Chicken Retirement

[Kaedrian]

So, I have a hen that is over a year old - certainly not ready to retire from egg-laying. BUT, I am considering retiring her from the flock (moving her, not culling her) for one reason and was wondering if it's a good reason or not.

I've noticed for a few months now, that one Buff Orpington hen gets bullied/ denied access to food. Twice, I've had to treat her comb due to bleeding. I at first thought it was another hen pecking at her, but the last time her comb got all bloody, the kids told me it was our rooster. And since then, I've seen with my own eyes him doing it. Now, I know he'll hold onto her comb when he's mating her, but sometimes, he'll chase her around until she squats and half the time, he doesn't even mate her, he just grabs her comb and pulls on it. She squawks and runs to hide. He will not let her go near food in the morning when they all go out or table scraps when we go out there and give them some. She waits in the coop in the morning for 15-30 minutes until everyone else has wondered off from the feeder until she'll come out and peck at the food. It's very concerning. I don't know why he's doing it. She seems to be the only one he singles out. Even when I go out there with treats, she doesn't come running because she knows he's going to chase her away.

I'm thinking about putting her in her own coop and run with a few chicks that I got this year. The issue with this is that come winter, I'll most likely have to combine the two flocks (if I keep them separate) as I plan to put them all in the greenhouse. Or maybe it's not a big deal and as long as she's not looking too bad, it's okay? As far as I've seen, she's still getting food and still laying eggs, but just seems to be at the very bottom of the totem pole. I'm wondering why the ROOSTER is bullying her. I usually see him breaking up fights. He's usually a very docile rooster too and good about watching after his girls. He's calm and comfortable around my children - he'll let my 3 year old daughter hold him, give him hugs and carry him around. Basically, I don't feel right about how he's treating this one hen and not sure what to do about it, if anything.

 

[sourland]

If you separate her from the flock, keep an eye on him. He may then target another hen. He would have to go if he was in my flock.

 

[LaFleche]

How old is your rooster and how much space for how many chickens do you provide?

 

[fuzzi]

So, I have a hen that is over a year old - certainly not ready to retire from egg-laying. BUT, I am considering retiring her from the flock (moving her, not culling her) for one reason and was wondering if it's a good reason or not.

I've noticed for a few months now, that one Buff Orpington hen gets bullied/ denied access to food. Twice, I've had to treat her comb due to bleeding. I at first thought it was another hen pecking at her, but the last time her comb got all bloody, the kids told me it was our rooster. And since then, I've seen with my own eyes him doing it. Now, I know he'll hold onto her comb when he's mating her, but sometimes, he'll chase her around until she squats and half the time, he doesn't even mate her, he just grabs her comb and pulls on it. She squawks and runs to hide. He will not let her go near food in the morning when they all go out or table scraps when we go out there and give them some. She waits in the coop in the morning for 15-30 minutes until everyone else has wondered off from the feeder until she'll come out and peck at the food. It's very concerning. I don't know why he's doing it. She seems to be the only one he singles out. Even when I go out there with treats, she doesn't come running because she knows he's going to chase her away.

I'm thinking about putting her in her own coop and run with a few chicks that I got this year. The issue with this is that come winter, I'll most likely have to combine the two flocks (if I keep them separate) as I plan to put them all in the greenhouse. Or maybe it's not a big deal and as long as she's not looking too bad, it's okay? As far as I've seen, she's still getting food and still laying eggs, but just seems to be at the very bottom of the totem pole. I'm wondering why the ROOSTER is bullying her. I usually see him breaking up fights. He's usually a very docile rooster too and good about watching after his girls. He's calm and comfortable around my children - he'll let my 3 year old daughter hold him, give him hugs and carry him around. Basically, I don't feel right about how he's treating this one hen and not sure what to do about it, if anything.

As roosters are highly unpredictable and sometimes aggressive I wouldn't allow a small child to get too close. Spurs and a bill could do permanent damage to a youngster's face.

 

[Kaedrian]

The rooster was given to us so I don't know his exact age, but I believe he is similarly aged as our hens, perhaps a few months older, as our hens were bought a few weeks old in May of 2022 and he had been born that winter I believe (the guy that gave him to us said he had suffered some frost bite on his comb).

We have 10 hens, one rooster, and I put in 6 small pullets (aged about 7/8 weeks now). We have them in a about a 60x60 foot field, more or less. We had to fence them in (they were free range previously) due to a dog attack from someone's dog they just let wander the countryside.

I would also note, that previous to his attacks, I noticed this particular hen acting weird. I don't know if his actions were a reaction to her or if she started acting this way due to his aggressiveness. By "weird," I mean, she would fluff up her feathers and act as if she were trying to intimidate the other hens. I watched her once circle a few hens, standing up tall and fluffing her feathers so she'd look big. Then the rooster would come by, chase her away and in some instances, mount her. Maybe she was challenging her spot on the totem pole? I don't know. After that, I noticed the rooster singling her out and picking on her. The other hens would follow. Today, I noticed he chased her and mounted her, and as he was doing this, two other hens came by and began plucking her head feathers. It was so bizzare! Like in her most vulnerable moment, the other girls came and bullied her as well.

