Aggressive rooster

[wild chick]

Thank you for that insight, azygous. I didn't want to make things worse by frustration, and I didn't know if it would be more frustrating to the roo (actually still a cockerel) to be where he could look/not touch or to be totally isolated. But I'm frustrated too, and even though the hens (pullets) don't seem to mind him, they are really getting torn up. They are still laying 5 - 7 eggs a day between the 8 of them. It sounds like there wouldn't be "re-introduction" problems if he talked through the fence every day. Do you think a couple of weeks, 30 days? would give the hens a chance to begin growing feathers back, and get a break from wearing saddles? Sorry, I just get full of questions and hate to experiment (these are my first chickens ever) when I know there's people out in BYC-land that have answers!

 

[azygous]

Thank you for that insight, azygous. I didn't want to make things worse by frustration, and I didn't know if it would be more frustrating to the roo (actually still a cockerel) to be where he could look/not touch or to be totally isolated. But I'm frustrated too, and even though the hens (pullets) don't seem to mind him, they are really getting torn up. They are still laying 5 - 7 eggs a day between the 8 of them. It sounds like there wouldn't be "re-introduction" problems if he talked through the fence every day. Do you think a couple of weeks, 30 days? would give the hens a chance to begin growing feathers back, and get a break from wearing saddles? Sorry, I just get full of questions and hate to experiment (these are my first chickens ever) when I know there's people out in BYC-land that have answers!

Plan on a semi-permanent arrangement. Make an enclosure, and it needn't be very large since the cockerel will station himself mostly in one spot to "girl-watch", and place him in it every morning. You can allow him to roost with the girls at night.

Don't expect him to grow up and out of his surging hormones until he is close to one year of age. After that, he will surprise you by undergoing a personality change and he'll become much better behaved.

By the way, it might help you to raise your cockerel to be a gentleman roo by reading up on cockerel behavior and discipline techniques. My general advice to people dealing with a cockerel for the first time is to ignore him as much as possible and handle him only when absolutely necessary.

When I was segregating my cockerels, it amazed me to see how quickly they caught on to the daily routine of coming out of the coop in the morning and going to their enclosure on their own. In the evening, I would let the girls get settled in the coop then let the cockerel out. He would automatically walk over to the coop, I would open the door, and he would hop in by himself.

 

[wild chick]

That would be great if I could let him roost in the coop with the girls. He won't go crazy and try to breed them if there's still a little light left? I usually close the door on them before I have to use a flashlight. (They get locked in the run about 5pm when I feed the horses, then I come back out at dark-thirty and they are all on the roost in the coop, so I just shut the door.)

I did read as many threads here and other places about rooster behavior & how to discipline. I didn't make pets out of any of these. As he was coming into his manhood, he made a few runs at me and I let him know I was a lot bigger than him. I make a point of walking right through the flock instead of around them to let him know he doesn't scare me. He gives me the stink-eye sometimes, but never runs at me anymore. I don't handle him or the hens unless I have to. In fact I can't catch any of them free ranging unless I get them up to a fence. They are FAST! He really isn't terribly aggressive, just over-breeding his flock.

It would be awesome if he would do the routine you describe! I'm going to work on a pen for him at the end of the existing run. Thank You!!!

 

[azygous]

Hah! Of course a horny cockerel will try to mate a hen while on the roosting perch! Do bears go poop in the woods? But it's hilarious to watch him try it. Spoiler alert: it doesn't go very smoothly.

Cockerels and roosters are a laugh a minute, I swear!