Our annoying but not quite mean blue maran rooster suddenly took a turn for the worst and began attacking several of the hens. I don't mean aggressively chasing them down to mate, but attacking them like another rooster, spurs and all. He's specifically targeting last spring's additions to the flock, our Rhode Islands and Easter Eggers, but as of yet, not the buckeyes (I guess they're safe since they hide in the pig pen eating pig food all day). He never went after them before and was mating and being the good old rooster with them before.
Our two other roosters do not go after them either.
He gouged one of the rhode islands already and we treated that wound.
He only goes after those specific hens. He does not go after the older members of the flock, and is always nice to his favourites, the black sex links. We have ~40 hens and 3 roosters. I say 40 because I can't ever remember the exact number, but it's definitely in the low 40s!
Is there anything we can do? We were going to breed him with our easter eggers to try and get some olive egger chicks, but since he is attacking the easter eggers, we might have to rethink it... will this behaviour end when he 'thinks' he's established his 'dominance' over them?
Now I will say in advance this is my least liked rooster. He has always been a bully when he mates the hens, chasing them down, jumping on them, sometimes re-mating them again and again when he's done. If needed I won't have any trouble seeing him go, but would still rather give him a chance since he is simply being what he is - a rooster.
Any ideas? Our isolation box already has a resident so we can't put him there.
Our two other roosters do not go after them either.
He gouged one of the rhode islands already and we treated that wound.
He only goes after those specific hens. He does not go after the older members of the flock, and is always nice to his favourites, the black sex links. We have ~40 hens and 3 roosters. I say 40 because I can't ever remember the exact number, but it's definitely in the low 40s!
Is there anything we can do? We were going to breed him with our easter eggers to try and get some olive egger chicks, but since he is attacking the easter eggers, we might have to rethink it... will this behaviour end when he 'thinks' he's established his 'dominance' over them?
Now I will say in advance this is my least liked rooster. He has always been a bully when he mates the hens, chasing them down, jumping on them, sometimes re-mating them again and again when he's done. If needed I won't have any trouble seeing him go, but would still rather give him a chance since he is simply being what he is - a rooster.
Any ideas? Our isolation box already has a resident so we can't put him there.