bullied rooster

Eggcessive

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Apr 3, 2011
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I have a 23 week old salmon faverolle rooster who can free range with the other chickens, but he stays in the coop and run. He had been bullied by our head roo who was raised with him, but he started running him off to hide in nest boxes, corners, etc. We pulled the other roos out except the faverolle 2 weeks ago, but he has never developed courage to hang with the others. When I bring him out, another hen will peck him and run him off. I have posted weeks ago about this, but wanted some suggestions after making changes. He has me wondering if he has some deep psychological problem now, because this was the most friendly and outgoing of our chickens a few months ago.


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The roosters that I removed from this flock are a black copper marans who was getting way too aggressive with me and the hens, and 2 buff brahmas who were just so big and trying to mount the banties. They are cooling their jets in a rooster pen untill they are older and nicer. Sam the faverolle is my favorite. Has anyone had a rooster act like this and then gotten better?
 
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he's only 23 weeks....... if given a chance he'll man up....... it might take him awhile.... i'd just keep kicking him out with the flock to free range... he'll start doing what roosters do...
 
I got 3 buff roo's about 7 weeks old, I already know Imma have to get rid of 2, they all face off with each other now, they jump on each others backs, the face off is 2 funny 2 watch but I guess they are fighting to see who will be the alpha, when they face off their feathers get all puffed up, the are face 2 face, then they jump on each other and then run away, the smaller 1 seems to be getting bullied by both the larger 1's, I don't know what 2 do either
 
Unfortunately, Faverolles are renowned for being easily bullied by other chickens. They are SO laid back, and so submissive, they can be harassed enough to keep them from food and water. In the past, before I realized this was true, I had two young Favs - one pullet and one cockerel - actually pecked to death by flock-mates.

My little Hitchcock is a Fav and he's such a dear. My flock ranges freely, so he has a lot of space to go be a rooster with a few girls without being picked upon by others.
 
You may need a separate pen and flock for him. Not always easily done, I know.

When we keep multiple roosters, each rooster needs to have their own enclosure and ideally some girlfriends of their own. Otherwise they will fight until one is dead or wishes they were dead.

Wish I had a better idea, but that is what works for us.
 
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I haven't found that to be true with my flock. I have NO separate pens; they all stay in the same coop, they all range freely over my property (almost two-thirds of an acre). I have eleven mature roosters and quite a few cockerels in the flock. There is ONE dominant rooster and a 'second lieutenant' and the rest of the roosters do have their special ladies they hang out with, dust bathe with, snuggle up against. However, everybody mills about together, and apart, and there are no fights which involve active aggression. The dominant rooster gets access to all the hens, the other roosters are allowed to mount their small group of hens - but not when Carl is nearby - and everybody gets along. I have roosters which often perch next to each other on a retaining wall, side by side, during the day.

The young cockerels will square off and do the I'm Badder Than You dance with flared hackles.

I did have ONE rooster which I had to cull, because he was terrorizing two other, mellow roosters. HE chased them down, attacking them. Once he was gone, all was calm again, even with eleven mature roosters of various sizes and breeds.

It can be done. It's just that Faverolles are so easily bullied....
 
I have a similar problem. I bought a Appenzellar Spitzhauben that had previously been bullied by a few other roos. He's still on the young side, too. He's afraid of my velociraptor-like hens. Luckily, I bought a small mixed hen at the same time, so they are buddies, but they are in a cage by themselves. I guess if he doesn't man up soon he'll have to go in a new coop that I have planned for another breed. The mixed hen is a little braver with than he is, but neither stand up to the original girls.
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I have a welsummer too who is getting bullied by the hens? Any tips on how to stop this, he is my first and not certain where to keep him
 

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