Roo changed in behavior

[Gardenalex]

I am desperated!!!
I had never luck with roos since i started with chickens in April 2015. They were just rude to my hens, raped them, chased them and they were afraid of them.
At the moment i still have a lot of young males, cause i let my hens hatch there own chicks naturally. I just got 2 hens, but more than 35 males - jep unbelievable but true. I know that there is nearly no hope of finding in this group a aceptable roo, because the father of all of them was awful, attacked me at the end (I sent some already to my fridge, and the plan is all of them!).

So I got with a lot of hope a Swedisch Flower male from a friend of my German chicken forum. She could not keep him, and I fell in love with him.
He is with us since 2 month. At the start he was a very calm, quiet und polite roo. But since two weeks I am starting to get desperated. I am now really attachted to him but over night he started chasing my Orpington hen. He realized that she is stronger than him, so he chased here, finding him winning over her. At that point he changed. I recognized that some of my hens are hiding in bushes and in one of my greenhhouses, that my molting hen jumped on me when she sees him, that some of my hens, that were forced to run from his desires are screaming very loudly, and that my Orpington is raped every morning and more times over the day since two weeks.
Since that he began starting to crow incredibly often guessing 150 times a day.
He is the first one on the pole, ignoring that all of his girls are still walking around. That is around 4 P.M., then he starts crowing some time at 10 P.M, goes futher on at 12 P.M., 2. A.M., and from 4 A.M to 8 A.M he crows permanently.

I have no idea what to do with him. I would accept the crowing but not his rudeness to the hens.
Yesterday I had to seperate him in a chicken tractor to save one of my Welsumers from him. She was screaming and he after her, over the front and the second garden.

I can not undertstand that. He was calm, he was sweet, and now there is nothing left from that.
He even picks after my molting hen, trying even to rape her, picks away the smaller chicks from food.
I am worried. We are now in December, but what will he do in sping??
He is now six month old.

Perhaps you can give me an advice! Please...

 

[chickens really]

He will not change......Hormones are starting to rage.....He is not being a gracious Cockerel to the Hens/Pullets at all....I would get rid of him....I have a 7 month old Cockerel who is actually well behaved and he loves the hens....He tidbits for them and misses out on any scratch I toss out because he is more concerned about the Hens..He is my third Rooster...The other two are gone....I was attacked by the second one I had....He was horrid........

Cheers!

 

[Gardenalex]

I fear so too, that he will not change.
That is bad (wrote another word but ended with stars)! Another roo that I am really attached to that will end in my fridge. Yes, i think there will be no hope to find him a new home. It is very difficult to find a new home here for a roo, but at the moment Germany is suffering under the chicken flue...That makes it much harder. I think impossible.

Thank you chickens really for your opinion.

But before i make the final cut, that you can´t take back, have more of you the opinion to get rid of him. Or can someone give me hope...some hope...little hope...just some...

 

[chickens really]

There will always be others who will tell you he can be reformed.....In my experiences with Cockerels/Roosters....Impossible task....

Go with your gut....What behaviours you can tolerate and what ones drive you crazy.....Having Birds should be fun...Not stressful....


Best of Luck!


Cheers!

 

[Gardenalex]

As i told i would accept the crowing but not the rudeness against my hens.
On the other hand, I think it is impossible to have such a bad luck!!! I started with a red Wyandotte roo, lived just some month, because of raping my hens. They stayed the hole day in my greenhouse, did not come out because of him.
Then I got a mix roo, the same...just brutal.
Then another wyandotte roo...first calm...then just raping.
Then another mix. Attacking me...

And now the Swedish Flower roo.

Some time i think it is my fault! That i am to attached to my hens, and they to me...so my Orpington, which thinks I am her roo.

But somewhere, there MUST be a man for us!!! A good roo, calm to me and my hens, gentle and wary.

@chickens really how long do you have chickens?

 

[chickens really]

Going into my 5th year with my own Birds....My family always had them.......

You may also, just do not like the breeding practice of a Cockerel or Rooster...? Some breed more and are very aggressive when handling the hens...Young Cockerels are worse....Hormones and lack the experience with Hens....

It is not Rape...It is normal behaviour...........He is only being a Cock Bird........


Cheers!

 

[Gardenalex]

I am not doubting your advice, that was not the reason for asking for your experience. I just wanted to know.

But it seems to me that it is not just my feeling that all roos, including the Swedish Flower roo, are too rude. I think the hens are not screaming because they are amused by that behavior.
He started here with dancing, but now he is just hopping on the hens or hunting them.
I this really normal for a young rooster?

I thought winter is a calm time, and that the hormones will really push trough in spring.

Now i am confused. First you told me to get rid of him, now you tell me it is normal.

 

[chickens really]

It is normal with young Cockerels......Sometimes they settle down....Sometimes they get worse......I personally would not keep him....

I know your wanting things to workout....Do you actually need the Rooster?........In my opinion you should just enjoy the hens and eggs and have zero Rooster......


Cheers!

 

[Blooie]

It's early in the morning for me so not all of my brain cells are awake yet, but I think I'd like some clarification on your first post if that's okay. How many hens in total do you have? You said you just got 2 hens and have 35 roosters. Did that mean you only have two hens or that you recently acquired 2 more hens? Do you still have that many roosters?

 

[chickens really]

Excellent point @Blooie

I totally missed that part.....


Cheers!