Did my rooster hurt my fav hen?

[Eggsandbeyond]

Is this from my rooster being too rough?
He's about 8 months old. This is my favorite hen, and I don't like aggression in my flock. Is this just a normal thing for roosters, or an accident, or is he just a jerk? This is the first time it's happened.
I have a local farm who takes roosters and gives them a good home (I know them personally I know they do not cull them) maybe I should look into that option?

 

[Eggcessive]

She will heal in time, and you can spray a little wounds spray on the wounds. Spend some time with them and observe his behavior with the hens. Young cockerels tend to be more eager, but they also may pick on one who spurns their mating advances. If she is meek, he may choose the easy target more often. They tend to grab hold of the back of the neck and head when they are mating, though. You may find that he needs to be crated some to give the hens a break until her matures more. That said, you can let him out and see what he is doing, and make your judgement. If he is rough or hurting the hens, I don’t tolerate that, but he may just be overmating.

 

[Eggsandbeyond]

She will heal in time, and you can spray a little wounds spray on the wounds. Spend some time with them and observe his behavior with the hens. Young cockerels tend to be more eager, but they also may pick on one who spurns their mating advances. If she is meek, he may choose the easy target more often. They tend to grab hold of the back of the neck and head when they are mating, though. You may find that he needs to be crated some to give the hens a break until her matures more. That said, you can let him out and see what he is doing, and make your judgement. If he is rough or hurting the hens, I don’t tolerate that, but he may just be overmating.

He does spend a lot of time around this one hen. I free range and so I like to keep him around in case of hawks, since my dogs and fence keep the other predators away during the day while they forage. But, I will keep an eye on how he is with them. My husband said he sees him bite the back of their neck pretty hard and not let go until the hen stops fighting and gets on top of them. I understand roosters do what they do, so I'm not sure if this is just something to expect when having one in my flock. But, I really don't want the girls under stress.

 

[getaclue]

This is one of those situations where you have to be observant. It could be another hen, unless you've actually seen the rooster do this. Is he singling her out, or are other hens showing the same type injuries. Sometimes it's just plain inexperience on the part of the cockerel, which should improve with a little more experience. It won't hurt to pen him up a few days, to give the hens a break, and a chance to heal, then put him back with them. You may have to pen him a few times, until he gets the hang of things. If it seems to be ongoing after a few weeks when he's gotten experience, or it's hen specific, you might want to consider getting another rooster, OR limiting his time with the hens.