How long until young rooster and 4 hens make friends?

[QChickieMama]

I have a mobile chicken tractor that fits 5 grown chickens (it's about 10x4). After I realized that a chick that hatched this past summer in another pen is a rooster (who fights with the big rooster in that original pen), I moved the young just-now-crowing guy into this tractor with 4 hens who are maybe 3yo. Before I closed him into that tractor, he had been investigating the flock on this side of the yard already. I free-range all the other pens every day, but the young rooster won't go back into the tractor to sleep yet so I can't give them more space to acclimate to each other. How long should I expect before they settle down and stop squabbling?

 

[Mrs. K]

Those girls are giving him manners. If this is no blood, let this continue. He should be coming into his oats, I think another 6 weeks and they will all be in love.

Mrs K

 

[3KillerBs]

Those girls are giving him manners. If this is no blood, let this continue. He should be coming into his oats, I think another 6 weeks and they will all be in love.

Mrs K

This.

Essentially, you've thrown a 15yo boy into a ladies' tea party.

As long as they're not beating him up he'll grow up better for it. I'm crediting Cordon, Teriyaki, Dumpling, Popcorn, and Chipotle for my 7-month-old cockerel's good manners.

A month or two ago there were some squawking and protesting incidents that resulted in him being run off by the adults. Now he's started fertilizing eggs so smoothly that I haven't actually even seen him mate yet -- just seen the bullseyes in the eggs I'm cooking with.

 

[Mrs. K]

Essentially, you've thrown a 15yo boy into a ladies' tea party.

I love this.

 

[3KillerBs]

I love this.

Thank you. The image came to me one day when I was watching my hens interacting with the young cockerel. He wanted to be with them but didn't know how to behave acceptably so they put him in his place when he was being obnoxious.

 

[QChickieMama]

This.

Essentially, you've thrown a 15yo boy into a ladies' tea party.

As long as they're not beating him up he'll grow up better for it. I'm crediting Cordon, Teriyaki, Dumpling, Popcorn, and Chipotle for my 7-month-old cockerel's good manners.

A month or two ago there were some squawking and protesting incidents that resulted in him being run off by the adults. Now he's started fertilizing eggs so smoothly that I haven't actually even seen him mate yet -- just seen the bullseyes in the eggs I'm cooking with.

I think my concern is more on the other side: his skipping around and being frisky has made the 4 gals choose to live up on the roost most of the day. The gals come down when I toss treats in the pen. Then there's a big scuffle and back up to the roost they go.

I'll give them more time. So far, he seems like an agreeable rooster with humans, and he has no spurs!