Are the chickens at the top of the pecking order better layers?

[Meg22]

I'm also new to chickens and have light Sussex. 2 are 7 months old and and 2are only 5 months old. 1 of the older ones gave me 8 eggs at the start of September then packed it in for winter. The other started laying 2 weeks later and is giving me about 5 eggs a week. So I also have half laying. The days are so short I don't think the littles will start laying before spring. We had quite a few boys as hatched them from eggs. The coop is a lot more peaceful now they are gone. Is your roo the same age?

 

[JuliaSunshine]

I'm also new to chickens and have light Sussex. 2 are 7 months old and and 2are only 5 months old. 1 of the older ones gave me 8 eggs at the start of September then packed it in for winter. The other started laying 2 weeks later and is giving me about 5 eggs a week. So I also have half laying. The days are so short I don't think the littles will start laying before spring. We had quite a few boys as hatched them from eggs. The coop is a lot more peaceful now they are gone. Is your roo the same age?

Yes they're all from the same batch. I had 2 roos and 10 pullets out of 12 eggs and the dominant roo was too aggressive towards the pullets. So he was removed from the flock. It definitely brought peace.
BTW 5 eggs from one of your chickens now is really good

 

[Meg22]

Yes they're all from the same batch. I had 2 roos and 10 pullets out of 12 eggs and the dominant roo was too aggressive towards the pullets. So he was removed from the flock. It definitely brought peace.
BTW 5 eggs from one of your chickens now is really good

Rainbow is a bit of a star. You did a lot better with your ratios than we did. 14 eggs 4 girls 9 boys, one died too young to sex. Hopefully your boy will be good for you and your girls. I found the boys from the second hatch were a lot calmer with older girls around even though they were only 9 weeks older.

 

[JuliaSunshine]

Rainbow is a bit of a star. You did a lot better with your ratios than we did. 14 eggs 4 girls 9 boys, one died too young to sex. Hopefully your boy will be good for you and your girls. I found the boys from the second hatch were a lot calmer with older girls around even though they were only 9 weeks older.

Yes, I was lucky to have that many pullets. I read that cockerels that grow up with older chickens become better roosters. I wish I had known that when I planned to have a rooster.

 

[Meg22]

Yes, I was lucky to have that many pullets. I read that cockerels that grow up with older chickens become better roosters. I wish I had known that when I planned to have a rooster.

Mary seems to be the expert on roos. by the spring when you want fertile eggs his hormones should have calmed down a bit. we couldn't keep any anyway as my young children are very involved in their care.

 

[Solanacae]

I'm starting to suspect that too after thinking about what I wrote. Today I saw him chasing away the chicken that got recently sick. That means he's chasing away 3 chickens. They probably wouldn't feel encouraged to lay eggs when they get chased away from the flock by the cockerel.
I've been wanting to hatch chicks and I like his personality. He stands guard for the chickens even though when something really threatening happens he runs away deep into the forest all by himself and doesn't come back until it's absolutely safe lol.
But I'm contemplating on removing him more and more often now. Sad.

Yes, I was lucky to have that many pullets. I read that cockerels that grow up with older chickens become better roosters. I wish I had known that when I planned to have a rooster.

I’m sorry chicken keeping has been rough for you. We all hit rough spots in the way, whether it’s sick chickens or dog attacks or whatever.

I have some thoughts about what you’ve said here - I had a chick that had the most lovely personality (curious, friendly, kids liked it) and of course it ended up being a cockerel. I can’t keep males where I am, but I kept thinking for a while because I was attached to him. He was fine, until he wasn’t. Hormones start flowing, he started chasing my broody, and had to lick him up when I got her off the nest for a break to eat/drink. He was acting aggressively towards my daughter, who was 2 at the time. He didn’t like that she would pick up the chickens and hold them, and I was uneasy taking her out there with him around. He would crow constantly when my husband came I into the yard. I was worried about bothering the neighbors, and him attacking my daughter and not wanting the circus of locking him up every day before broody break time. I knew the best solution was to rehome him, but it’s hard when you’re attached to them.

In the end, I did, and fortunately nothing bad happened while I was sorting through my feelings. It was a relief, honestly. I went out to the chicken yard after he was gone, and everything was so peaceful. I hadn’t realized just how much he was stressing me out.

If separating your cockerel doesn’t work because of the constant crowing, find a new home for him, let your girls mature a little, and then you can always try again later with the rooster thing.

There a lots of good roosters to be found, and letting them settle down without a hormone-riddled cockerel may help with some of the personality problems you’ve described. If you find someone with a gentleman of a rooster, it’s a great way to go, since you know what his personality is going into things.

Another option, if you end up with a girl that goes broody in the spring, let her hatch and raise some chicks for you. A cockerel raised from birth in the flock is an excellent way to integrate a rooster - no quarantine or lengthy integration processes - and he will know and understand the pecking order. They’ll be older than him and that will help keep *some* of the obnoxiousness controlled. You may have several and can pick the one you like the best.

 

[JuliaSunshine]

Thank you for telling your story.
Actually, my rooster stopped chasing away some chickens and now all 8 hens (except the one that's still sickly) often somewhat peacefully hang out as a group under his guide.
I'm so relieved that things turned out well after worrying about them.