Bullying Bird

I have a rooster like that today he jumped on my hen's back and started pecking her. So I locked him in the run while all the others were out. I love all my birds what should I do? I don't want to get rid of him or make him into soup. And I dont have the time to build another coup. Plus my hen's just started laying yesterday. We're going to let some of the eggs hatch. This is a big problem because he could attack the chicks! Please help me!
 
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I have a rooster like that today he jumped on my hen's back and started pecking her. So I locked him in the run while all the others were out. I love all my birds what should I do? I don't want to get rid of him or make him into soup. And I dont have the time to build another coup.
That's actually normal breeding behavior, not bullying. If a hen is not used to being mounted, it can seem pretty traumatizing, but it is just a normal part of chicken behavior.
He grabs the hen by the back of the neck and uses his spurs to hold on. The whole thing looks pretty violent at first. Especially if the birds involved are young. The females need to learn to hold still, and the cockerels need to learn to give the hens some warning beforehand. Until that starts happening, it can be pretty upsetting for first time rooster owners.
 
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I have a flock of 10. They sleep in the coop at night without any apparent problems. But in the morning, when I release them to free range all day long, the group of 9 leave the coop but won't allow one (Red) to leave. The group will travel even up to 40 yards away, but will keep an eye on the coop and if Red tries to leave the coop, one of the group will come back to chase her back in. The group of 9 will travel all over the property (their travels are about 2 acres now). But if and when they see Red out, one of the nine - not always the same one, will attack Red. So far they have not drawn blood or her , but I am afraid they might. I say her, but I only guess that it is a hen. I know I have two definite roosters in the group, but my Chicks are about 16 weeks old. I have two white rocks. Two easter eggers. Two Plymouth rock. Two Rhode Island reds and Two Java.
I guess my question is... is this normal? Should or can I do something to make Red more accepted in the group?
 
There isn't anything you can do. She's the lowest ranking bird. Unless she challenges for position, it is what it is. Just be sure to have food and water available in the coop for her.
 
I decided to put Bianca back outside last night. At dusk I took her out to the coop, put her on the ground and let her go snuggle into the hen pile. (Still haven't figured out how to get them to sleep on the roosts... I'll put them on there, and they'll get down and sleep on the floor!)

Well, the other chickens weren’t so disposed to being displaced, and they wouldn’t let her in. So she went and found something to play with - a bright white shell that was in the dirt, about all that was visible in the near-dark at 8:45pm, and started tossing it around like a toy. Rosie got down to see what she was doing, and the very second she did, Bianca scooted in and took her spot in the pile. Rosie got back in without a fuss, no pecking or squabbling.

Chickens aren’t smart indeed. That display of guile surprised me.
 
The bullying has gotten worse. In the last week, Bianca(Leghorn) has pecked both Sophie(EE) and Matilda(Australorp) to bleeding, Sophie down to the bone on one foot. I had the two injured birds in confinement for a few days and reintroduced them last night at roosting time. This morning I went out to wake and feed them, and they seemed to get along fine through breakfast. And then Rosie (RIR) started pecking Matilda's uninjured foot to bleeding. Brought Matilda in, cleaned and bandaged her other foot, and by the time I get back out with her, Rosie and Bianca have started in on Sophie again.

So I separated the bullies, who *happen* to also be my best layers and so I don't want to get rid of them. But they're being entirely too aggressive with the other two. I'm working on building a separate outdoor confinement coop, apart from the other one, while I wait for materials to come in for the garden. I might need to put both the bullies in it - they get along famously with each other, no squabbling or pecking.

I was not expecting this. Neither for one to become such a bully, nor for the bullying to be contagious. What can I do about this?
 

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