Alpha rooster

[calliescoop]

First question here! Okay so we have 13 chickens who are about 16 weeks old. Of those we have 3 that are roosters and 10 that are hens. We also have 13 chicks that are about 5-6 weeks old now. The babies were integrated into the flock very nicely with of course some pecking and some hens keeping the food and water from them. However now they are accepted. Last week I noticed a different problem, the hens will not leave the coop or their roost. Upon further investigation I found one that any time a hen leaves the roost the Alpha Rooster tries to mount them and chases them down. Also he can chase them off the roost until he gets to mount one. I absolutely hate seeing my hens in so much distress and won't leave the coop because of this rooster. He was also keeping the babies from learning how to use the run to get back into the coop. He appears to have stopped this behavior. He bullies the chicks and chickens and seems to cause chaos. We are thinking that we need to take him out of the flock. Any suggestions? If I take this rooster out, will another rooster just replace his behavior?

 

[Sussex19]

Welcome to BYC!
At 16 weeks old you have cockerels and pullets, and unfortunately cockerels mature faster then pullets and many turn into teenage trouble makers around that age.
Three cockerels is to many really for that amount of females, so removing him sounds like a good idea. You could then see how the others go, but be ready to step in and remove them to if they get just as rough.
Could you make a separate coop for the boys, until they are all a bit older?
Once the pullets are laying, and the worst of the hormones have gone from the cockerels, you could then reintroduce the best one or two.

 

[calliescoop]

Welcome to BYC!
At 16 weeks old you have cockerels and pullets, and unfortunately cockerels mature faster then pullets and many turn into teenage trouble makers around that age.
Three cockerels is to many really for that amount of females, so removing him sounds like a good idea. You could then see how the others go, but be ready to step in and remove them to if they get just as rough.
Could you make a separate coop for the boys, until they are all a bit older?
Once the pullets are laying, and the worst of the hormones have gone from the cockerels, you could then reintroduce the best one or two.

We do have a separate pen but it doesn't have an indoor option. We separated the male that was the most of the trouble maker for a day and we noticed everyone was more calm but the hens still didn't leave the coop. I think it was because they could still hear him they suspected he would still attack them. We don't know yet how many are male in our second batch yet.

 

[gimmie birdies]

When I raise a batch of chicks at about 12 weeks old I put my rooster chicks in with adult hens they will not put up with mischief and train them to be good boys.

 

[calliescoop]

When I raise a batch of chicks at about 12 weeks old I put my rooster chicks in with adult hens they will not put up with mischief and train them to be good boys.

That's a good idea. That is the idea with our second batch of 13 we have going on now.

 

[Sussex19]

What is you long term goal with the cockerels?
As in, re-homing, eating, or something else?

 

[Mrs. K]

16 weeks will make a tasty bird. It won't be like KFC, but good in casseroles and soups. If you are just getting started, I would cull these boys. Let the pullets get some age on them, start laying without endless harassment.

Then take a look at your next batch. You might get a good one out of that group. There is a prevalent thought that being raised up under older birds helps a great deal. But you need to be pretty serious about culling this group too.

The more roosters you have the greater the chance of it not going well. Really if you waited to add a rooster till next year when you have some more experience, is really good advice.

If you have children under the age of 6, be very wary. Cockerels tend to attack them first. The attack can appear to come out of no where. Children of that age can take it in the face.

Mrs K

 

[calliescoop]

What is you long term goal with the cockerels?
As in, re-homing, eating, or something else?

We are going to eat the roosters.

 

[calliescoop]

16 weeks will make a tasty bird. It won't be like KFC, but good in casseroles and soups. If you are just getting started, I would cull these boys. Let the pullets get some age on them, start laying without endless harassment.

Then take a look at your next batch. You might get a good one out of that group. There is a prevalent thought that being raised up under older birds helps a great deal. But you need to be pretty serious about culling this group too.

The more roosters you have the greater the chance of it not going well. Really if you waited to add a rooster till next year when you have some more experience, is really good advice.

If you have children under the age of 6, be very wary. Cockerels tend to attack them first. The attack can appear to come out of no where. Children of that age can take it in the face.

Mrs K

Thank you that is great advice! I have been very wary of letting my daughters 1 and 3 around the roosters. The plan is to eat the roosters. I think they are causing too much chaos for our hens. They still haven’t gotten out of the coop in a full week.

 

[Mrs. K]

Good, with children that age, I really would not want a rooster for a couple of years. I have known many people who are terrified of chickens because of a rooster attack in their childhood.