Hen being attacked by our rooster?

[Sotapop34]

So my 2 year old hen is getting attacked by my 7 month old rooster, and she is the only one out of 9 that he’s doing this to. She’s the oldest, and he’s ripping the back of her head apart, so I’ve taken her out and put her in our little chicken hospital to let her heal. But I let her out in our yard near the other chickens, and I noticed a noise that she is making when she’s near the rooster. I know she is most likely traumatized at this point, poor girl lost all feathers and a chunk of skin on her head. I’ve heard the sounds for the egg song and for the chicken “hello”, but I wonder what this short little squeak sound means from her? Is she scared of him or will she be able to reintegrate? It’s my first time posting and I’m not sure how to post the video, so if anyone has advice on that either that would be lovely! Also wondering if he will ever stop attacking her or what I can do for that thank you!

 

[Chicken_Obsesser]

Welcome to BYC!! I'll tag some people who are more experienced than me. @Debbie292d @azygous @Wyorp Rock

 

[Debbie292d]

Hi, and welcome to BYC! Sorry your hen is having a rough time.

To post a video, you can post it in YouTube, then paste the link back here. If you don't have YouTube acct, our Gallery (tab above) works similarly.

I think yes, she could still be intimidated and scared of him, and in a little time away she'll forget this. It is a hen's life to be bred by roosters, but not mauled. I'd question putting him with your hens yet because now that she's out, he's going to attack another one. Maybe he should have separate quarters for a few weeks or a month to see if his hormones settle down.

She would improve faster being with her hens, without him around for a while.

 

[Sotapop34]

Hi, and welcome to BYC! Sorry your hen is having a rough time.

To post a video, you can post it in YouTube, then paste the link back here. If you don't have YouTube acct, our Gallery (tab above) works similarly.

I think yes, she could still be intimidated and scared of him, and in a little time away she'll forget this. It is a hen's life to be bred by roosters, but not mauled. I'd question putting him with your hens yet because now that she's out, he's going to attack another one. Maybe he should have separate quarters for a few weeks or a month to see if his hormones settle down.

She would improve faster being with her hens, without him around for a while.

Okay I will try that! When I tried to separate him instead, he was absolutely terrified and panicking constantly, I have him on the other side of our yard where he couldn’t see the hens and he kept trying to run through the chicken wire, when I was nearby he was so spooked that he rammed the fence a few times and scratched the part of comb right above his beak. Would it be better if he was separated but could see them, like just fencing off a part of the coop?

 

[Wyorp Rock]

So my 2 year old hen is getting attacked by my 7 month old rooster, and she is the only one out of 9 that he’s doing this to. She’s the oldest, and he’s ripping the back of her head apart, so I’ve taken her out and put her in our little chicken hospital to let her heal. But I let her out in our yard near the other chickens, and I noticed a noise that she is making when she’s near the rooster. I know she is most likely traumatized at this point, poor girl lost all feathers and a chunk of skin on her head. I’ve heard the sounds for the egg song and for the chicken “hello”, but I wonder what this short little squeak sound means from her? Is she scared of him or will she be able to reintegrate? It’s my first time posting and I’m not sure how to post the video, so if anyone has advice on that either that would be lovely! Also wondering if he will ever stop attacking her or what I can do for that thank you!

Okay I will try that! When I tried to separate him instead, he was absolutely terrified and panicking constantly, I have him on the other side of our yard where he couldn’t see the hens and he kept trying to run through the chicken wire, when I was nearby he was so spooked that he rammed the fence a few times and scratched the part of comb right above his beak. Would it be better if he was separated but could see them, like just fencing off a part of the coop?

Your 7mo old is a hormonal young male (Cockerel) not a rooster. There's a big difference imho.
I'd move him to a separate space. He can be near the girls, in his own space that shouldn't be an issue. This way they stay familiar with him and he can see/hear them. He should calm down pretty quickly.

If at all possible, get the hen back with her flock so she doesn't have trouble with integration. If you need to, cage her within their run/coop or make her a section, but get her near her flock. If that means the cockerel needs to stay across the yard in another pen, so be it. He will live and he will calm down until it's time to try introducing him again.

