12 week old Rooster being bullied

[Amanda1503]

Hello and sorry for the long post.

I have a 12 week old rooster and his sister that have been kept separated by a fence from my 6 hens. Yesterday, I watched one of the hens stick her head through the fence and pull out one of his feathers. I was keeping the 12 week olds in a wire crate in the coop with the hens at night. They’ve become too big for the crate so I started sneaking them onto the roosting bar at night. I’m out in the coop before the sunrises to get them back into their side of the run.
Has anyone had a problem with hens bullying roosters and if so how did you solve the problem? He’s on track to be a big boy so I think he’ll be able to hold his own when he gets a little older. I’m certain that if all the chickens were to free range together both the young ones would be bullied. The days have been short and with the snow I only have my older hens out about 1 hour a day (We have had a hungry hawk around so I like to be outside with them when they’re free ranging.)
Also, where do your roosters sleep?

 

[sourland]

Hens bullying cockerels is not always a bad thing. Flock raised/trained cockerels tend to be respectful of their flocks when they mature.

 

[Lacy Duckwing]

When I had roosters, they always slept with the hens, unless I had more than one. I would keep extra roosters away to prevent fighting. I had a young rooster that got bullied by the hens because he didn't want to leave them alone. I had an older rooster in there that kinda acted like he was the younger rooster's father. He'd show him how everything was done and they got along just fine as long as the younger didn't crow. Then, once the younger came into maturity, I re-homed the older before they started fighting. Once the older was gone and the younger took over, the hens didn't mind him as much. If you don't want the hens to ever pick on the rooster, wait till he's mature. Then they'll just see him as a rooster, their rooster if they like him, and there shouldn't be any issues. It's a personal choice if you want him in now or later. I typically put younger birds in with a flock when they're 3-4 months old and expect for it to take two weeks for the newbies to settle in. With a cockerel, they might appear to be mean until he's mature, just because he's wanting to try things with them, and they're not happy with that.

 

[aart]

Hello and sorry for the long post.

I have a 12 week old rooster and his sister that have been kept separated by a fence from my 6 hens. Yesterday, I watched one of the hens stick her head through the fence and pull out one of his feathers. I was keeping the 12 week olds in a wire crate in the coop with the hens at night. They’ve become too big for the crate so I started sneaking them onto the roosting bar at night. I’m out in the coop before the sunrises to get them back into their side of the run.
Has anyone had a problem with hens bullying roosters and if so how did you solve the problem? He’s on track to be a big boy so I think he’ll be able to hold his own when he gets a little older. I’m certain that if all the chickens were to free range together both the young ones would be bullied. The days have been short and with the snow I only have my older hens out about 1 hour a day (We have had a hungry hawk around so I like to be outside with them when they’re free ranging.)
Also, where do your roosters sleep?

How long have you had these 12wo's?
What are your plans to integrate them?