Young Rooster friendly with me - aggressive to one of my girls

[tizabel_]

I have a flock of 8 hens and one rooster named Birdy. He’s maybe 5 months old, an EE and Cochin or Brahma mix i‘m thinking.
All of my girls were hand raised by me and love me, and Birdy was introduced around 2 months later. Although I didn’t raise him, he’s naturally friendly to humans and enjoys being held.
He has been very sweet to my hens and me ever since I got him. Just this morning he was chasing my favorite hen, like he was trying to drive her out of the flock. He won’t let her near him or the other hens. She doesn’t have any missing feathers, just roughed up.
My guess is that he doesn’t like sharing his hens with me, because I give her the most attention, and for some reason he would rather just kick her out of the flock than attack me and try to win her back.
I love all of my birds and I would really really like to try to fix this instead of trying to rehome him, where he will likely be eaten. I know there’s not much hope for that.
Does anybody have any ideas for the reasoning of his behavior, how to fix it, or just any comments? Some might say to give up my hens to him, and stop giving them attention so that they’re all his. But if that’s the only way then I’ll have to rehome him.
Thank you for your help! Right now he is shut up in their wire run while the hens are out in the yard.

 

[Tonyroo]

If you want to keep him, he should be separated from your hens for a while. He's in his hormonal stage so terrorizing and every bad behavior will come up. He has no control over it, till he gets older and starts to level out his hormones. Usually a one year old rooster will be more manageable and settle in with the flock without incident.

So if you can let him have his own sleeping quarters by himself. That would be the best way.

 

[Mrs. K]

I am a believer is solving for peace in the flock. You might just try pulling the victim, see how he acts, and if everything is good, that is your solution. Do know, if you pull her the chance of her going back into the flock is very poor.

What are the measurements of your arrangement. It sounds as if they are getting close to full size. What often was more than enough room for chicks, rapidly becomes not enough room for full size birds. Some birds can take over crowding and others are hugely bothered by this. Give us your measurements and pictures and we can help.

Do know that there are a lot of wishful thinking out there:

• being raised together has little influence on adult chicken behavior
• letting birds out for a couple of hours will make up for too small of coop, it won't
• and one really needs to do something physical to the set up, when you get this behavior, wishing won't help.

Almost always bullying behavior is much more apt to be due to space and chicken temperament, than to any human chicken interaction or relationship.

 

[Mrs. K]

My guess is that he doesn’t like sharing his hens with me, because I give her the most attention, and for some reason he would rather just kick her out of the flock than attack me and try to win her back.

This really has little to do with a Cockerel behavior. He would not want to share his hen with another cockerel, but does not see this from that point of view.

 

[tizabel_]

I am a believer is solving for peace in the flock. You might just try pulling the victim, see how he acts, and if everything is good, that is your solution. Do know, if you pull her the chance of her going back into the flock is very poor.

What are the measurements of your arrangement. It sounds as if they are getting close to full size. What often was more than enough room for chicks, rapidly becomes not enough room for full size birds. Some birds can take over crowding and others are hugely bothered by this. Give us your measurements and pictures and we can help.

Do know that there are a lot of wishful thinking out there:

• being raised together has little influence on adult chicken behavior
• letting birds out for a couple of hours will make up for too small of coop, it won't
• and one really needs to do something physical to the set up, when you get this behavior, wishing won't help.

Almost always bullying behavior is much more apt to be due to space and chicken temperament, than to any human chicken interaction or relationship.

I can’t pull the victim. I cherish her.

I’m positive that size isn’t a problem. I don’t know the exact measurements of the coop but it’s a small shed where 5 people could sit cross legged comfortably, and it’s about 6 feet tall. They have two branches to roost on that are about 5 feet wide.

The hens are older than Birdy and have been full grown and starting to lay eggs. Their run is about 6x the size of their coop. Birdy was locked in their run for the day, but all of them are usually out in the rest of my yard which is fenced and several acres.

They will stay in the run during winter but this behavior started before the snow came, when they had full range of my yard.

Thank you for your reply! I’m stumped now if it’s not size or hormones, what else would it be?

 

[sourland]

Sometimes a dominant hen will fight/resist a cockerel. Frequently if that happens he sees her as an adversary rather than as a possible mate. I would remove him from the flock until he matures. If upon reintroduction he continues to be aggressive, he would have to leave my flock. Good luck with resolving this.