Breeding troubles with a strange rooster

Shadowfire

Crowing
Aug 14, 2018
802
3,733
327
USA
My Coop
My Coop
Hello everyone. I recently added two new laying hens to our (non-laying) pet chicken flock. Their 3-year old rooster, Yin, suffered from a hawk attack and now suffers from I don't really know what. He's almost blind in one eye, and will chase, peck, and maim any new hens. He is aggressive to any roosters, even the pekin we used to have. He only accepts the one hen still alive that he was raised from a baby with- before the hawk attack. Yin can't fly, so he sleeps on the ground. Whenever I let them out he finds a nice spot in the garden to cuddle up and beg people to pet him. He is super friendly to me and will come when I can his name. I have seen other roosters do this (we've had over five roosters before) but not nearly as much. He has very, very long spurs that are almost curled and touching the leg that I'm worried about getting removed. Whenever he tries to mate with a hen, he'll get on her back and maul the crest and not really do anything. He uses huge bursts of energy to chase new hens, and is often seen with several feathers of varying colors stuck on his beak. One "new" hen has been sharing a divided pen (and free range area) with him for, I think over a year, and he still really doesn't like her. What can I do to get him to be peaceful with his hens? Will I have to get another rooster to fertilize the eggs? He's mated with a hen that successfully hatched her egg and raised a full-grown rooster, but she's gone now (strangulation by accident, got stuck on a perch upside-down one night) and even if she were still alive, she would be older then all the other non-laying hens. What can i do?

Thank you!
 
It sounds like Yin needs to be permanently separated from the flock. He is no doubt in a constant state of stress, he can't do his job, can't roost, and can't mare. If he is happy as a pet, then make him his own enclosure where he doesn't have access to any of the hens and let him be a pet.
It might be time to take a hard look at his quality of life especially if it is coming into winter where you are, and think about giving him a peaceful end.
 
It sounds like Yin needs to be permanently separated from the flock. He is no doubt in a constant state of stress, he can't do his job, can't roost, and can't mare. If he is happy as a pet, then make him his own enclosure where he doesn't have access to any of the hens and let him be a pet.
It might be time to take a hard look at his quality of life especially if it is coming into winter where you are, and think about giving him a peaceful end.
Agreed
 

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