I don't know what I am doing wrong.... if anything. Why are roosters so brutal?
I have tried 3 sincere times over the course of approximately 9 years to have a rooster with my hens. Every time it has turned out bad.
As a new chicken owner back then I raised some Easter Egger chicks and kept a cockerel. One day he attacked me, thinking I was hurting his girls because I was clipping their wings because they were flying out of the back yard. I could never turn my back to him, he would attack so I didn't keep him. I went several years without trying again.
2nd roo I hatched and raised. He was a huge boy, had some Jersey Giant in him. He was good until he wasn't. I noticed he was being rough with the girls and one poor hen kept a bloody head. One day I saw him dragging a hen across the yard. I was so mad that I went out and shot him. (Sorry, I know that sounds horrible and if you only knew how much I love animals and how much I love my chickens, it broke my heart but I hate cruelty. I KNOW, I KNOW, that is just how a rooster is? I just can't.
Well fast forward a few years and so bad I wanted a rooster to protect the girls. I researched to see what I could try to do to make sure a rooster didn't get the bluff on me etc so I could hopefully be successful. I decided to refresh my flock with some new blood. So over the summer I got 3 EE chicks, then I added 3 Calico Princess chicks and another 6 EE chicks later. All were supposed to be pullets. One of the last set surprisingly turned out to be a cockerel. They are now 25 weeks. The roo was doing well, I thought well just maybe this one will be good. He seemed to be ok with the girls, didn't see any bad behavior and I was able to be around him and he didn't pay me any attention.
BUT today I noticed that he wasn't with the girls which was completely odd so I went looking for him and found him under the coop attacking one of my oldest EE's. She was far back under the coop to get away from him but he had her pinned. I got a stick and ran him off. He went out to the other girls so I went back in the house. 30 minutes later I checked on them again and still didn't see the white hen out. I found her still under the coop and when she turned her head that is when I saw all the blood. I caught the rooster and put him up so I could get her out and it took a while but I finally coaxed her out with treats. Oh my, my heart hurt. It looks like he may have damaged one of her ear lobes but the place on her is terrible. The picture doesn't do it justice.
I am sorry to say that Winchester is no longer breathing. I am just done with roosters. I can't do that to my girls. They give so much and all I can see that a rooster is good for is making babies and being abusive. That is my experience. I do realize they will give their lives for their girls but them being abusive to their girls doesn't work for me. I know that some people may have wonderful roosters but I am obviously not one of those people.
Sorry this is long but if you made it to the bottom, thank you for reading this. Hopefully it was a little bit of therapy for me. I just feel sad that I wasn't successful with him but I can't even think about doing it again.
I have tried 3 sincere times over the course of approximately 9 years to have a rooster with my hens. Every time it has turned out bad.
As a new chicken owner back then I raised some Easter Egger chicks and kept a cockerel. One day he attacked me, thinking I was hurting his girls because I was clipping their wings because they were flying out of the back yard. I could never turn my back to him, he would attack so I didn't keep him. I went several years without trying again.
2nd roo I hatched and raised. He was a huge boy, had some Jersey Giant in him. He was good until he wasn't. I noticed he was being rough with the girls and one poor hen kept a bloody head. One day I saw him dragging a hen across the yard. I was so mad that I went out and shot him. (Sorry, I know that sounds horrible and if you only knew how much I love animals and how much I love my chickens, it broke my heart but I hate cruelty. I KNOW, I KNOW, that is just how a rooster is? I just can't.
Well fast forward a few years and so bad I wanted a rooster to protect the girls. I researched to see what I could try to do to make sure a rooster didn't get the bluff on me etc so I could hopefully be successful. I decided to refresh my flock with some new blood. So over the summer I got 3 EE chicks, then I added 3 Calico Princess chicks and another 6 EE chicks later. All were supposed to be pullets. One of the last set surprisingly turned out to be a cockerel. They are now 25 weeks. The roo was doing well, I thought well just maybe this one will be good. He seemed to be ok with the girls, didn't see any bad behavior and I was able to be around him and he didn't pay me any attention.
BUT today I noticed that he wasn't with the girls which was completely odd so I went looking for him and found him under the coop attacking one of my oldest EE's. She was far back under the coop to get away from him but he had her pinned. I got a stick and ran him off. He went out to the other girls so I went back in the house. 30 minutes later I checked on them again and still didn't see the white hen out. I found her still under the coop and when she turned her head that is when I saw all the blood. I caught the rooster and put him up so I could get her out and it took a while but I finally coaxed her out with treats. Oh my, my heart hurt. It looks like he may have damaged one of her ear lobes but the place on her is terrible. The picture doesn't do it justice.
I am sorry to say that Winchester is no longer breathing. I am just done with roosters. I can't do that to my girls. They give so much and all I can see that a rooster is good for is making babies and being abusive. That is my experience. I do realize they will give their lives for their girls but them being abusive to their girls doesn't work for me. I know that some people may have wonderful roosters but I am obviously not one of those people.
Sorry this is long but if you made it to the bottom, thank you for reading this. Hopefully it was a little bit of therapy for me. I just feel sad that I wasn't successful with him but I can't even think about doing it again.
. 
