a little help needed with new roo

[philc814]

My chicken are almost five months old now and starting to lay eggs so i got a roo from a friend at work. he is one year old and much bigger than the chickens but every time i feed them they wont let him eat. as soon as he puts food in his beak the hens swarm him and snatch it right out? he doesn't seem to get mad but i'm starting to get worried that he's not eating. even if i spread the food all over the bottom of the run or some on each side they watch him and eat wherever he is and wont let him have any???
The second thing is, when the hens go in the coop to roost he stays out in the run perched on a branch and stays there all night.
the person i got him from says he never roosted in a coop he just free ranged all the time even at night. should i try to chase him in the coop before i close it up for the night?? i hate to upset him more than he already is from the move.
suggestions welcome
thanks phil.

 

[sourland]

He's doing what good flock roosters do. Calling his hens to food and feeding them. Rather than chasing him, I might suggest taking him off the outside perch and placing him on the roost in the coop after dark. After a couple nights of doing this, hopefully he will get the idea.

 

[HouseCat]

He's doing what good flock roosters do. Calling his hens to food and feeding them. Rather than chasing him, I might suggest taking him off the outside perch and placing him on the roost in the coop after dark. After a couple nights of doing this, hopefully he will get the idea.

+1

 

[azygous]

He sounds like the perfect roo to me. Sourland has a good suggestion for getting him to roost in the coop. But if, after putting him in there after dark for three or four nights, he doesn't want to roost inside, leave him be.

As for eating, roosters eat a tenth of what hens eat. It's great they're responding so well to him and taking food he offers them. Don't worry, he'll get enough to eat.

 

[DanEP]

I was just bribing the new girls with bread and my roo was taking one piece and eating it then feeding the next 3 to the girls like he always does (Good roo ). Believe me he's eating plenty. He won't starve himself he's just taking care of the girls. Besides if the girls are five months and he's over a year he can eat whatever he wants and they couldn't stop him.

 

[philc814]

Thanks for all the kind responses, they do seem to be getting along very well. Tonie while i was cutting the grass just before dark i noticed they all went in the coop to roost including the new roo so i closed it up before he changed his mind. at least when hes in the coop and he crows at five am i wont be quite as loud. lol