I think my rooster is being a bully...what should I do?

[mshaffer]

Hello! I am new to this forum.

After butchering our 31 cornish roasters a few weeks ago, I am now down to 16 hens and 5 roosters of various breeds that are now 19 weeks old.

My kids plan on showing the roosters at the 4H fair this summer, and I have warned them that we will probably have to get rid of 3-4 of the roosters, so we will take advantage of the auction offered after the fair.

Here is my issue...for the last couple days, the chickens have not been going outside. They have mostly been staying on their roost. The roosters have been out, but I haven't seen the hens outside. Tonight, I noticed that one of the hens got off the roost and was headed outside. One of the roosters then chased her, and seemed to herd her back to the roost. I tried to lure them outside with some scratch grains, but the same rooster seemed to keep them herded on the roost.

Here are a few factors that may have some bearing:
1) We just got our first egg on Friday, but nothing since then.
2) It has been REALLY hot lately
3) I know we have too many roosters, but I need to keep them for at least another month for the fair

Help?!?!?!

Thanks!
Michelle

 

[milleryardchx]

Well I have never culled a chicken till today... We have one rooster for our 12 hens well today one that I thought might be a rooster 19 weeks never crowed yet but attacked a hen mounted her and then attacked her neck to the point of drawing blood and pulling feathers out..... he went to freezer camp today. Same with his buddy a 19 old roo i was hopping to keep but he started crowing today and attacked the same hen after the first young roo did then went to the next hen and just took a chunk out of her comb. and when the hens were trying to lay eggs today he went in there and tried to mount them while they were in nest boxes. I have no room for mean roosters I have one very good EE rooster that has great husbandry skills and is a gentlemen. I only keep nice ones around no room for "cocky" roosters no pun intended haha

but for the time being if you need to keep them for the fair is there a different area you can keep them away from the hens. The heat will effect egg production but if the girls feel bullied they may not lay either. No room for abusive chicken husbands.

 

[duckidaho]

Our one rooster tried to keep the hens in the henhouse for the 1st couple of days after we started letting them outside. After a day or two he gave up. He is a great rooster. He has plenty of sex, but he doesn't hurt the hens. Thank god. He actually scolds them if they get in the vegetable garden.

 

[mshaffer]

Thanks for the input...

After dinner, we decided to separate two of the roosters that seemed to be causing a problem. Immediately, the hens (and the other 3 roosters) were off the roosts eating and drinking.

I guess I'll finish the construction of the chicken tractor to keep those roosters separate until the fair and auction...

I really hate to get rid of the leghorn rooster - he's so pretty and the only one crowing, and has such a beautiful crow (the others try, but sound awful)! The other one in "chicken time out", as we are calling it, is a silver laced wyandotte rooster - also very beautiful.

So far, no problems out of the speckled sussex and two black astrolorp roosters...but we'll see how the pecking order is affected with these two gone.

 

[Kung Foo Chicken]

"Ole One Eye" is going to be culled tomorrow. He is a RIR rooster. Protect the hens is one thing but, to abuse them is another. He literally attacks them when he tries to mount. I saw him today chase a hen around the yard and knocked her on her side and started pecking her while tryng to mount her laying sideways and pulling feathers and bits of comb loose. Everyday he carries around a mouthful of feathers where he has attacked his own hens. He has got to go.

He is ole one eye because the BO rooster spurred him for attacking hens.