BYC newbie from NW Ohio here, asking for advice.

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MaumeeMommee

MaumeeMommee

In the Brooder
May 2, 2017
14
2
11
OH
Hello fellow chickeneers!

Although I'm not new to the chicken world, it seems that these critters can always throw us for a loop. I've had a small flock for a bit over year now. They get along great (different breeds: one rooster, 2 hens that are prolific layers!), they grew up together so there are no issues between them, just the usual pecking order, mating, etc. HOWEVER... in the past month I have acquired two new hens at POL (red sex links) and have been monitoring the new girls and very slowly trying to integrate them in with my other chickens. My originals act nicely towards these new girls through the large cage the newbies are in, but the moment I let them out, it is all out war. The new girls will cower in the corner of the run while "Mr. Rooster" (who is very tame and laid back, not to mention gorgeous) tries to rip their combs and earlobes off. At first I thought he was trying to mount them to mate, but this wasn't his intent; as he stood to the side of a hen, her comb in his beak, thrashing the poor hen's head like crazy. I was appalled at what I saw... he's always been so sweet. Even tried putting the hens on a roost after dark, hoping they'd not be noticed so much the next morning. After multiple attempts, each has ended with one cocky rooster and 2 kind of bloody hens.
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My original girls have very small combs, so I'm guessing the Roo is considering the sex link girls to potentially be roosters because of the larger size of their combs and wattles?? I hate to get rid of my roo, as he's been such a sweet guy until now, and has become a statement in the neighborhood (my neighbors LOVE him.) One of the hens tries to peck at them some as well, as she is the dominant hen (typical pecking order type stuff...) while the other never even blinks at them.

SO this is my question... would putting peepers on the Roo, or separating him for a span prevent this? Has anyone tried this method, and how did it end up? Please advise, as I love all my "babies" and would hate to give any of them up. HELP! "Why can't we all just get along...?"
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Thanks in advance,

MaumeeMommee
 
I'd toss the Cock bird in the cage for 4 days or more, week probably. Let the new girls integrate with the current flock. There will be pecking and such which is normal so let it be so they integrate. Once they all have established "pecking order" let the Cockbird out. He won't be settling disputes as the flock is already established so his behavior should only be to show he's the flock master and court the hens to mate. It should go much smoother for you if you let the hens establish the flock order first. So however long that takes then let the boy out.
 
Awesome advice. Thanks a ton. I have already ordered the peepers as well, so I will have those as a backup if need be. Will be fetching the fella out tonight once he's on the roost then!!
 
You may also want to check out , the kinder, gentler type of integration called " The look but don't touch," integration method. No blood involved. Welcome to BYC.
 
Been trying the "look but not touch" method for a while... Roo's still being squirrely. Girls act acceptably, just normal pecking order stuff. Roo just doesn't get it. Lol. We'll see how it goes after Mr Roo is in time out... thanks for the thoughts!
 
G’Day from down under MaumeeMommee
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Welcome!

Sorry, I have no experience with roosters but hope that the time-out resolves the issue for you.

I also hope you enjoy being a BYC member. There are lots of friendly and very helpful folks here so not only is it overflowing with useful information it is also a great place to make friends and have some fun.

You might want to also pop in and say hello on your local thread: https://www.backyardchickens.com/f/26/where-am-i-where-are-you ‘Find your State’s thread.

If you would like to share pictures and stories of your flock, you have come to the right place. BYC’ers never tire of these and do not back away slowly or commence eye rolling when the photo album or home videos come out
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Teila, thank you for the warm welcome and kind words. Very much looking forward to being a part of the community here!
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It'll be nice to have others to discuss things with that don't think I'm just a "crazy chicken lady." HAHA
 
UPDATE: The handsome fella gave quite the struggle, but at last I've caged him. He's one unhappy dude right now and I couldn't expect anything different. However, with him out of the way the ladies are faring quite well. I few excited bock-bocks and a peck every now and again is all. Here are some pictures for your enjoyment.

Big, gorgeous fella.



He knew something was up... (ignore the golf balls in the next boxes and the poor bare backed Ms. Frizzle the Silkie... lol!!)



Jail Bird! Quite vocal, by the way.



The ladies decided to "hang out" with him.



Mug Shot. Hate to do this to him, but hopefully this breaks him of being so mean to the new girls! Keeping fingers crossed!
 

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