Hens attacked rooster

[lisa523]

Well my RiR are at it again. My one rooster, who is molting, is being pecked at by my hens again. They stopped for a bit but I went in today and his new tail that was coming in was all pecked at and bloody. He is the last of his kind that I have the other two were pecked to death . The hens are a mix of RiR and br, my rooster is light brahmas,
Since the pecking started I've been putting no peck lotion on him. It turns him purple, but seemed to work. He is molting as I said so lots of missing feathers...the hens aren't helping.
So I completely removed him and put him in a cage now that he is cleaned up.

Any advise on how I can keep him. He is about 7mths old and is slow to mature, so he is not high on the pecking order. I'd like to keep him, he is very nice and good with kids.

 

[sourland]

Just allow him to mature and fully feather out before gradually introducing the hens to him - one or two at a time so that he can establish dominance. Brahmas tend to be slower at maturing, an d at 7 months he is basically still a kid to adult hens.

 

[lisa523]

So do you think I will have to keep him in the cage I have him in now for months?

 

[sourland]

If he were mine (given the fact that the hens have already pecked two to death), I would wait until spring to gradually introduce the hens to HIM one or two at a time over a period of time.

 

[Kikiriki]

So do you think I will have to keep him in the cage I have him in now for months?

Is there a way to just divide him off an area in the enclosure you have? It would probably come in handy if you ever have a hen hatch out her chicks, too...

 

[lisa523]

No I don't. I just got a new coop and it dosent have room to block him off from the others. Right now he is in our basement in dog cage to heal. Maybe I could rig up some type of fencing inside the copp

 

[krista74]

No I don't. I just got a new coop and it dosent have room to block him off from the others. Right now he is in our basement in dog cage to heal. Maybe I could rig up some type of fencing inside the copp

I usually just get two pieces of wire mesh fencing and partition off a corner of the main coop. That way the sick/injured/broody chicken who is incarcerated can still see and socialise with the rest of the flock. It doesn't have to be a huge area, just big enough that they can stand, walk a couple of feet and stretch their wings. I give them their own feeder and waterer in there and a make-shift nest box to sleep in.

In the afternoons I normally lock everyone else out of the coop (the hens have all laid by then) and let the chicken in the sick pen into the main coop, so they can scratch about and get some exercise in safety. This set-up seems to work well. I have two other pens across the other side of the property, and those are used for separating out chickens with illnesses and severe injury. Currently I have one in each of those as well - a respiratory case being treated with antibiotic and a blocked crop which is waiting for surgery tomorrow. They can see each other in the opposite pen so they are reasonably happy in there too.

- Krista

 

[donrae]

How many birds and how much space do you have? Pecking another bird literally to death is usually a sign of serious overcrowding or some other management issue.

 

[aart]

Wonders.... how old are the hens pecking the rooster?

Ditto on the space/population question.

 

[lisa523]

Well just to updat, bob, my light brahma roo, finally matured and he rules those ladies now