Immature Roo Chasing my hens! Aggressive to one in particular

[Jennifer Lynn]

I have a roughly 12-13 week old Sapphire rooster that we got 2 weeks ago along with a few various hens around this age. My also have four 14 week old barred rock and one 15 week old Exchequer leghorn that I've had since they were one week old. The Roo has been nipping all the younger hens in the back of the neck sometimes even removing feathers. The just yelp a little and get out his way. Isn't he too young for this? Anyway...

He keeps chasing my 15 week old Exchequer leghorn and removing clumps of feathers from her neck. She is terrified and runs and flies around screaming to get away from him. She has not been eating or drinking for a few days. I thought she maybe was depressed because we lost her sisters and our BR roo 2 weeks ago due to a predator (which is why we ended up getting some new hens and this roo).

I have been giving her Corid and Denagard (antibiotic) after some weird frothy bright yellow and dark green poos. I thought maybe she picked something up from the new chicks. I have also been syringing the corid and denagard mixtures into her mouth as well as some Pedialyte every hour to two hours for the last two days. She won't even come out of the coop at this point. She just sleeps.

I don't want to get rid of the roo so I am trying to come up with a solution. I don't know if she is actually sick, depressed or terrified. I have her locked in the coop alone at the moment. Any suggestions?

 

[azygous]

First the cockerel. He's not a rooster until a year. He's coming into his hormones. He's the right age. Like twelve-year old human boys, he's suddenly obsessed with sex. He's trying to mate, but the pullets aren't ready quite yet, but probably giving him signals they soon will be.

You can segregate him in a penned area adjacent to the pullets and he'll be happy to just girl watch and talk to them. There's no other way to deal with this other than slaughtering him or rehoming him.

Your pullet sounds sick. You would do well to go to the emergencies forum and post about her. It could be anything. Does she hold her tail down and stay in one spot, eyes at half mast, falling asleep off and on? Have the chickens been free-ranging and maybe gotten something spoiled in a compost pile? Botulism is a common problem in very wet compost.

It doesn't hurt to treat for cocci. But you are better off treating the entire flock. Just mix up the Corid in the drinking water fresh each day for five days, wait a week, and re-treat for another five days.

 

[SunHwaKwon]

He's definitely not too young. The males mature much younger than the females.

Can you separate him for a couple of weeks? Your girls should start being receptive to his advances by then. The other option, which is what I did in the past, is to kick him out into the yard during the day if you are keeping the girls in the run.

 

[Jennifer Lynn]

Thank you for your replies. I just actually put him in a crate near the coop and run. All of the chickens are being treated for Cocci. I started as a precaution when we got the new chicks. The chickens are not free ranging due to the predators we have around but they have a run and a large fenced off area off the run in wooded area. The hen he was 'attacking' has always been a bit shy however since we got him, she has been so more than usual. Her tail is up and her eyes are fine. She does sleep a lot and has her head sort of tucked in. She is much calmer and let's me pick her up. I have someone nearby that breeds chickens and she recommended the Corid and the Denagard for her.

 

[lazy gardener]

I would give the pullet a separate space as well. Not so others won't get sick, b/c they are already exposed to what ever she has (if it's catchy) but so that she can rest and recover without being harassed by anyone. The cockerel was picking on her b/c he knew that she was the weakest flock member. Cockerels can be nasty creatures, and will tackle the lowest member of the flock before moving on to bigger and better conquests.

 

[Jennifer Lynn]

I actually removed the roo. The hens all get along. The pullet has been resting but since she is not eating or drinking I am worried.