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

 

[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]

I'm sorry, have I misunderstood anything? You have a polish cockerel with older LF pullets. How can a bantam be taller than older LF hens

Polish comes in standard and bantam size, and the American Poultry Association recognizes both in their standards book. The Polish are classified as a ‘Continental’ breed.

https://www.thehappychickencoop.com/polish-chickens/

 

[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.

 

[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.

 

[Geena]

12 Dominques 2RR 2buff 2BSL 2 marans a olive egger 2 brown leghorns the Dominique are 8 months the rest are 7 months the cockerel is 7 also

Part of the problem may be age, but I think a lot of it is just that he's a Polish. He might never be able to take charge of that many large fowl girls and they may always dominate and harass him.
Adding another rooster would just make the beat down even worse for him, maybe even deadly.
If you really want to keep him you could always put up a separate but adjacent coop/pen for him to stay in.

 

[NatJ]

I'm sorry, have I misunderstood anything? You have a polish cockerel with older LF pullets. How can a bantam be taller than older LF hens

Most Polish are not bantams. I think this Polish rooster must be the large fowl kind.

 

[fluffycrow]

Still think the best course of action is seating him for a while, being bullied and pecked around is no way to live. I have had no personal experience with this, as my flock is largely crested, but some people have reported than if there are only one or two crested birds in the flock they tend to get picked on

 

[HollowOfWisps]

I agree I think his problem is that he is the only polish. Chickens do not like other chickens that are noticeably different in appearance. Having a crest is like wearing a big funny tall hat in a crow full of people not wearing hats. No matter what you do he is going to stand out and they are going to notice that crest.

 

[aart]

How big is his crest, can he see?
Might need to trim it back away from his eyes so it's not impeding his vision,
give him a better chance at avoiding attacks.