How to stop rooster from being scared of hens?

[chickens really]

He'll come around. As a young man I was scared of older ladies, then the testosterone struck.

 

[chickens really]

He is not a Rooster yet....He is a Cockerel till he is a year old..Sounds like he has manners and as he matures he will start dancing and Tidbiting to the ladies to win their hearts...

 

[Chickassan]

He will grow into the ladies,right now they are teaching him manners which is good! Give him time,before you know it he will be a man.....and you will want your scaredy rooster back.

 

[Xlcandylx]

I don't know how many people would agree apoun this but I paired up my alpha hen and my roo for a week then set them back in the same coop with the other hens and he stood his ground and became alpha. Since the alpha hen wasn't able to sit with the other girls she would peck the male. They slowly gotten along and they accepted him as the male of the group.... I had all birds in the same run just those two in a different set up where they can each can be beside the flock... I've walked in the coop two a couple of the girls right beside there pen.

 

[I-Love-Pallets]

A while ago I introduced a younge rooster to my year old hens. He was too young to mate. When we intoduced him, he just ran away from all the hens, and he still is now. He never goes near any of the hens, what do I do to make him comfortable?

Hey, I ran across your thread, and I’m having the same problem. I’m wondering now, after 5 years, how did it go? My rooster is now about 2 1/2 months old, and my pullets are about are about 4 1/2 months old. When I have them all in the run together, I have him separated in a dog kennel. For the past 1 1/2 weeks, I’ve been putting them all in my 25x45 foot garden for several hours in the morning, after closing it for the summer. I feel like things are improving. For the most part they all just go about their business. Every once in a while a pullet will chase him and he’ll run away, but if 2 or 3 come after him, he dives headfirst in a corner, and usually they’ll pluck a feather or two. Almost makes me embarrassed for him…haha. (I keep trying to tell them that one of these days he’s going to kick their a$$…haha.)

I’ve been thinking about putting him in the coop after dark, so they all wake up together…I’ve heard that can work. For now, though, I‘m keeping him separate at night, in our shed. Any input you have would be welcomed.

 

[Mrs. K]

It just takes time, my matriarch got a hold of his comb and drug him around the run looking very much like a teacher having a kid by the ear and dragging him to the principal's office (in the old days).

He didn't crow for weeks, and still yet is pretty quiet. But slowly he is making his way in. These tend to be much better roosters, so don't rush it or try and change it.

Aggressive roosters from the get go, tend to ruin things for the flock and the people with the flock. Whereas the ones where there are birds that teach them manners in a proper chicken society, tend to be much better for all. Not 100%, but much higher than either the pet or the bully.

Mrs K

 

[Folly's place]

Agree. And having multiple feeders and waterers, and places to be out of sight, all help everyone get along better.
Mary

 

[Ridgerunner]

You will notice this is a very old thread. I haven't seen some of these people around the forum for years.

My rooster is now about 2 1/2 months old, and my pullets are about are about 4 1/2 months old.

That's not a rooster, he's probably more like a chick than an immature cockerel. He's made it to preteen. Are your pullets laying yet? At that age some could be but most probably not. Think of them more as high school aged socially. Not really mature but getting there and some can be really catty.

It's really common for more mature chickens to outrank less mature chickens in the pecking order and they often are not shy about reinforcing those pecking order rights. There is a reason it is called the pecking order. If the immature invade their personal space they are likely to get pecked. It usually doesn't take the younger chicks long to learn to not invade personal space. But there is only one of him and he may get lonely. That can make it rough on him. It's usually better to integrate a few together instead of a single chicken. It's not always as bad as I make it sound. Sometimes they can learn to coexist. There is nothing consistent about chickens.

For now I'd continue to do what you are doing as long as he doesn't get hurt. My goal in integration is that no one gets injured. All that one flock stuff can come later. As long as no one is injured you are ahead of the game.

When he hits puberty many different things can possibly happen. He may try to mate with the older girls. They might let him and you have no drama. It does happen. It's more likely they will not want him to. They may run away from him when he tries. He might let them go. He might chase them down and force them to mate. They might fight back and beat the crap out of him or just chase him away from the flock. A pretty common occurrence is that some of the girls are OK to mate with him and some are not. At some point he will mature enough to take over as flock master. Sometimes that goes really peacefully but sometimes it can be violent. Watching a cockerel go through puberty can sometimes be really hard to watch as it can possibly get violent. Sometimes you may not even notice they are going through puberty. I have no idea what you will see as the girls finish maturing and he goes through puberty, but if you can get through that stage the flock usually becomes peaceful and well organized. Have a place ready so you can isolate him if you need to, but I'd base my actions on what you actually see.

Good luck!

 

[I-Love-Pallets]

You will notice this is a very old thread. I haven't seen some of these people around the forum for years.


That's not a rooster, he's probably more like a chick than an immature cockerel. He's made it to preteen. Are your pullets laying yet? At that age some could be but most probably not. Think of them more as high school aged socially. Not really mature but getting there and some can be really catty.

It's really common for more mature chickens to outrank less mature chickens in the pecking order and they often are not shy about reinforcing those pecking order rights. There is a reason it is called the pecking order. If the immature invade their personal space they are likely to get pecked. It usually doesn't take the younger chicks long to learn to not invade personal space. But there is only one of him and he may get lonely. That can make it rough on him. It's usually better to integrate a few together instead of a single chicken. It's not always as bad as I make it sound. Sometimes they can learn to coexist. There is nothing consistent about chickens.

For now I'd continue to do what you are doing as long as he doesn't get hurt. My goal in integration is that no one gets injured. All that one flock stuff can come later. As long as no one is injured you are ahead of the game.

When he hits puberty many different things can possibly happen. He may try to mate with the older girls. They might let him and you have no drama. It does happen. It's more likely they will not want him to. They may run away from him when he tries. He might let them go. He might chase them down and force them to mate. They might fight back and beat the crap out of him or just chase him away from the flock. A pretty common occurrence is that some of the girls are OK to mate with him and some are not. At some point he will mature enough to take over as flock master. Sometimes that goes really peacefully but sometimes it can be violent. Watching a cockerel go through puberty can sometimes be really hard to watch as it can possibly get violent. Sometimes you may not even notice they are going through puberty. I have no idea what you will see as the girls finish maturing and he goes through puberty, but if you can get through that stage the flock usually becomes peaceful and well organized. Have a place ready so you can isolate him if you need to, but I'd base my actions on what you actually see.

Good luck!

That’s great info, and lines up with everything else I’ve seen and read. I’m going to try putting him into the coop after dark one night, once he stops being so afraid of them…just trying to be patient about waiting for him. I know at some point he’ll assume his role. Thanks for the input!