Dilemma

[boomercd]

I have 24 chickens mix of breeds I didn't.want a rooster I bought all pullets lol however I have one rooster for 23 hens as luck would have it he's a white crested black polish my problem is my hens hate him he has very few tail feathers and they have had his head bleeding a few times do I get another rooster is it because I have too many hens for him or will that make his life more miserable

 

[fluffycrow]

How old are the hens, and how old is the rooster?

 

[Mrs. K]

Adding birds really does not solve problems. Adding a second rooster almost always makes the trouble worse.

You could separate him for a while, just giving him time to grow up and get a bit more confident.

Another question, besides the age question above, is what kind of space are they living in, does it have enough clutter? Does it have multiple roosts?

You didn't want a rooster, no need to have one, you may cull him or re-home him. Being constantly attacked is not a great way to live.

 

[Ridgerunner]

Adding birds really does not solve problems. Adding a second rooster almost always makes the trouble worse.

I agree. In addition to everything else going on you need to do an integration. Often at least part of the problem is crowded conditions. Adding more birds makes crowding worse. That's just adding more girls, an additional boy can bring its own problems.

You could separate him for a while, just giving him time to grow up and get a bit more confident.

If they are still immature this might help.

Another question, besides the age question above, is what kind of space are they living in, does it have enough clutter? Does it have multiple roosts?

Good questions

You didn't want a rooster, no need to have one, you may cull him or re-home him. Being constantly attacked is not a great way to live.

What are your goals with chickens? How does having that boy fit with your goals? The only reason you need a rooster is to have fertile eggs, everything else is personal preference. Nothing wrong with personal preferences, I have a few myself, but those are a choice, not a need.

I generally suggest that you keep as few males as you can and still meet your goals. That's not because you are guaranteed to have more problems if you keep more boys but because the more boys you have the more likely you are to have more problems. For many people the correct number is zero.

Getting rid of him does not mean you have to kill him, though that is an option. Culling him could involve selling him or giving him away. Since his head is bleeding you do need to do something. Pecking the head is how they try to kill each other. He needs to be separated until he heals and maybe until he matures enough to act more like a rooster than an immature cockerel, if he is that young.

 

[boomercd]

How old are the hens, and how old is the rooster?

Hens are 8.-7 months and the rooster.is 7 months

 

[Ridgerunner]

Hens are 8.-7 months and the rooster.is 7 months

Not hens and a rooster but pullets and a cockerel. Housing them separately for two or three months might help.

 

[fluffycrow]

Not hens and a rooster but pullets and a cockerel. Housing them separately for two or three months might help.

Agreed. This age is a little tricky, and since the cockerel is younger and I'm guessing you got him later than the pullets, they're bossing him around. Separating him will help, but it won't fix anything if the birds don't have enough room. By the way, are the pullets LF, or bantams?

 

[boomercd]

I agree. In addition to everything else going on you need to do an integration. Often at least part of the problem is crowded conditions. Adding more birds makes crowding worse. That's just adding more girls, an additional boy can bring its own problems.


If they are still immature this might help.


Good questions


What are your goals with chickens? How does having that boy fit with your goals? The only reason you need a rooster is to have fertile eggs, everything else is personal preference. Nothing wrong with personal preferences, I have a few myself, but those are a choice, not a need.

I generally suggest that you keep as few males as you can and still meet your goals. That's not because you are guaranteed to have more problems if you keep more boys but because the more boys you have the more likely you are to have more problems. For many people the correct number is zero.

Getting rid of him does not mean you have to kill him, though that is an option. Culling him could involve selling him or giving him away. Since his head is bleeding you do need to do something. Pecking the head is how they try to kill each other. He needs to be separated until he heals and maybe until he matures enough to act more like a rooster than an immature cockerel, if he is that young.

Not hens and a rooster but pullets and a cockerel. Housing them separately for two or three months might help.

 

[boomercd]

Agreed. This age is a little tricky, and since the cockerel is younger and I'm guessing you got him later than the pullets, they're bossing him around. Separating him will help, but it won't fix anything if the birds don't have enough room. By the way, are the pullets LF, or bantams?

They are LF and house is 12x12 with lots of roost and 30x12 ft in closed run I thought they had enough room but maybe not

 

[fluffycrow]

Well, them being LF and older definitely doesn't help. I say separating them for now