Hen is hiding from Rooster

[Rockvillian]

Roos raise hell in a coop/run. My 3 roos are now in a batchelor pad until crockpot time. I've been amazed at how calm it can be without roosters constantly intimidating, harrassing and attacking the hens. I don't need fertilized eggs so, roos are a disruptive force I can live without.

 

[chickengeorgeto]

I tried that with my wife and she hid also!

LOL

If I tried that with my wife then I would be the one in hiding.

I agree that the hen in question is the problem. If it was the roosters fault then he would treat the other 19 hens in the same manner as he treats this Cochin. I am sorry but there can only be one boss chicken in a flock and for what ever reason your Cochin hen thinks that she is that chicken. May I ask which bird is the oldest and the largest?

When chickens interact with each other they know and maybe understand the reasons for their actions, we humans not so much, we jump to conclusions or solutions corrupted by human understandings and emotions then try to force human values on our poor poultry.

 

[chickengeorgeto]

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.

Here again we seem to have an uber hen who is loath to relinquish her place at the pentacle of the pecking order and be integrated into the flock.

Nothing denotes whos who in the pecking order better than who roosts in the most preferred places in the roosting or sleeping areas.

 

[josy]

She is always on the top roost and she has always kinda been the odd one out in the flock. Definitely she doesn't seem to consider herself part of it even before she was traumatized by roosters. She never tries to boss larger hens though, just the young ones.

 

[CluckerCottage]

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!

Please, get over yourself.
Those are your words, NOT MINE.
I was simply offering an alternative to traumatized hen that you are losing patience with.

 

[josy]

Please, get over yourself.
Those are your words, NOT MINE.
I was simply offering an alternative to traumatized hen that you are losing patience with.

Ok getting over myself. I'm sure you didn't really mean to imply anything other than an alternative.

 

[CluckerCottage]

Ok getting over myself. I'm sure you didn't really mean to imply anything other than an alternative.

Just an alternative, that is exactly correct.

 

[josy]

If anyone has had success getting a hen over her fear of roosters I would love to hear about it. No more "alternatives" please. I am strictly looking for ways to get my hen over her fear. Not what to do with her if she can't recover and behave normally I can figure that part out myself. I will continue trying to make her comfortable in thier presence and will post my results or lack thereof whichever the case may be.

 

[bobbi-j]

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. Maybe don't spend hours with her and let her work it out. She is not picked on by the other hens in fact she herself tends to pick on the younger birds. My lowest on the pecking-order hen wasn't picked on by the hens her age, but she did go after the younger ones. I knew she was lowest on the pecking ordeer because the other hens would push her away from the feeder and not let her roost in the prime spots. 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. Then stop going to her and let her squawk. 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. If you stop picking her up, eventually she'll stop expecting it. 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.

How many roosters and hens do you have? How old is this bird? Is she of breeding age, or is she still an immature pullet? If she's not mature, she maybe just isn't ready yet. Gang-breeding can be traumatic for them, but so can a single cockerel if he's sexually mature and she isn't. (Chickens do not "rape" or "gang-rape". They are following their hormones and instinct. Rape is not an instinctual behavior. It's a deliberate, violent act that humans commit.)

 

[josy]

Lol! Yes I have had the same thought. Especially when she started squawking at me until I paid attention to her. Thus my frustration. Then I see the fear in her eyes when a roosters comes near and I cave