Did rooster kill hen?

[desman]

I had my one-year old RIR (my best layer) hen get attacked this evening and killed by what I believe was my game rooster. Now I may be wrong and be jumping to conclusions, but when I heard the screams and ran around to the back yard, where they are kept, the hen was flopping around like her neck was broke and squaking. All the while she is doing this the rooster is pecking and flogging her on the head (he has a good one-inch long and very sharp spurs). If he didn't comit the initial attack on her then he certainly was finnishing her off. Was she attacked by something else and he was just reacting on instinct as she flopped wildly or was he the original attacker? This rooster was one that I adopted last week because it just suddenly showed up in my yard and kept hanging around. He is a beautiful rooster so I introduced him to the girls and they seem to all get along except for the three older RID's that were the matriarchs of the flock. I did supervise and whatch carefully for a week and did notice a little scuffling and backtalk between the rir hens and the roo but I thought he was just establishing his new found dominance over the flock. I have read here on BYC that a game roo wil fight and kill another roo but didn't think he would be a problem with hens. Anyway I now have him in solitary confinment and will be rehoming him as soon as possible. Am I falsely accusing the rooster? I would like to think so but from what I have seen I don't believe so.

 

[cubalaya]

this guy here has never tried to flog me or any human but when i took his favorite hen away and tried to introduce a new one; he promptly killed her. i gave him his hen back and he has been fine,since.

 

[laughingllama75]

I have not seen it, but have heard of a roo killing a hen he didn't like. Also, I do know from experience that if a chicken (hen or roo) gets killed/maimed by something and is flapping around the other roo WILL go over and flog it, it must be a dominace thing.

 

[elaucht]

Have the same type of Roo.(Pretty but can be mean, real fighters, I hate that) He tried 3 x to kill the same white hen. I guess he didn't like her color. He scalped her 2x and so I gave her to a friend . she is doing well there.

 

[deerman]

gamecock do rule , if they see two other chicken fight(like two hens) he will jump in the fight. so yes he would attack one flopping around.

He keep the order with the hen, same when his sons get older and start fighting, he will break up the fight. Most would never kill a hen, sure like any male birds some will (rare)

 

[newchickengirl]

Ive never heard of a game rooster attacking a hen unless he couldnt see very well and thought it was a rooster. I am sure it is possible but have not experienced it with American game breeds. I know there are some Asian game breeds that will attack there offspring, husbands, brothers and sisters there fore you have to raise them by themselves. It might be helpful if you could post a pic of the game so we could get a look at him. As far as game roose keeping the peace between hens, some do in My experience but most dont. Good luck.

 

[Chicky Tocks]

You say that you adopted him when he just showed up. How did he look then? Do you have any idea where he came from? I wonder if he'd ever been exposed to "bad people"?

I have an EE roo who's every advance has been refused by one of my buff orpington hens. She hates him and he hates her. I've caught him beating her up, not mating, but truly beating her up before. I sent him a sailing like a football across the yard for that. In my experience, a hen that does not mind the rooster is subject to his punishment.
I dunno. I tend to believe that he's your murderer.

 

[desman]

I posted about this roo on another thread when he showed up in my yard a couple of weeks back asking about the breeds temperament and whether or not I should try to intergrate him to my flock of 12 hens. I was told he is american game (grey stag). I still don't know where he came from. He is a very healthy looking bird and very handsom.

I do not know how he may of been treated in the past. He is not aggressive towards people and did seem to get along with most of the hens whitch are young mayby 6-months. The 3 reds that he did not like and the one I think he killed were a little over a year and ruled the roost before I put him in with them. I had seen him trying to corner the red a couple of times but she seemed to always escape before any damage was done. I thought he was trying to mount her not kill her.

 

[tigers01]

My hen was killed tonight by a rooster that was 2 weeks yougher than her.
I am devastated because this hen was one month off coming into lay, hand reared and free ranged. She had blood coming out from the side of her head, no other injuries.l]
She was only 5 months old - I have now separated this rooster from my hens - I would appreciate suggestions on if I should keep him or selll him for butter chicken for the indian community - he is only 4 months old.
Sally

 

[laughingllama75]

Did you see the rooster kill her? Because it sounds like a weasel to me......, .good luck either way. Sorry for your loss.