Flock intro advice

[blatham00]

Some roosters have no idea what a chick is the first time they see them, and he does his job of attacking an intruder. Most get wiser after having chicks in the group and will than start to try to take care of them. If a rooster never saw a chick before how is he supposed to know what they are? A seasoned mature rooster would be gone if he goes after checks every year, but younger ones get a reprieve.

My roo has never seen a chick. He's less than a year old. He's been a good rooster so far. He's got a good temperment. I will try introducing them again and see how it goes. Hopefully he'll come around and protect the baby as well as he protects his girls. He's never shown aggression toward me or my family.

 

[oldhenlikesdogs]

My younger roosters pecked at the chicks last year initially and than eventually stopped. When chicks start to feather out better they seem to realize what they are more. Some roosters take care of chicks and some are indifferent to them. I haven't had one who continued to excessively peck chicks after they were mature roosters, which to me takes most roosters until they are about 2 years old. Chicks learn to dodge cranky hens and bossy roosters after a while, usually by 2-4 weeks of age.