Hen is hiding from Rooster

[CluckerCottage]

general rule of thumb is 10-12 hens per roo.
over-mating is hard on the hens.

 

[josy]

Anyone have any ideas for how to get a hen over being scared of roosters? i have one hen that is rediculously scared of the roosters. She was gang raped once by a group of young roosters but she wasn't injured (they got sold or went in the freezer). The roosters I have left are about as nice as you can get. They aren't aggressive enough to chase her down but if they even get close and dance for her she's off like a shot for the coop and just stays on the roost until I put her down again, and on and on the cycle goes. I thought she would come around after awhile now that I only have nice guys but no. I'm running out of patience with her. She's a Wheaton Americana and quite a pet. The only time she will stay on the ground is if I'm beside her or the dog. Yes she hides under my American bulldog rather than chance getting too close to a rooster!

 

[CluckerCottage]

she was obviously traumatized and you're running out of patience with her?
why don't you just give her to a chicken lover that has no rooster.

 

[josy]

she was obviously traumatized and you're running out of patience with her?
why don't you just give her to a chicken lover that has no rooster.

Wow and here I thought I was a chicken lover that is trying to find a way to help my hen get over her fear, but I guess in actuality I'm just a cruel person with no feeling whatsoever!

 

[Rockvillian]

Anyone have any ideas for how to get a hen over being scared of roosters? i have one hen that is rediculously scared of the roosters. She was gang raped once by a group of young roosters but she wasn't injured (they got sold or went in the freezer). The roosters I have left are about as nice as you can get. They aren't aggressive enough to chase her down but if they even get close and dance for her she's off like a shot for the coop and just stays on the roost until I put her down again, and on and on the cycle goes. I thought she would come around after awhile now that I only have nice guys but no. I'm running out of patience with her. She's a Wheaton Americana and quite a pet. The only time she will stay on the ground is if I'm beside her or the dog. Yes she hides under my American bulldog rather than chance getting too close to a rooster!

 

[Rockvillian]

Josy,
Given your hen was gang raped, it seems reasonable to show more patience and hope the the effects of the trauma will eventually wear off. I doubt she will simply forget it just because a nice guy comes along. Is it possible you could change your expectations?

 

[josy]

Perhaps I have not made myself clear, by my saying I'm losing patience I more mean I am frustrated. I have been very patient with her. Spending hours with her so she can enjoy being outside. She is not picked on by the other hens in fact she herself tends to pick on the younger birds. I think a lot of her problem is she has become too reliant on me. When I go to the coop and she sees me she starts squawking loudly until I go to her. She likes to ride on my arm outside or be put on something up off the ground. If I put her on the ground she runs around dashing here and there for a few seconds then runs back to me and looks up wanting me to pick her up. She does this even if the roosters are not nearby. It takes awhile each day just to get her comfortable enough to stay on the ground near my chair for a bit.
Another odd thing I have noticed when I go to shut the coop at night is she apparently doesn't mind sleeping next to a rooster on the roost. That doesn't bother her at all. More often than not she is beside one or the other of my roosters and looks comfortable. So perhaps now you can see why I'm pulling my hair out. She is a quirky little chicken but I like her and want her to be happy and be comfortable on the ground.

 

[Penny Hen]

I understand hating it when they scream in terror. It is like listening to one of your kids crying. She has Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. Sometimes you can fix that and sometimes you can't. Time is one of the best tools. You might try using a run that shares a run wall with the roosters but fixed so they can't get to her. It doesn't have to be large, just enough for the one hen. Then feed the rooster right near the shared run wall. The rooster will come over and probably call to her to share the food. Have her favorite treats in hand. As soon as she stops trying to run/fly/scream give her a treat. As soon as she relaxes, give her a treat. Put some of her favorite treats in her cage right beside where the rooster is standing. Repeat this often. If you do this daily for a half hour at a time you should see improvement in about a week. The problem is she doesn't feel safe. You have to make her feel safe first before she will be able to use her brain to figure out that this roo is not like the ones who hurt her.

I had a red Olive Egger roo that was rough on my girls. He would pull their feathers out of the back of their heads and claw them with his spurs when mating. He also would run down this cockeral who was a month younger than him and smaller and rape him 6, 7, 8 plus times a day. The young cockeral was spotted leaving the farm for the wild woods and probably certain death rather than stay. I put the red roo in the stew pot shortly after. He had also started jumping me and made the mistake of doing it on my day off when I had time to kill and process him.

 

[Rockvillian]

My 3 roos are at each other all day. However, when the sun goes down and the flock and the possibikity of predation increases, the flock instinct kicks in and they roost next to one another. Once they can no longer see and must sleep, they have little choice.

 

[josy]

I understand hating it when they scream in terror. It is like listening to one of your kids crying. She has Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. Sometimes you can fix that and sometimes you can't. Time is one of the best tools. You might try using a run that shares a run wall with the roosters but fixed so they can't get to her. It doesn't have to be large, just enough for the one hen. Then feed the rooster right near the shared run wall. The rooster will come over and probably call to her to share the food. Have her favorite treats in hand. As soon as she stops trying to run/fly/scream give her a treat. As soon as she relaxes, give her a treat. Put some of her favorite treats in her cage right beside where the rooster is standing. Repeat this often. If you do this daily for a half hour at a time you should see improvement in about a week. The problem is she doesn't feel safe. You have to make her feel safe first before she will be able to use her brain to figure out that this roo is not like the ones who hurt her.

I had a red Olive Egger roo that was rough on my girls. He would pull their feathers out of the back of their heads and claw them with his spurs when mating. He also would run down this cockeral who was a month younger than him and smaller and rape him 6, 7, 8 plus times a day.  The young cockeral was spotted leaving the farm for the wild woods and probably certain death rather than stay. I put the red roo in the stew pot shortly after. He had also started jumping me and made the mistake of doing it on my day off when I had time to kill and process him.

Wow that's one horrible rooster you had! It was an olive egger rooster that instigated my hen's rape but she was not injured just scared. I have been using mealworms to help bring her around and it does seem to help as long as the worms last anyway( not long). I have tried putting her in a large wire cage in the run, but she is so focused and stressed about trying to find a way out that she doesn't even notice the roosters are there. Not wanting to stress her out more I didn't try that for long. Guess I better move ahead my plans for a segregation run. Hopefully she will come around soon. If not I will see if I can find a home for her without roosters but I don't think that will be easy to find around here. Wouldn't want her to end up in a worse situation.