Can hens ever be dominant over roosters?

[AmaiahTH]

I got a bantam rooster today that I just introduced to my RIR flock of hens, and upon introduction it seemed that my biggest hen got the best of him during the introductory pecking/jumping/kicking.

So I did some googling but couldn't find any information about this question: Can a hen be dominant over the flocks rooster when she's significantly larger than him? And if so is this something to worry about / is there anything I can (or should) do about it?

Thanks!

 

[Aunt Angus]

I got a bantam rooster today that I just introduced to my RIR flock of hens, and upon introduction it seemed that my biggest hen got the best of him during the introductory pecking/jumping/kicking.

So I did some googling but couldn't find any information about this question: Can a hen be dominant over the flocks rooster when she's significantly larger than him? And if so is this something to worry about / is there anything I can (or should) do about it?

Thanks!

I have a bantam cockerel. My top hen, a BPR, won't let him mate with her. She chases him off and squares up with him when he gets too close. She doesn't attack him, but she will chase him. He gets on fine with the other hens, so it's not a problem. As long as no one is injured, I'd just think of it as chicken politics. It will probably work itself out eventually.

Those are my thought, but I am not an expert by any means!

 

[AquaDuck]

Oh yes they can! Especially older hens will not always accept a younger rooster. They can be very choosy. They'll also see him as an intruder of course.

It'll sort itself out after a while, and the hens will probably accept him as a roo. But if there's been bloodshed it might be best to do the "see not touch" method of introduction so that the roo doesn't get hurt.

 

[AmaiahTH]

Thanks for the insights!

I got the rooster in order to keep the hens in check (they've killed two hens in the last two nights), so I'm a little worried that they will target him tonight. Would it be wise to seperate the two bigger hens that he's battling with for a while?

 

[333113]

Thanks for the insights!

I got the rooster in order to keep the hens in check (they've killed two hens in the last two nights), so I'm a little worried that they will target him tonight. Would it be wise to seperate the two bigger hens that he's battling with for a while?

Are you saying that your hens have killed two hens?

That is very unusual. Are you sure you don't have a predator getting in?

 

[AmaiahTH]

Are you saying that your hens have killed two hens?

That is very unusual. Are you sure you don't have a predator getting in?

We are not entirely sure but it seems to be the most likely scenario. Only alternatives are that one of our geese killed them or that a snake came in, but I found no snakebites on the dead chickens nor are any of the eggs missing.

I made another topic about the matter with some pictures of the dead Chickens, which look like they're pecked to death.

https://www.backyardchickens.com/th...-are-killing-eachother.1386668/#post-22770843

 

[keesmom]

Thanks for the insights!

I got the rooster in order to keep the hens in check (they've killed two hens in the last two nights), so I'm a little worried that they will target him tonight. Would it be wise to seperate the two bigger hens that he's battling with for a while?

If the deaths happened during the night it isn't the hens. Chickens can't see in the dark.

 

[333113]

We are not entirely sure but it seems to be the most likely scenario. Only alternatives are that one of our geese killed them or that a snake came in, but I found no snakebites on the dead chickens nor are any of the eggs missing.

I made another topic about the matter with some pictures of the dead Chickens, which look like they're pecked to death.

https://www.backyardchickens.com/th...-are-killing-eachother.1386668/#post-22770843

I am not familiar with the predators in your area, but this looks like snake damage, to me.

There are two kinds of snakes, those that kill with venom, in which case you may find a bite mark on the victim; and constrictors, who kill by wrapping themselves around the victim and squeezing. In the case of constrictors, you won't find bite marks, but you will often find that the neck is broken and floppy.

To me the photos you provided in your other thread look like chickens killed by a snake, and then the snake started to swallow them head first. The chicken's head and neck looks quite damp, and the damage to the head looks more like digestive juice damage than pecking. Some snakes don't have a good idea of how much they can swallow, and will try to swallow birds that are too large for them to actually get down.

Snakes are also drawn by eggs, which are very easy for a snake to eat. Typically the snake will disgorge the eggshell, whick will look crumpled like a wad of paper. You may not find this crumpled shell near the nest because the snake may leave to find a safer area to digest the egg. If a hen challenges him, or is sitting on eggs he wants to eat, the snake may then attack the hen. I have lost both hens and roosters to snakes.

Where I live in Missouri, USA, the constrictor snakes don't grow large enough to eat an entire chicken, but they will sometimes try a couple of times before they give up. Then they just kill the chicken, if it gets in their way, and eat the eggs. I usually have to find the snake and kill or re-home it, to stop the damage.

For a hen who is setting or who has young chicks, or for smaller birds, I put them in welded wire pens where the mesh is too small for a snake to get through, something like 1 inch by 1/2 inch welded wire. The pen includes a floor of the same wire, so the snake cannot come up from the bottom. This excludes large snakes that would be attracted to eggs or young chicks, and also some of our other local predators.

I hope this helps.

 

[AmaiahTH]

Thanks a lot that is very helpful. If Chickens don't attack at night then that would pretty much rule them out.

We get all kinds of snakes around here, from Cobras to Pythons, and I know for a fact that the previous owner often had pythons on the property. Our coop is snake proofed decently well but I could certainly see a young python fitting through, so it seems like a strong possibility. Also the first chicken was still alive when I found it but spent the rest of the day with its neck lying limp on the floor and couldn't get it up, which would fit in well with the constriction theory.

It's about to get dark here so I think that I will just move the chickens into our outhouse for the night and leave the geese in the garage, at least that way they'll be safe from snakes and if we find another dead chicken in the morning we'll know it's the hens.

 

[AmaiahTH]

No casualties tonight, but all the eggs are still in the coop so no visitors either.