, breed may not be the only criteria, how the chick was raised, how much human interaction it had while growing up, and weather or not the bird was roughly handled can influence how a rooster behaves. Check out this video of The Cuddling Rooster...Grace.
Featured Video: The Cuddling Rooster...Grace
Important warning: The Center for Disease Control (CDC) warns against snuggling and kissing backyard chickens due to the possible risk of contracting salmonella. They recommend washing your hands after handling chickens and things your chickens use, changing clothing, keeping chickens and their things clean and clean birds and the things they use or come in contact with outdoors, as well as, leaving any shoes worn in the coop or chicken run outside. People most at risk are children under the age of 5, adults 65 and over and people with compromised immune systems (3).
References:
- Video: Madanna McIver. Cuddling rooster...Grace. Retrieved on June 18, 2016. from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fxzo14pMxi
- Header image. Friendship photo by Hamzy Selamat (@hamzy) on Unsplash. (2019). Unsplash.com. Retrieved 27 January 2019, from https://unsplash.com/photos/s-CHBd3Lgj4?like_photo=true
- Salmonella Outbreaks linked to Backyard. November 18, 2021. Centers for Disease Control. https://www.cdc.gov/salmonella/backyardpoultry-05-21/index.html