Help my rooster attacks my hens

[marcheterrem95]

Hi i am a new chicken owner and i have seven birds one rooster and 6 hens rhode island reds. i have one chicken that my rooster attacks a fiew times a day but doesnt injure it . the hen just runs around the coop squaking. but very weirdly it is only this bird none others. i have tried seperating the rooster for like10 min but it hasnt helped i was wondering if i shood spray water or give him away or what??

 

[greenfamilyfarms]

Are you sure the one he is chasing is indeed a hen?

If you are 100% sure that one is a hen, he is probably chasing her down to mate. She is running because he's a "stranger" but after some time will give in and let him mate.

 

[marcheterrem95]

but my chickens are not old enough i dont think well i got them in april this year and they arnt laying just yet

 

[kevs-chickadees]

Don't know if this is the correct answer or not but we once had a rooster that when introduced to the flock he singled out the top hen a lot. I guess he figured if he could dominate her then the rest of the pecking order would fall into place. Not sure if thats what your situation is though?

 

[greenfamilyfarms]

Quote:
If they were chicks in April, that makes them about 4 months old. That's the age when they are starting to mature sexually. It's typical for a rooster to try to mate with hens before they actually start laying.

 

[nickie]

I have some 10 weekers and the head roo singles out the head hen and tries to mount her a few times a day. One of those ya gotta learn somewhere/sometime kind of things I guess.

 

[emrys]

You might want to keep an eye on things. I have a rooster who has singled out the most submissive hen. After breeding he pecks at her head as she cowers on the ground. Today he left her with a huge bloody area on her head and upper back. She is now in another pen with the PTSD hen and he will be leaving very soon. I don't care that he will stand in the middle of the yard and scream at hawks or call the other hens when he finds goodies. Youthful exuberance can be tolerated, beyond that, not having it.

 

[Judy]

It really sounds like they are just learning about mating. If he's not injuring anyone, it may work itself out. They often have favorites. And the act is a bit rough looking, what with grabbing neck feathers and flapping as they stand on the hen's back.

Probably half the roos I've had have been too rough on the hens. Here's hoping yours figure it out.

 

[JodyJo]

Mine started the mating thing a few weeks ago, they are 19 weeks now...sounds like yours is doing the same...it looks rough, but they will survive!

 

[Malita]

My rooster started chasing the hens when he was about 15 weeks old. They're all about 21 weeks now, no eggs yet, but he chases them all, off and on all day. Mostly the girls try to escape but he doesn't give up until he gets what he wants.