Does the pecking order change?

[gpac]

I recently introduced a new RIR rooster to my flock of 11 hens. He is only 4 months old and pretty tame. The first day he came in contact with the other hens, my 2 oldest hens (16mos) Black Stars immediately challenged him and became dominant. He is actually a little bigger than the hens now but still runs from them when they come in contact. My question is that will he become the dominant one as he matures or will he always be submissive? This is my first rooster and I hope he will eventually be the alpha male.

 

[Yazzo]

I have a few huge Australorp roosters that are about 5 months old and still scared of the hens who are about a quarter their size!

The really dominant hens even challenged my lead rooster when he was new to them, and they won! I think they may still be dominant over him, although they tend to show it a lot less than hens do between hens and roosters between roosters.

But yeah, the pecking order will change. It's always changing between hens and young roosters. Usually, the young roosters will get pecked by almost all the hens, even attacked, especially if there's a dominant rooster around. As they get bigger though, they'll get more dominant, although they may not be 'higher' than ALL the hens.

 

[Mahonri]

It will change. Eventually testosterone will take over.

 

[gpac]

Thanks my BYC friends. Thats what I was hoping to hear.

 

[oesdog]

Our Rooster got a real beating when we put him to our hens - he was mushed - I mean the poor thing was covered in blood and I feared for his life. Then when the chicks finally came along guess what - they sure look alot like Gerty and Isobella who were the lead bullies in giving him a very hard time! I guess they just beat him up and used his body poor chap!

Oesdog - I like to think he got to be top Rooster for a while - except poor critter was on lone and when he went back to his own flock they beat him up too!