HELP! Break it up break it up! Now mature Roo getting back @ bossy hen

[James_e69]

My beautiful SLWD Roo has suddenly become EXTREAMLY agressive toward a very bossy hen who only a few days ago was the top of the peck and he was afraid of her! I knew this would cause problems later, but figured she'd submit and that would be the end of it. WRONG!. I've carefully observed and even spent a couple of hours "mediating" between these two and despite her utter submission to him, (They're both very obedient toward me.) he seems intent on hurting/ killing her, not mating. No other problems w/ him and other hens. She was VERY BOSSY as she's bigger and started laying first. She's also my best layer. Very tame/trained/ even housebroken. (Not kidding, they all are.) I've tried everything to get him to just mount/mate properly, but he's not having it, he only wants to hurt/ kill her, and I"m NOT having that! I don't want to eat him, but I'd rather get a new roo than loose the sweetest lovebird of a laying hen I've ever had. Any suggestions? The yard is big enough for them to stay away from each other most of the time. But obviously under this stress she will stop laying. They have to be locked in the house in their box at night due to predation. Is best to separate him from the hens or the one hen from the flock. (She's very independent and pretty much does her own thing anyway, but I can't have her constantly harassed) He's also quite when separated from the hens but crows nonstop w/ them. Would it help to have more hens? I only have 3 now. Any suggestions are welcomed and requested with all due haste. I'm going out of town for two weeks and leaving the birds to themselves and my wife. U can email directly at (james underscore e69 at att dot net) AND (annmencl at gmail dot com).
Thanks,
James & Angela

 

[Barry]

Sometimes doing nothing is the best option. When you come back in 2 weeks they may have established a new pecking order. Adding more new hens at this point will only create new problems. Good luck!

 

[James_e69]

Doing nothing = non laying once productive hen, and most likely dead hen. (And poss. dead roo from sleep deprived psychotic owners butchering him in the middle of the night due to NON STOP 24/7 Crowing. Another new behavior as he had normally minimally crowed.) I've watched them very carefully. She's submitted to the new PO and is at the bottom even below my tiny non-laying SLWD hen. She's in utter submission and he just continues to bloody her. He mounts the other hens w/ normal mating behavior: These are not mating or PO attacks, but outright killing attacks. She can not get anywhere near him or the other hens or he outright attacks w/ killing pecks, and rakes her w/ his spurs. She's a WO w/ a large comb esp. compared to the pea combs of my EE and SLWD hens. She's been totally shunned/ eliminated from any flocking behavior if he's in range. He's looking at her almost as a competing roo due to her prior absolute dominance of the PO. One of two things has to happen: 1. Modify his behavior 2. Rooster Stew/ rehome/ new roo, which would make us both very sad as he is stunningly beautiful and tame/ hand raised/ housebroken. For now he's boxed separately for night and I'll cage him separately while unattended. He behaves toward us when being handled. So I'm hoping I can train/ modify his behavior.
Thanks,
James & Angela

 

[kcravey]

i had a hen that became the outcast of her flock. I separated her and put her with my nonlaying pullets, letting her train them on how to lay eggs. The next season, I moved her flock to an electronet area (where the outcast was with the pullets) and now they all get along. Maybe some space for a season?

 

[kcravey]

I really think chickens forget each other after awhile, Ive noticed you have to reintroduce those who have been gone only a week

 

[matthewschickens]

I think you should not separate the hen.
I think when you see the roo bothering the hen then put the roo in a separate cage where he can see the hens but cannot get to them. Do this for 1 to 3 hours and then put him back. If he does not stop then get rid if him or separate the hen with a friend or two. I would also get more hens for the roo.

Matthew