How to stop rooster from jumping on a hen

[TheOddOneOut]

But what if he injures the hen ? I don’t want the hen to suffer, I have read they can even leave scares on their backs … she is a young pullet she have not even laid an egg yet. She just started to squat last week and he already jumped on her 3 times, twice I chased him off and once my older hen ( the head of the hens came to the rescue and chased him off )

Let him mate her.
It's not an issue unless there's not enough females for him to "spread his love".

 

[Sylvia0223]

By "jumping" i assume you mean mating behavior? What breed is the hen? If it is a bantam I would look out. If the hen is the same size as the rooster then its not really hurting them. Watch out for overmating or if the hen loses to much feathers on its head. There isn't really any other way of stopping the rooster from jumping on them unless you separate them or get rid of it.

She is a sapphire gem, and they free range all together, he does not jump when they are lock in in their runway area. They all perch and sit together no issues, only when they free range… that hen is always near him, so he jumps ( mate ) on her … others won’t let him and chase him off..

 

[TheOddOneOut]

She is a sapphire gem, and they free range all together, he does not jump when they are lock in in their runway area. They all perch and sit together no issues, only when they free range… that hen is always near him, so he jumps ( mate ) on her … others won’t let him and chase him off..

It's natural behavior.
Stopping him will just make him want to mate with her more, IMO.
Just let him do his thing. He's not being bad.
He won't hurt her - not unless he does it more than, like, 10 times a day, or her back is totally bare of feathers.

 

[Sylvia0223]

Sapphire Gems are very submissive. I have 4 that have been mating with a little bantam Cochin roo that is the same age. Or at least trying to mate…

Oh really ? I didn’t know that. I need to read more about it. Thank you. She always seem to be near him, and others like my ISA brown, buff Orpington or black australorp chase him away and off if he behaves bad. So he really only have 3 hens who are kind of hanging around him, since the others are bossing him around.

 

[Sylvia0223]

He is trying to be the top in the pecking order, and want's the hen to be submissive so he can start breeding. The only way that you would be able to stop it until the hen is mature enough is to put him in a separate pen and then try him after the hen is already laying egg's. The boy's mature faster then the girl's do.

Edit: By mature, I should have said that the male hormones' kick in faster then the girl's.

He already stays in a pen with the younger ones they have been together since the day 1 ( the older hens won’t let him inside their pen / runway without chasing him off ..

 

[Sylvia0223]

Let him mate her.
It's not an issue unless there's not enough females for him to "spread his love".

There is 7 females but 4 won’t let him near them they are older and they run the pen / runway … they actually boss him around. So he have 3 younger ones …

 

[TheOddOneOut]

There is 7 females but 4 won’t let him near them they are older and they run the pen / runway … they actually boss him around. So he have 3 younger ones …

7 is enough.
Eventually he'll be old enough for the rest to accept him.

 

[Sylvia0223]

It's natural behavior.
Stopping him will just make him want to mate with her more, IMO.
Just let him do his thing. He's not being bad.
He won't hurt her - not unless he does it more than, like, 10 times a day, or her back is totally bare of feathers.

Ok no I only notice 3 times a day … other then that he is good. Will he grow out of that behavior eventually? I really like him he is so nice to me and loves to sit on my lap in the morning when I have my coffee, I really don’t want to give him away.

 

[Sylvia0223]

7 is enough.
Eventually he'll be old enough for the rest to accept him.

Thank you so much for the answers. This is my first rooster so it so hard to understand all this and not be worry.

 

[TheOddOneOut]

Thank you so much for the answers. This is my first rooster so it so hard to understand all this and not be worry.

I get it. And it may be disturbing to see him mate with them. But it's really not that gross or bad for them - it's totally natural and won't hurt them unless he's being a brute or is just mating with one hen repeatedly.