Another Rooster question, bantam cockerel dominating pullets.

[z3lda3]

Hi, first year chicken owner, and I have a flock of mixed aged chickens, From 2 weeks to 15 weeks. I’ve separated them into 3 mini flocks based on age. The last 2/3 weeks I’ve slowly been integrating everybody. Things have been going well, every once in a while one of my big girls will side eye and peck a smaller chicken but nothing major or serious injuries. As far as I KNOW I only have one rooster, a 10 week old bantam. He has been “dominating” his little flock, doing his cockerel thing. But he’s normally scared of my bigger girls. When I put everyone in the yard, the bigger girls will clique off and he’ll clique off with his girls. But the last few days he has gotten brave, moving closer to the big girls, and not backing down when my head hen does the stare down thing. And the past couple days he’s gone after them. He grabbed her tail, jumped on her back…well you know the drill. Now the big girls aren’t scared of him but they don’t confront him either. They give him a wide berth when he walks by. My question is: is his behavior something I should try to stop? Or is he trying to let my girls know he’s the rooster? Or..what? I will say there doesn’t seem to be any damage done, no cuts or feather loss. He is MUCH smaller, 1/4 the size of the big girls. I know there’s a pecking order, but I have no idea how a rooster becomes ya know the head chicken of the flock.

 

[wrathsfarm]

He wants all the girls, that's his role. The girls will eventually merge into one flock after pecking order is established but not uncommon for the different aged groups to still keep to themselves, tho.
And roosters are not part of the pecking order. He's flock leader. Any other roosters and there will be one alpha and then subordinates in rank. A kind of pecking order amongst just the males. Your roo will/should rule over all the girls and should break up fighting but doesn't deal with typical pecking order drama.

 

[z3lda3]

He wants all the girls, that's his role. The girls will eventually merge into one flock after pecking order is established but not uncommon for the different aged groups to still keep to themselves, tho.
And roosters are not part of the pecking order. He's flock leader. Any other roosters and there will be one alpha and then subordinates in rank. A kind of pecking order amongst just the males. The male will rule over all the girls and should break up fighting but doesn't deal with typical pecking order drama.

Right, and that’s what I want. I figure a rooster knows more about managing a flock than I do. So this bantam roo of mine dominating my standard gals, is how he lets them know he’s head honcho? Or is he just being rotten?

 

[z3lda3]

Right, and that’s what I want. I figure a rooster knows more about managing a flock than I do. So this bantam roo of mine dominating my standard gals, is how he lets them know he’s head honcho? Or is he just being rotten?

And not to emasculate my boy but he sure is tiny. Idk how much damage he could do to a predator lol, not that’s he’s expendable! I just need him to ya know- ‘eat here, come here, go over there, run something’s coming, stop fighting’ he’s just little. I’m positive my big girls could kill him if they wanted to.

 

[wrathsfarm]

Right, and that’s what I want. I figure a rooster knows more about managing a flock than I do. So this bantam roo of mine dominating my standard gals, is how he lets them know he’s head honcho? Or is he just being rotten?

Have you noticed him wing dancing and tid bitting for the any of the girls? Both groups? How's his attitude with the smaller group? Does he force mate his group also?
I don't have any experience with bantams so I'm just speaking roo talk. He should be trying to win over all the ladies, when that fails he'll force them to submit. Normally that ends there but sometimes a hen will not give in and this can go to the extreme of she either submits to him or he drives her out of the flock or will in some cases kill her.

 

[z3lda3]

Have you noticed him wing dancing and tid bitting for the any of the girls? Both groups? How's his attitude with the smaller group? Does he force mate his group also?
I don't have any experience with bantams so I'm just speaking roo talk. He should be trying to win over all the ladies, when that fails he'll force them to submit. Normally that ends there but sometimes a hen will not give in and this can go to the extreme of she either submits to him or he drives her out of the flock or will in some cases kill her.

Yes! He dominates his flock, (another bantam and 2 legbars) he puffs up and digs holes for them, or will scream when he finds a pile of worms, and his little flock thinks he’s G-ds gift! They follow him around, and if I take him away (I had to clean his feet) they screamed the entire time. They seem to love him and he does the jump on their backs biting their neck..thing..

 

[wrathsfarm]

Yes! He dominates his flock, (another bantam and 2 legbars) he puffs up and digs holes for them, or will scream when he finds a pile of worms, and his little flock thinks he’s G-ds gift! They follow him around, and if I take him away (I had to clean his feet) they screamed the entire time. They seem to love him and

Sounds all normal. My roos are not perfect gentleman either and witnessing mating is harder on us than it is to chickens. I think your roo is doing ok as long as nothing gets violent and bloody.

he does the jump on their backs biting their neck..thing..

That triggers the hen to lift her tail to expose her vent for mating.

 

[z3lda3]

Yes! He dominates his flock, (another bantam and 2 legbars) he puffs up and digs holes for them, or will scream when he finds a pile of worms, and his little flock thinks he’s G-ds gift! They follow him around, and if I take him away (I had to clean his feet) they screamed the entire time. They seem to love him and he does the jump on their backs biting their neck..thing..

With the standards, at first it was a stare down with my head hen, she then went after him and he ran away. The next time she stared him down but he fought back. The next time, they did the stare down and he just went after her, the whole mating shabang. Now my big girls give him space.

 

[z3lda3]

Sounds all normal. My roos are not perfect gentleman either and witnessing mating is harder on us than it is to chickens. I think your roo is doing ok as long as nothing gets violent and bloody.

That triggers the hen to lift her tail to expose her vent for mating.

It looks so painful. It lasts a few seconds and then everybody is eating like nothing happened. It’s bizarre, if you’re not a chicken.