Got rid of Rooster, Now what?

[Relheok]

So I have a tiny flock of 4, now 3. They were hatched October 21st 2011. The Rooster was overly aggressive, always chasing and headbutting my children. A friend at work needed a 2nd Rooster, so he came and picked him up this morning. The rooster was the obvious leader of the three hens. Will the hens adapt to the new arrangement? When could I add a few more hens? We have a 4X6 Coop and the birds are free to go as they please. Thanks for any insight.

 

[wayne hulgan]

now that the rooster is gone, now is the tiime for you to become the leader. one of your hens will be the leader, but they will like you much better now that the rooster is gone. we have 5 hens and they have one that is kinda the leader, but they all think we are the head chicken. 2 of them love for us to give them back rubs. they come close and squat so we can rub their backs. kinda like a hen submitting to a rooster. one will peck at your leg to get her back rub. she will peck on your leg then squat, after we rub her back she will get up fluff up, shake off and be off on her merry way. trust me you will like not having a rooster.

 

[Relheok]

How are some ways to become their leader?? How do you get them to come closer to you??

 

[NoZolbitty]

Food

 

[off-grid hen]

This happened to me earlier in the year. When the meanie left I was wondering how the flock dynamics would change. I have 12 girls. I was worried that maybe they'd be more vulnerable to predators. I have lost 1 bird to a hawk, but lost 2 while he was there, so that hasn't changed much. What HAS changed, is that the girls pay attention to me now. And one hen has become the watchdog patrol. It's funny- when I let the girls out of the run to roam, she stands and watched with her tail straight up and gives the warning call when there's an overhead threat. Otherwise, she lays and acts like a hen. My girls have lots of spots to hide if there is an overhead threat. There are shrubs, and we have put a "coffee table" made of pallets and plywood halfway between their coop/run area and under the porch where they dust bathe. We put a water dish under it.

Every flock is different, so I can only tell you what happened with me. You might have a few squabbles while they figure out who's boss now, but I think they'll be fine.

 

[Relheok]

Thanks guys. So everything should be alright then. They seemed to do well today, they were venturing around a good bit. Thanks!

 

[GlacierHen]

My hens and I sighed with relief. You don't need roos for egg production so, unless you are going to hatch your own eggs or eat them they are pretty much useless.

 

[Henny Penney]

The one time I had no rooster the pecking order among the hens got pretty nasty, this was with otherwise mellow banties, so I ended up getting another rooster. Your hens are still young, bonding with you might go well, but just a cautionary note to watch how the pecking order settles over time and be sure no one gets bullied. I have always found that a rooster keeps the peace (but you obviously did not have a peace maker!)

Penney