girls rule the roost

[divediva]

My 19 week old feral rooster Smudge free ranges with my two, 7 month old golden comets. They tolerate him but will chase him away at times, and won't allow him to share food. At night they sleep in the coop and he goes in the tree. Outside he runs away and would never challenge my two much larger girls. Today he had been in the back garden with me, and I went through to the side of the house where the girls were. I went back in the house to get a drink and the girls followed me into the house. Smudge went into full attack mode. Hackles out and he and Ivy were flying a few feet into the air. I have never seen this with him and was shocked and scared for them all. I picked up Holly and Ivy and put them outside and then put him outside, where everything was back to normal. Is he protecting me as his hen or is he protecting his area from the girls? I'm baffled. Just recently he's been getting amorous with my blue sparkly flip flops (thankfully not while I've been wearing them) I want him to integrate with the girls and be a proper unit. Should I let them fight and sort it out? He is bantam sized and they are at least twice his size, so I'm worried he could be seriously hurt. It's my first time owning chickens and this is baffling.

 

[sourland]

Just normal dominance and pecking order shuffling. He needs to become boss if he is to be the flock leader. As long as nobody is getting hurt, and blood is not being drawn I would let them work things out.

 

[Ridgerunner]

I don't know what caused that particular skirmish but it sounds pretty normal. Expect more of that in the future. The older girls have been dominating him, his hormones are starting to tell him to become the dominant one. He is hitting puberty and will mature. The girls do not want to give up their power. They will sort it out. Sometimes it is so peaceful you don't notice, sometimes it involves serious fighting. Usually no one gets seriously injured but since they are fighting, injuries or even death are possible.

If you see bleeding or if one pins another on the ground or in a corner and keeps pecking at the head you should intervene. Otherwise I'd let them sort it out.

 

[divediva]

Thanks for your responses. I will see how everything progresses. In a few weeks I have to go off island and I'm putting my girls in a boarding facility. Smudge is going to stay home. When I bring the girls back I'm guessing they will have lost their position in the pecking order, and this will give him the edge?
On one side I think it's great that the hens are in charge (girl power) on the other side I just want my poor boy to be a proper rooster, and not a sad flip-flop sex offender lol