Bad Rooster? Not sure.

[Carlos F]

Were the hens laying in their boxes before he came along?

He was already there when I introduced the new hens. The hens were three and a half months at the time

 

[BrennaM]

He was already there when I introduced the new hens. The hens were three and a half months at the time

I would just lock them up for a couple of days in your coop/run. You can't really force them to lay anywhere but locking them up wouldn't give them much of a choice. I wouldn't get rid of the rooster to try to make the hens lay in the coop.

 

[BarnyardChaos]

He was already there when I introduced the new hens. The hens were three and a half months at the time

Ah. So don't blame the rooster. Remember, chickens' natural environment is in the jungle. Convenient square boxes inside a coop aren't typical to jungles. So the girls, as rookies and laying for the first time, just need to be taught to use the boxes. Put fake eggs or golf balls in the boxes, lock the girls inside for the morning hours (or all day if weather allows), for a few days, until they get the idea. It will work.

 

[3KillerBs]

Not a bad rooster, a very good rooster who is fulfilling his responsibilities to the ladies, one of them being locating safe places for nests.