Hens won’t accept a rooster

[Nicki Casher]

I have 30 hens and have never had a rooster. This spring I purchased 6 straight run Turkens. I purchased 6 in hopes of increasing my chances of getting more hens, I ended up with 5 roosters and 1 hen. They have been in a separate pen beside my hens for 4 weeks. I moved them into the main run with my hens and they will not accept them. They literally were picking on them so much they were taking chunks out of them. They never bothered the hen, just the roosters. Why were they bullying them so bad that I had to take them back out and separate them? Will they ever accept a rooster or have they been without a rooster for so long (about 18 months) that they won’t accept one?

 

[oldhenlikesdogs]

Because they are cockerel. They need to mature more, and earn the right to lead. All my young cockerel get pecked by the mature hens. Make sure yours can get away, and have places to hide.

 

[Mother of Chaos]

They need to learn their manners from the aunties, to know how to behave as proper roos when they grow up.

How were the cockerels acting when they were around the hens? Depending on when in spring they were hatched, they could well be obnoxious horny adolescents at this point who do not yet know how to behave around the ladies.