Why did my rooster kill all my hens??

[sdc302]

Went to feed and water my chickens yesterday and I found 5 dead hens a couple with heads off. Check cage no Predators have gotten in. My rooster had what looked like blood around beak area. The rest of them seemed calm . Checked back a few times last night all seemed well.
Went out this morning 5 'more dead ones few with heads off again my ofther rooster is beat up bad and more blood around the beak of the other.
I have cage him up now ( husband says there's dinner)
I know we will have to get rid of him but would like to figure out what happened. Never had a problem at all before with him. He is actually probably one of the friendliest ones in the coop.
What happened

 

[roosterhavoc]

I was outside in the coop. I noticed my rooster cornering one of my hens pecking at the back of her neck. There are no predictors because I right now keep them in the chicken house.
I kept watching him. He kept going after this hen trapping her in every spot she was in. He was not trying to saddle her just cornering her pecking at her neck.
In the last three months I found 2 hens ( great layers) dead in their house. No marks or blood on them just laying there dead. 4 weeks ago I found a dead hen with the back of the neck torn you could see the neck bone. Another good layer.
This morning I spent an hour and a half in the chicken house. I shooed him away from my hen with a stick because he comes after me trying to spur me.
Why is my rooster being so aggressive killing off my hens and coming after me.
I raised all of these chickens from pulleys, him to. He's becoming a problem rooster. Please help me I don't want to loose any more hens.

If I were you I’d kill the rooster. Simple fix.

 

[Percheron chick]

Not the rooster.

 

[3riverschick]

This is a predator. It got in somehow. Probably a mink or a weasel. Your rooster is a hero. he got hurt defending his hens.
They can get in a hole as small as a quarter. check again for small holes, loose boards, etc. can you put your remaining birds somewhere else temperarilay until you find the hole and fix it? It's going to keep coming back and killing. They kill for sport.

 

[chicken4prez]

not a rat, i think. probably a mink or a weasel. They can get in a hole as small as a quarter. check again for small holes, loose boards, etc.

X2

 

[drumstick diva]

totally agree - it's not your roosters, it's a weasel, mink or similar horrible predator. Post on the predator threads and see what they come up with. These vermin can get through very small openings.

 

[Percheron chick]

Weasel, mink, raccoons ... Pictures of the coop please. Someone can reach in and do that kind of damage.
First a rooster can not rip a head off a hen much less 5. The blood on his beak is from trying to roust the dead hen,defending her or just pecking at her to check things out. The other hens probably have some as well. You'll continue to lose chickens until you fix things.

 

[3riverschick]

Check for brown or black hair around your coop and run. Maybe some rubbed off as it was entering the place. They cannot get thru hardware cloth. How big is your run and coop? Is it fully enclosed? You may have to fort the birds up at night in a hardware cloth enclosed space. if you have even one wire broken between chicken wire holes, that is enough for them to gain entrance.
Karen

New egg, where are you located, ? That's a big help when giving advice! Thanks!

 

[Howard E]

To the OP, almost certainly a weasel or one of the cousins. One of the worst is the tiny little Least Weasel. They can climb or dig and can go through holes the size of chicken wire.

This from Illinois, but the same applies anywhere they are found:

https://www.dnr.illinois.gov/conservation/wildlife/Pages/LeastWeasel.aspx

When they go at a victim, they get on their back and bite at the back of the head and neck, so it looks like heads ripped off. They also go into a frenzy and attack what moves, which is why they often kill several at a time, if not all of them. If they don't get them all at once, they work a territory, so may be back. Apparently yours has already come back twice.

Trapping them takes a bit of skill. You can use a wooden rat trap by itself, but it will work better in a weasel box trap. Google those or look at Youtube.

Do you also have any kind of an issue with rats or mice hanging around?

 

[LadyVictorian]

2X I hope the Roo that was separated from the rest didn't end up dinner! He's the HERO and I hope Jr heals well with the remaining hens. So sorry for you loss & I hope you catch (KILL) whatever it was! Glad we don't have as many predators here (Hawaii) that's in the Mainland but we do have IDIOTS that try brining in snakes & other vermin.

We do have the Mongoose, Hawaiian Hawk, feral cats/dogs & people that let their dog/cats run the streets are the worst.

That is really nice and I get people want pet snakes and all that but so many people get them to look cool then toss them into the wild and they DESTROY the ecosystem. Just look at Florida.