Help! Rooster picked on my drake and by turkey hens

[Parrotchick]

I'm not sure if this is the best place due to the mixed flock, but I'll start here.

Poor Stella, my BC Polish roo! I think he is actually the #2 roo, with the Silkie as boss, but Pantaloons is more subdued and gentlemanly, and Stella is big so he might be the more obvious "leader." Some of the other birds are singling him out and attacking him.

Last year, I noticed Ivan my Muscovy drake tracking Stella down and attacking him brutally, biting off his neck feathers. I thought that since Ivan was originally raised with some chickens, that he had identity issues-he had been trying to mate a couple of the now deceased giant Cornish X hens as well. Ivan would single Stella out of a group (not confusing him with my other Polishes either) and keep going after him. Stella would not back down, even though Ivan no longer made amorous attempts on the hens. As far as I can tell, Ivan always started it too; it was never Stella pre-emptively defending hens or turf. I am able to keep my Muscovies and chickens separated so it's no longer a problem (Ivan could fly into their area if he wanted but I guess he's not that motivated.)

Recently, my 3 Bourbon Red Turkey hens have taken to picking on Stella. They puff up and put up their tails like they're boys and lunge and bite at him. Stella puffs up and always fights back but he doesn't have a chance. I have to push them away repeatedly to let them know that I'm the one to mess with and that they ain't gonna win. Finally they back away. The Tom just stands there looking pretty, doing nothing at all. I don't know why they're bothering with Stella; there is otherwise no interest or interaction of any sort between the chickens and the turkeys. And unfortunatly I am not able to keep them separated at this time. The dang turkeys go where they darn well please. And like Ivan did, they go through a crowd of other birds just to get at Stella and Stella only.

So why are they doing this? Everyone has plenty of food/space/resources/birds of the opposite gender. I can't even chalk it up to them being Machismo, since it's the hens doing it too. Any more I can do besides reminding everyone that I'm boss by giving the occasional shove (happens daily anyway when hustle the marauding turkeys to bed or back to the right side of the fence). Stew pots and giving them away are not options.

 

[nzpouter]

rehome him... they probably picked on him for the girly name...

 

[Chicken Frenzie]

Same thing happened to me! My beloved two Pekins (girl & Boy) Started following my baby Bell'e (My first chicken

) And rolling down the hill grabbing onto the neck feathers, I had to re-home them, but you could try seperating them if you really love then all, like in a different two coops

 

[Parrotchick]

Stella and Stanley were the pair of Polish I got, excepting the pair to be traditional male and female. One week I noticed that Stella was getting spurs, the next week "she" crowed. Stella is a good roo to the hens and doesn't mess with the other boys. And I adore my sweet turkeys otherwise. They were also saved from a likely date with a Thanksgiving platter.

I noticed one of the turkey hens lounging next to my neighbor's house the other day. When I went over to re-locate her to our side of the fence, I found a stash of 13 eggs which I removed as well. Tonight one of the hens did not go into the pen where every single night is spent. Sure enough, she was hunkered down at the neighbor's again, sitting on 5 eggs. Maybe my girls are just all hormonal and confused.

When I'm home, everybody "free-ranges" in a fenced 1/4 acre area of my yard and that's when I have the issues. (The Muscovies go out the back unfenced area). If I'm not home, the chickens get the big pen and the turkeys get the yard. At night, the turkeys and ducks get the big pen and the chickens have the coop. I hate to penalize the chickens because the turkeys are naughty. And it's too much big poop to keep the turkeys in the pen all day and let the chickens out. Guess I'll have to work out some sort of compromise though, or get ready for some shoveling/raking.