Will she accept him as he matures? I don't know, no one can say what's going to happen in the future.

I'm not trying to sound harsh.
For me, I do not tolerate a Cockerel or Rooster (Adult) that injures or harasses hens. If he's causing stress with the hens, he's got to go. I've been down the road of trying to make things "work" because I really liked the Cockerel. The hens did not and they suffered for it. After that, lesson learned, no more for me and my situation. Don't get me wrong, I have 2 flocks, both have a rooster and the hens like their respective rooster. It's peaceful and there's little drama (except for hen squabbling now and again).

 

[Jeff_Stone]

It sounds like your hen is going through a lot, and it's good that you've taken steps to help her heal. That "short little squeak" you're hearing is likely a distress sound. Chickens will make this noise when they feel threatened or scared. It could be a sign that she's still feeling traumatized by the rooster’s attacks, especially since she's lost feathers and skin on her head.

As for reintegration, it can sometimes be a challenge after a hen has been attacked, especially if the rooster is the main aggressor. Roosters may sometimes continue to attack a hen, especially if they see her as weaker or vulnerable. The best way to reintegrate her would be to wait until she's healed, keep her separated during recovery, and then slowly reintroduce her in a way that doesn’t overwhelm her. You might want to do it in a controlled environment where the rooster can't immediately get to her.

In terms of the rooster's behavior, if he keeps attacking her, it could be a sign that he's overly aggressive or trying to assert dominance. You can try a few things to help this, like adding distractions, rearranging the flock dynamics, or even separating him for a bit. Sometimes, roosters just have to learn boundaries, and removing him from the flock briefly might help.

As for the video, you can usually upload it directly through the forum if it supports video posts, or you could upload it to a platform like YouTube and share the link here.

I hope she heals quickly, and you can figure out the best way to manage the flock. Keep us posted on how she's doing!

 

[Sotapop34]

Thank you all for your advice and help, I had her separated for a while and would let her out in the yard next to the other hens to help keep her socialized. I made a big mistake though and didn’t realize that there was a gap in the gate, and the cockerel got out and immediately went after her. I ran outside and grabbed her and he had already done more damage to her head. I’ve got her back in isolation and at this point I would rather just get rid of him. I don’t need fertilized eggs (we just hatched our very first batch of babies today actually!) and he’s been rough with some of the others but I thought he’d grow out of it. My only other question is, if I take him away, will it affect the other hens and pullets in the flock? Do I need to get another rooster or cockerel to replace him right away?

 

[Sotapop34]

Warning: graphic photo

This is what he did today, I’ve tried to clean it and put some spray on, the first time we did blu-kote and then I read how that stuff can be bad, so we switched to one from Fleet Farm, but any advice on how to help her heal?

 

[Auntiejessi3]

Thank you all for your advice and help, I had her separated for a while and would let her out in the yard next to the other hens to help keep her socialized. I made a big mistake though and didn’t realize that there was a gap in the gate, and the cockerel got out and immediately went after her. I ran outside and grabbed her and he had already done more damage to her head. I’ve got her back in isolation and at this point I would rather just get rid of him. I don’t need fertilized eggs (we just hatched our very first batch of babies today actually!) and he’s been rough with some of the others but I thought he’d grow out of it. My only other question is, if I take him away, will it affect the other hens and pullets in the flock? Do I need to get another rooster or cockerel to replace him right away?

No, you do not need to get another one, your ladies will be fine without. You might think about keeping one from the chicks you just hatched. A cockerel raised with grown hens to teach him manners can turn out great.

 

[Auntiejessi3]

Warning: graphic photo

This is what he did today, I’ve tried to clean it and put some spray on, the first time we did blu-kote and then I read how that stuff can be bad, so we switched to one from Fleet Farm, but any advice on how to help her heal?
View attachment 4094024View attachment 4094022

Keep it clean and slathered with neosporin without pain relief. It should heal just fine.