New to byc! Need help!

[monique377]

I have 4 hens and 1 rooster. Since I got them together, they have all gotten along perfectly. They are all 4 months old! Rooster is only trying to breed with one hen and being super aggressive towards her when not trying to breed. Other hens act as if they are trying to copy him and also being extremely mean to her. When I go to the coop she's always hiding in a corner with her head covered. The rooster won't let her drink water and she won't leave my side when I'm in the coop because of constant fear of all of them. Is this all because of my rooster or is it just a pecking order? I'm just scared for her living in anxiety..

 

[sumi]

Welcome to BYC

I would remove the rooster from the pen for a few days and see if things improve for the poor thing. Good luck!

 

[monique377]

Okay gonna give it a try thanks!

 

[donrae]

My thought is, how much space do your birds have? Sounds like a possible overcrowding issue. A good rule of thumb is 4 square feet each in the coop and 10 square feet each in the run. This is not absolute, but often behavioral issues are the birds telling you they're cramped for space.

You can also try setting up hiding places for the hen, to break the line of sight from her and the cockerel.

 

[aart]

Welcome to BYC!
The space question is a good one.

Also know that your cockerel (not a cockbird/rooster until one year old) is 'coming of age',
before your pullets (not a hen until one year old) are ready....this is normal.
Cockerels can be very aggressive trying to mate, they don't know what they are doing but are driven by hormones.
You may want to keep him separated until the pullets are ready to mate and he may gain some manners.
You may also want to think it over and decide if you really want a male bird.

 

[monique377]

It's a 10by10 run space and 4by5 coop! But sense getting my first two eggs yesterday afternoon they seemed to calm down a little ! Goig to keep monitoring. But maybe the rooster isn't a right choice for our flock. Hopefully I can get his temper to change

 

[Mrs. K]

With just 5 hens, and you being new to this hobby, I would cull the rooster, roosters take a little experience, IMO. 4x5 coop, should have no more than 5 head. And a coop that was working well when the chicks were little, may be becoming to small as the chicks approach full size.

A flock of just hens is a good flock to start with, one can add a rooster later as people always have extra roosters.

Mrs K

 

[lazy gardener]

Agreed with Mrs. K. That coop is way too small for a rooster IMO, even if there were less hens, thus increasing the sq. footage/bird. Also, a roo, especially a young one should have plenty of hens so he can spread the love around. The recommendation is 1 roo/10 pullets/hens. My roo happily covered 24 gals with good fertility.