Hens increasing in confidence since rooster culled!

[HollyWoozle]

I just thought I'd share an observation of mine, although perhaps it's an obvious one to some.

A few months ago we culled our rooster, Olaf. It was a hard decision for us as he was excellent with people (including the children in our family) and was not initially difficult with the hens, but he became increasingly aggressive towards them over time. He also had poor foot conformation as far as I could tell and he had wounded some hens, accidentally at that stage, although a good pedicure stopped that and all hens recovered. It would not have been responsible to rehome an aggressive rooster with poor conformation and we didn't think it fair to keep him separate.

Anyway, several of our more nervy hens have become a lot more confident and happy around us since Olaf has been gone. I had never attributed their nervous disposition to him and figured they were just flighty hens compared to the others. Skye, who has always been borderline hysterical, ate from my hand this afternoon! When Olaf was around you couldn't get within 3 or 4 metres of her.

I just thought it was interesting to share that the rooster had such an affect on their overall behaviour. I am confident that we made the right decision now.

 

[FortCluck]

Roosters can definitely change the dynamic of a flock especially when they are aggressive or not the kindest. Some roosters are extremely good with their ladies and some just aren't. I have two Jersey Giant brothers and one is amazing, the other not so much. I'm hoping that the other one is just a hormonal stage, but we will see when we add more ladies in the next month or so.

 

[janiedoe]

I agree. I rehome a rooster recently. He was good with the girls and their chicks. It was a noise issue. Now I have one rooster and 20 hens. They are a lot less flighty and a lot more friendly.

 

[Folly's place]

It's worth it to have good roosters, and eliminate the jerks. It's a learning experience for us to see the difference!
Mary

 

[adickenscoop]

It is easy to work with an aggressive rooster to make them more gentle. It just takes a little time - http://www.poultrydvm.com/featured-infographic/gentling-roosters

 

[chickens really]

Were they actually Pullets and a Cockerel under a year old?

 

[Mysterywriter221]

I had a similar problem with an aggressive rooster. Once Cacciatore met his maker (about a year after I asked what to do with him on this site) my flock changed dramatically. Nugget, who used to peck me when I got near, now loves to be pet and go for rides in the wheelbarrow. I can even pick up Sweet and Pakora in the middle of an argument over who gets to use their favorite nesting box without any problems.

 

[HollyWoozle]

Were they actually Pullets and a Cockerel under a year old?

They were all a minimum of 2 years old at the time we let him go, mostly older. He had been with us for almost 2.5 years and his behaviour worsened over time. He would sometimes just go for a hen for no apparent reason and they became more and more wary of him.

 

[chickens really]

They were all a minimum of 2 years old at the time we let him go, mostly older. He had been with us for almost 2.5 years and his behaviour worsened over time. He would sometimes just go for a hen for no apparent reason and they became more and more wary of him.

Oh he was a jerk then.....

 

[aart]

I just thought it was interesting to share that the rooster had such an affect on their overall behaviour. I am confident that we made the right decision now.

Good Move!!
It's amazing how the peace immediately flows after removing a troublesome bird from the flock.