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oldhenlikesdogs said:
New feathers coming is uncomfortable and even painful for some, so it's not unusual for a rooster to stop mating during it. Usually roosters molt first before the hens.
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newhamplover said:
In my breed, New Hamps which are a meat breed, they stop laying in molt. I have one hen where molting has started & she has quit laying. The other hen hasn't started molt yet & is still laying. Harry is also starting molt, those beautiful tail feather are going fast. He never tries to breed when a hen is not in lay. My 5 month pullets are not in lay yet so he pays them no attention. I am glad they stop laying so all of the protein can go into making new feathers.
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Thanks, oldhen... and newhamp...! Sounds like as I figured, depends on the rooster. I will hope my guy is like Harry! Sounds like another sign of a good rooster.
 
Uzisuzuki, same here for me. Year one was great. No sick chickens, no mysterious deaths, no problems. This year has been my tour of the dark side so to speak. Early summer saw my favorite rooster become suddenly sick and nothing we could do would save him. He succumbed without us ever knowing what caused his death. Then last week I had to put one of his sons down. He suddenly lost balance and grew worse until he seized every time we touched him. We finally decided that it was time to let him go fly free. He was my favorite 'quirky boy' also, just a friendly, nutty little cockerel only 6 months old. We buried him next to his dad, so I well understand how you are feeling.

I have a hen sitting on three of our flock's eggs and 8 Old English game bantam eggs. I feel like it's a turn around. Life renewing itself.

So sorry about your loss. I hate skunks and raccoons.
hugs.gif
 
All Ball said:
Thanks, oldhen... and newhamp...! Sounds like as I figured, depends on the rooster. I will hope my guy is like Harry! Sounds like another sign of a good rooster.
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Thank you for your compliment. Harry is such a special guy & my heart goes out to the previous post. I could not image losing him. I cried for 2 days when his sons went to their new homes so I can't imagine how hard it is to lose them.

I am curious & maybe some people would post about what kind of roos they have & their temperaments. The breeder I got mine from had been breeding chickens for 35 years. He is retired now but he only bred 3 heritage breeds, Barred Rocks, Delawares, & the German line New Hamps. He said he hadn't had a mean roo in years, not since he used to breed some of the more exotic breeds. He said that some of those roos were awful. That was why he quit breeding them. I wonder if the larger breeds are more gentle. In horses there can be nothing meaner than a shetland. In a lot of dogs the little ones can be the meanest. I just wonder if it is the gentle giant thing.
 
I have tried many different breeds of roosters and have only had one human aggressive rooster. I do avoid the lighter breeds and only keep dual purpose and bantam. I really like my barnevelder rooster, the one before this one was gentle too. My Orpingtons are always good boys, and the majority of my roosters are either bantam cochins and d'uccle. My large breed roosters have all come from MPC. This year I have another young barred rock, a good laced Wyandotte, and two Wyandotte mixes, so we shall see who we keep I have already culled the two olive eggers for being aggressive with the younger roosters.
 
I have A New Hampshire Red roo.He likes to sit on my lap and preen hinself.Ever since he was young he criws in my lap.
 
As far as temprament is concerned, my Buff O boys have ranked #1. I've had 2 out of 7 that were 'onery and had to hit the road but for the most part the roosters are all funny, spirited, friendly and too smart for their own good. I have two Welsummer roosters that are beautiful but one likes to do rear attacks when your back is turned. I spent most of the summer healing up a spur wound on my calf thanks to Bohica. The only reason he's still around is he's good with the hens so I just don't turn my back on him. The other has become a nice rooster but only after a lot of work. I have a Lavender O that is just a plain well, you can fill in the blank, but he is a gorgeous bird and his first offspring, a Lav O Buff O cross pullet is just a doll, so he gets a reprieve.

I have Buff O/Welsummer cross cockerels that are great birds and two Welsummer/Speckled Sussex cross cockerels that are only 11 weeks old so the jury is still out on them.

I think a lot with Roosters has to do with genetics. No matter how hard you try, if they don't have 'happy rooster' genes, they are gonna be mean, 'onery, cantankerous boogers and you are going to dream of different ways of cooking up and serving for Sunday dinner.
 
Jersey Giant - he was a nut case but he also died from genetic issues early on so watch for bad breeding. I'm willing to give JGs another shot in the future. Way in the future. Stunning from far away. People would stop their cars to watch him.

Phoenix - timid, watchful, smart. Good lookout. Not a pet, but a useful roo for the flock. Plus he's super pretty.

Easter Egger - like having a 3 year old spoiled beast of a child all the time. I'm madly in love with him but I want to beat his brains in half the time. Definitely a pet.
 
It doesn't sound like the size has anything to do with it. I was just curious if some breeds seemed to be more aggressive than others. I know as a kid I had a little bantam hen & she would ride on the handlebars of my tricycle. I, like Old hen, have never seen a humanly aggressive roo. My Grandpa always had the big heritage chickens & they were always fine. I had never even thought of an aggressive roo. My Dad had the games but they never bothered me. I have very little knowledge about most of the breeds as I have never been around them.

A couple of years ago my husband got me Storey's Guide to Poultry breeds for Xmas & I was astounded at HOW many breeds there are.
 
Amelia Egghart said:
Jersey Giant - he was a nut case but he also died from genetic issues early on so watch for bad breeding. I'm willing to give JGs another shot in the future. Way in the future. Stunning from far away. People would stop their cars to watch him.

Phoenix - timid, watchful, smart. Good lookout. Not a pet, but a useful roo for the flock. Plus he's super pretty.

Easter Egger - like having a 3 year old spoiled beast of a child all the time. I'm madly in love with him but I want to beat his brains in half the time. Definitely a pet.
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I have only seen pics of the Jersey Giants & they are stunning. I don't know why but I like the big breeds but not a nut case LOL. The breeder I got mine from had some of the most beautiful Barred Rocks I had ever seen. Those roos made Harry look little. One of our friends went with us to get them & she couldn't believe the size of the BR roos.
 
microchick said:
Sebloc:

Sounds like a rooster being a rooster to me.

Young roosters have no finesse when it comes to courting the hens. It sounds and looks pretty much like aggression until he figures out what he is supposed to be doing. You have to remember that what looks like 'abuse' to us is normal mating behavior for young roosters and sometimes older ones also.

Right now his hormones are starting to surge and he is reacting to them. Also, he may just be reminding the girls that he is at the top of the pecking order and they are beneath him, once again, normal chicken behavior. Once he matures things will settle down with him.

18 weeks sounds about right for this to start happening to your boy. I just had three roosters that started this behavior at 12 weeks. They are almost 7 months old now and are the flock masters. Still a little pushy but they are growing into fine young roosters and treat the hens well.

If you are not free ranging or planning to brood any of your hens, then re homing your boy is an option. But you cannot beat a good rooster on board if for nothing else, protecting your hens, even if they are in a pen. I wouldn't be without my roosters even though I do not free range our flock due to predators.
I've seen them sound an alarm, herd the hens into a corner of the run under cover then put themselves between the hens and whatever caused them to sound the alarm. No doubt in my mind they would have given their lives for those girl's safety.
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We have them in a run, not planning to brood them. We were planning on getting rid of him as soon as we found out. Is it possible to "neuter" a chicken at the vet? Would that cause problems? Rather not have another group of chicks. Thanks.
 

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