10 mo cockerel stirring up the pot

[ssferret]

One of my hatchlings last year happened to be a cockerel I named Muffin. I went ahead and gave him to my neighbors. The only concern I had is they only had 2 average sized hens and Muffin is a Light Brahma.

Since they free ranged I wanted my cockerel to be at least 5 months. That seemed to work out well. The darker hen was dominant and Muffin decided not to fight about it.

Now it near the beginning of spring and Muffin is 10 months. It's time to take over. My neighbor just called me saying for the past week Muffin has been terrorising both girls. I could take him back for the time being but I don't think that's going to work well.

I told him that even though the chickens know each other to try putting Muffin in a large carrier and let the hens decide whether they want to interact with him but I've usually only heard about doing this for introducing chickens not for established flocks.

I'm in the middle of incubating more eggs and hopefully at least give our neighbor 2 more hens. That might help but it will be a while.

His hens are so stressed they're not laying eggs. I feel like this is my fault. Is there anything we can do other than letting it run it's course?

Thanks everyone.

 

[ChickenCanoe]

Cockerels do that. You could house him separately till the neighbor has more hens or you could eat Muffin.

 

[ssferret]

I figured. Don't know if you eating Muffin regarding his name or cull him. Either way, being his mama from the time he hatched, I could never nibble even a feather off of him. When I visit him, he recognizes my calls and had even done the barnyard dance around me. What can I say, I think of my chickens as part of the family.

 

[Isadora]

Whatever you decide to do, don't go around thinking this is your fault. Cockerels will be cockerels.