Hens dominate rooster? Will this change?

[Missymac]

My older girls (9months) and my younger girls(13 weeks and down) all live together peacefully(now) my young rooster around 12 weeks is always being picked on. Not by all of them. Just the 2 older ones and the 13 week old ones. They are not hurting him, they just cluck angrily at him and chase him around. When he sees them coming, he runs. When I am outside with them, he runs to me for protection and hides behind my legs some times pecking lightly at me until I pick him up.

My question is will he eventually stand up for himself and act like a rooster? Or is he always going to be runing for the nearest human for help?

 

[mulewagon]

He's not very old yet. If they're all the same breed, he'll be a lot larger than the hens soon, and he'll start becoming assertive (and maybe aggressive) in a few weeks.

 

[howfunkyisurchicken]

Eventually he'll put on his big boy britches and take control- he just needs a little more time.

 

[Missymac]

No, they are not all the same breed.

I have
2 undetermined sex Buff brahmas(potentially male and female or both female)
5 EE pullets
9 Golden Comet Pullets
2 GLW pullets
1 App Spitz pullet
1 Silver laced polish pullet
4 white leghorn pullets and
4 tetra tint pullets

Good I am glad eventually he will start acting like a boy. I was worried he would just be afraid of the forever.

He is a bit larger than the other EEs but still smaller than the chickens older than him.

 

[kipper]

The older girls know he's a boy. They like being at the top of the pecking order and are trying to hang on to their seniority. He will soon put them in their place.

I am more amazed that the older girls don't pick on the younger pullets!

 

[Missymac]

Oh they did. Beleve me. I thought all was going just fine for awhile. Then I picked up one of my chickens and it moved it's wings supportig a bare back. I proceeded to check several others of the 11-12 week old ones. The same thing. 2 older girls only went after the EEs, and GLWs. Almost all had feather stubs with no feathers. I wanted to figure out who was to blame, so I set up a game cam. Turns out it was the App. Spitz. When ever I wasn't around she chased the others around and pecked out their feathers. She did it to the Roo too. Probably why he doesn't have saddle feathers yet. So I hid in a bush near the coop with a supersoaker water gun, and sho her with water everytime she tried to peck. I did this over the course of 5 days. SHe couldn't see me, but didn't like the stream of water. Now when I watch the game cam. Nothing goes on other than normal chicken behavior(and they chickens chasing around the Roo of course).