My Lavender Orpington rooster is around 9 months old or so and has been a beautiful and gentle boy until 2 days ago. My oldest hen, a Majestic Maran, at least 2 years old, has never let him mate with her. She's the queen of the flock and is respected by the other hens. She is moulting heavily now which seems to have made her weak and vulnerable. The rooster has noticed and has been attacking her as she is no longer able to stand up to him. He is not mating but actually pecking her hard. I tried putting the hen in a separate small coop where she could come out to roam with the others but the moment the rooster sees her he attacks her. I intervene when I see this happening. Yesterday he drew blood from her comb which was enough for me to put the rooster in the small coop instead and leave the hen out with the others. The rooster is not happy but I have read from others that a time out may improve his behaviour. The hen joined the others in the regular coop without issue. The moulting stage is far from over so I'm not sure what I can do to keep the hen safe from the rooster. How long should I keep him separated? Or should the hen be separated? I love them both, as I do all my chickens, so can't bear parting with either. I am really hoping to curb the rooster's violent attacks on my Maran. I hope that somebody in this group has been able to successfully deal with a similar situation and keep both chickens. Thank you in advance.