@fuzzi Thanks for the caution. I'll keep that in mind. Honestly, he's so big we never were able to catch him before, but since we've had to move them a few times, we found out he'll let us hold him. The girls have since then, picked him up several times. I usually tell them, especially my youngest - and with any chicken they pick up, to let them go after a few seconds and let them be chickens. I mean, he can't feel very masculine if a 3 year old girl is toting him around like a designer roo.

 

[LaFleche]

I would also note, that previous to his attacks, I noticed this particular hen acting weird. I don't know if his actions were a reaction to her or if she started acting this way due to his aggressiveness. By "weird," I mean, she would fluff up her feathers and act as if she were trying to intimidate the other hens.

This seems like broody behaviour to me.

A broody hen will become more aggressive against her flock mates giving clear "stay away and leave me alone" signs, setting boundaries in preparation for the time when the chicks hatch and need a secure space around their mother hen.

Did you notice her making some clucking sounds and/or spending more time in the nest box? Does she still lay eggs?

Usually, a good rooster would not attack but protect a broody hen from her flock mates attacks and not be the initiator of severe bullying behaviour.

 

[LaFleche]

At the moment I have 5 broodies puffing and huffing at everyone else, no longer wanting to be mounted by the rooster and blocking the favourite nest boxes.

My rooster respects their wishes and breaks up the little squabbles they get into, then leads them back to their nests to keep on brooding.

 

[Kaedrian]

This seems like broody behaviour to me.

A broody hen will become more aggressive against her flock mates giving clear "stay away and leave me alone" signs, setting boundaries in preparation for the time when the chicks hatch and need a secure space around their mother hen.

Did you notice her making some clucking sounds and/or spending more time in the nest box? Does she still lay eggs?

Usually, a good rooster would not attack but protect a broody hen from her flock mates attacks and not be the initiator of severe bullying behaviour.

Hm. I haven't seen her in the nest more often than usual. She still lays eggs, though now, she'll be chased out of her nest boxes on occasion by the other hens. Not sure what is happening. Aside from keeping an eye on her, I'm not sure what the right thing to do is here. I could replace the rooster, as I'm raising a mixed flock right now to butcher (they are a welsummer/cream legbar mix I got as straight run). But aside from this aggression towards this one hen, we're pretty happy with our current rooster.

 

[Kaedrian]

An update.

Carrie (the hen that's been picked on) had a bloody head a few weeks ago due to the rooster and other hens pecking her so we put her in a quarantine coop/run and she recovered. I had her free ranging for a week by herself (aside from our stubborn Esther who keeps jumping the fence even after we've clipped her feathers). I put her back in with the others to see how things would go as she had been gone for a week.

Unfortunately, Richard Scary (roo) would still single her out and chase/bully her. After a few days of observing this behavior, I separated him and put him in the quarantine coop/run. Carrie definitely felt more comfortable going about her business and poor Richard was desperate to get to his hens. He really isn't a bad rooster. He's never turned on us and he's good with all the ladies (with the exception of Carrie).

Anywho, I let the hens free range today and we let Richard out to mingle with them. Everything was going well (he'd been separated for a week) and I could tell he and his sweetheart, Alice, were happy to be back together. Then a few hours later, we noticed him running towards Carrie from halfway across the yard. She tried to escape, ran into the coop run and was cornered. She squatted for him and he mated with her. She then escaped the run but he was still chasing her. She squatted for him several times, after which he would just peck on her comb and head feathers. The other hens were in a frenzy to try to get to her too. I approached them and told him off. After that, she kept her distance, but I could tell he was keeping an eye on her.

I've checked her for mice/lice thinking maybe he knew something I don't know. I didn't see anything. But perhaps he does know something I don't. Or perhaps he just doesn't like this particular hen.

We're sending the meat chickens off to the butcherer in a few weeks, and I suggested we send off Richard too, but I'm soooo conflicted. I mean, he's such a good roo except for this one thing. We can always get good laying hens, but will we get another nice roo? On the other hand, if he was acting this way with one of my kids, I wouldn't have any qualms about sending him off, and a part of me think it's unfair for Carrie. Another option would be to give him away.

So, in conclusion, nothing has changed. I just have to figure out what I want to do and what's the best thing for the flock as a whole.

 

[First time Chick mom]

Can you find a good home for Carrie? I love my buffs and I know many others that do also. If you really like your roo and Carrie is his only problem, she may feel safer with an all-hen home. Buffs are usually very sweet, and she would probably do well with another set of hens. Roosters can be much trickier from what I understand. I wish you much success. I know this is a hard decision.