Rooster Behavior Help please

[Sams Backyard Flock]

I love all the advice on this site. I just spent 2 days reading all the posts and responses about Rooster behavior. Some really good advice and the article amazing. Here’s my dilemma. I have 2 Easter Egger Cockerels/Roos 15 wk old. One is Alpha (Happy) one is Beta (Dixon). Both brothers raised from 1 Day old with 3 RI hens. I thought I had bought 6 pullets but 3 were Roos. I re-homed one. We got 4 more pullets now 11 weeks old 3 BJG and 1 Blue Cochin. Happy has matured fast, started crowing around 11 weeks. His hormones are raging. He was so sweet the favorite of everyone ergo the name Happy Feet. He looked just like that penguin as a chick. He is what I believe from the article and posts a good rooster. He protects the flock, provides food for them, he lets them eat first, keeps them from getting lost, keeps them from fighting amongst themselves, everything was great! Until he started to mate every morning and evening with the 3 RI. He seems to leave them alone during the day and while free ranging. He loves his girls. I know this is natural hormonal behavior for a Roo, but now the RI are stressed out, won’t come out of the coup for hours and definitely are afraid of him. He still shows dominance to Dixon, but only because Dixon now wants to mate too and Happy won’t let him. Nothing too serious yet, a few feather pulling for a moment then it’s over. I started noticing the hens getting thinner and concerned they’re afraid to eat out of fear of being mated. I love All my birds and try not to have to re-home Happy. He’s just doing his job and from what I read, a very good job. He has begun trying to challenge me, nipped me a few times, but I can dominate him, by picking him up in the coup and carry him around, have coffee and sweet talk. He calms down, or hold him to the ground for a moment. His aggression is over quickly and he doesn’t try again for days. I’m hoping the challenging me thing will go away as he comes through his puberty LOL. It’s not over the top. I now take him and Dixon from the coup in the mornings and isolate them in a bachelor pad from morning to noon, to allow the hens to come out and eat in peace, while Trying to integrate the 11 week girls too. I let them all free range together in the afternoon with minimal issues (just normal pecking order routines). I’m hoping this will allow the 4 pullets to age, integrate, and give the boys 7 hens instead of 3?? We hope to add soon 3 more 16 week old hens from a hatchery to make it 10 hens. I know the ratio is 1:10, but hoping for a miracle that this will work. Allow the Roos to mature out of their puberty, the hens to calm down and start laying eggs, and the youngest to integrate. Am I over optimistic?? Hoping for a Healthy, peaceful Flock again?? Or do I need to re-home my Roo Happy? They have a large 16 x 24 ft run and 2 coups. Lots of space with lots of diversions. Advice please? PS my family’s observations of the 2 Roos is Happy Is the machismo Athlete and Dixon is the Poet. Would love to share about Dix on another post.

 

[oldhenlikesdogs]

You are gonna have to choose between the roosters, or rotate them out occasionally. Personally I don't like friendly roosters. They often will challenge you. You won't see the real troubles until next spring under surging hormones.

I personally would remove both roosters to a separate pen where they will stay until you decide which one,or you get more hens. You also will put an end to bad habits by removing them.

Your pullets don't need all that extra stress. Roosters can mate every 10 minutes. That's a lot on your pullets.

I personally would stop interacting with them. I prefer roosters that remain a respectable 5-10 feet back. It shows they aren't intent on dominating me, and they have a healthy respect for me.

 

[50-45-1]

Sounds like you have done your homework and have appropriatly handled the situation well.
I believe you will have to rehome one of your roosters to achieve the peacefull flock you desire.
Happy may calm down after puberty, and/or the other rooster may become a terror himself after Happy leaves.
Rooster behavior and personallity are a crap shoot. You never know what you will get.
Good luck!

 

[JacinLarkwell]

That 1.10 ratio isn't set in atone. I have plenty of pairs and trios that get along fine with no stress or damage and have at the same time had roos that would still cause havok and stress to hens if they had 20 to themselves

 

[Sams Backyard Flock]

Great advice. . Dixon has always been very independent but very very loving. He still runs up to me no fear or intimidation. He only began crowing a week ago, but has always pushed Happy back, but has recently stopped challenging him and taken a back seat. He seems content to let Happy run things. While he jusT goes about his own business. He has always been the explorer And has wondered around on his own since a baby. He lets me pick him up without a chase. Still the first to run up to me every time. When I sit with them to give treats he will fly up on my lap, the arm of my chair or my shoulder and sit (which he is definitely getting to big for the shoulder now) LOL. But I can tell Happy gets upset when he does this and will challenge Dix when he gets down for a brief moment. I watch Happy allow Dix to help him herd and protect the hens all day long, like bro’s. But when Dix tries to mate, then Happy will stop him and pull his feathers. . Dix is pretty kick back as you can see in the pics. But do understand if I get rid of Happy he might change. I re-homed their brother Alphie because he was definitely the ALPHA, bigger more aggressive since birth. I thought him to be the Alpha hen hehe and named him Alphetta then Alphie. Happy and Alphie always had challenged each other and Happy NEVER backed down even though he was half his size. Alphie also was very aggressive with the hens and me. So out of concern of his machismo I selected him to go. Dix never backed down either, but really could care less about the whole dominance thing. He never started a challenge but never backed down either. He would defend himself with Happy then both stopped as soon as it started?? Couldn’t tell if it was serious or playing. He just seemed to go about his own business and Content on exploring?? He always seems to come back to be part of the flock and enjoys the company. Then off he goes again. He now loves to perch and watch everything. Should I continue to try?

 

[Folly's place]

I'm 100% with @oldhenlikesdogs concerning preferred rooster behaviors, and want mine to go about their primo function, which is paying attention to the flock, and not me! I expect that they will move out of my way as I walk though the flock, and never will I have a bird anywhere near my face or very precious eyeballs!
Either do a bachelor flock now, eliminate both of them, or choose one and rehome the other soonest. Your pullets are not having a good time!
Mary

 

[Sams Backyard Flock]

A lot of good advice. I agree with the stress on the pullets. Will keep the Roosters together at night, mornings until noon. But do have sky predators and like the roosters, hens and dogs free ranging together during the day. The flock really enjoys this function. The dogs are great around the flock and my hubby and I spend a lot of time outside enjoying our pool and yard. We have an acre Half landscaped w/pool. Half agricultural. We did post for a home for Happy. We’ll see what happens. Thank you everyone.

 

[Sams Backyard Flock]

I know people like pics. Here is Happy and Dix hanging out under their favorite grape vines. The 3 RI are hidden behind them, safe and cool. Like I said during the day they all get along great. Just the evenings and mornings are an issue. At least recently. Here is a our backyard set up. They have a lot of good green to eat and places to forage. Their coup and run is in the back.

 

[pennyJo1960]

Need to choose now I have two here but have their own girls and bathelor pad is good young cockerel can be taken away totaly for short times let the girls rest

 

[RainbowHen]

I would not reintroduce the roos to the girls until they are all laying. Pullets mature slower than cockerels and the boys can really make the ladies miserable.