Can having a young rooster in a young flock cause problems

[Danny188]

I saw on a diffrent thread that somone commented on that breeding too young can cause problems for the rooster and hens. If im not breeding for chicks (the rooster will be with the flock at all times but i will collect eggs to sell) can problems accour like the rooster being aggressive. 19, 10 week old rooster and pullets but they are with 3, 17 week old hens.

 

[sylviethecochin]

I'm not sure about physical problems, but raising a young rooster with a young flock can definitely lead to some major attitude problems.

 

[azygous]

A ten-week old cockerel should be demonstrating his behavior tendencies by now. By four months of age a cockerel will be beginning to feel some hormones stirring, and he might be starting to attempt to mate the pullets that are getting close to point of lay. At this time, you will get a strong hint of his temperament.

There are options other than leaving the cockerel with the girls all the time. Many of us will take a disruptive roo out of the flock during the day and let him do his own thing outside the run or a separate bachelor pen. This lets him work off energy while sparing the girls his clumsy attentions.

I've had my share of roosters, and all were hormonal jerks except for one, my present head rooster. At age four months, he was beginning to mate the hens, but he was so smooth and low key that he could be mounting a hen right next to me and I wouldn't be aware of it until the hen moved away and shook out her feathers.

I have a second rooster, the offspring of the older roo. At this moment he is strutting around the perimeter of the run while his dad and the flock enjoy peace and harmony inside because he's not like his pop. He's over zealous in his mating technique, and in early spring he badly injured a hen that fought him off when he wanted to mate her. In a little bit, I will go out to let him inside to roost with the flock. It's an arrangement that has worked very well for years of keeping roosters.

 

[Danny188]

I'm not sure about physical problems, but raising a young rooster with a young flock can definitely lead to some major attitude problems.

I can tell that the 3 17 week old hens are still the "queens" of the coop so would that help with his attitude and how could i make shure he stays nice to the hens and me.

 

[Danny188]

A ten-week old cockerel should be demonstrating his behavior tendencies by now. By four months of age a cockerel will be beginning to feel some hormones stirring, and he might be starting to attempt to mate the pullets that are getting close to point of lay. At this time, you will get a strong hint of his temperament.

There are options other than leaving the cockerel with the girls all the time. Many of us will take a disruptive roo out of the flock during the day and let him do his own thing outside the run or a separate bachelor pen. This lets him work off energy while sparing the girls his clumsy attentions.

I've had my share of roosters, and all were hormonal jerks except for one, my present head rooster. At age four months, he was beginning to mate the hens, but he was so smooth and low key that he could be mounting a hen right next to me and I wouldn't be aware of it until the hen moved away and shook out her feathers.

I have a second rooster, the offspring of the older roo. At this moment he is strutting around the perimeter of the run while his dad and the flock enjoy peace and harmony inside because he's not like his pop. He's over zealous in his mating technique, and in early spring he badly injured a hen that fought him off when he wanted to mate her. In a little bit, I will go out to let him inside to roost with the flock. It's an arrangement that has worked very well for years of keeping roosters.

So i separate him for most of the day and then put him back in to roost with the hens? He has been nice so far and if i try to pick him up he walks away but if im feeding them grass or something he will run in to eat.

 

[Danny188]

Oh yea and he is a buff Orpington roo are they one of the worse rooster breeds or better rooster breeds. Have also noticed him pecking hens evry now and again is he just esablishing a pecking order

 

[azygous]

He's still a bit young, but if his behavior becomes disruptive, it's an acceptable option to separate him. My cockerels have all been content being separated as long as they can still see the rest of the flock and talk to them through a barrier.

 

[sylviethecochin]

I can tell that the 3 17 week old hens are still the "queens" of the coop so would that help with his attitude and how could I make sure he stays nice to the hens and me.

It really depends on the cockerel whether he'll be intimidated by the girls. Some are more willing to accept a place at the bottom of the pecking order than others are. If he starts giving you trouble with the hens, physical separation's about the best thing you can do, so that he doesn't pick up bad habits.

As for yourself? You're not part of the pecking order. If you walk towards him, don't look at him, just look past him (you're not challenging him; he's beneath your notice) and he should step out of your way. You should get it into his little chicken-head that you aren't a flockmate. Challenging you will not raise his status in the flock. You're also not a danger to the flock. Don't chase the girls.

 

[azygous]

Your cockerel's attitude toward humans is a distinct issue. There are many good tutorials here on BYC on how to raise a cockerel to be a gentleman. It's generally around ten week to sixteen weeks when a cockerel begins to get the wrong attitude if his human caretaker is ignorant or lacks self confidence. I suggest you find some of these articles and read up on the subject. Or, likely, you will have some responses touching on this issue as @sylviethecochin just has.

 

[Danny188]

Your cockerel's attitude toward humans is a distinct issue. There are many good tutorials here on BYC on how to raise a cockerel to be a gentleman. It's generally around ten week to sixteen weeks when a cockerel begins to get the wrong attitude if his human caretaker is ignorant or lacks self confidence. I suggest you find some of these articles and read up on the subject. Or, likely, you will have some responses touching on this issue as @sylviethecochin just has.

Ok thanks for the help