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Welcome to BYC. Titus is still too young to establish himself as part of the flock, much less as the leader. I would keep him seperated but within sight of the hens. If your lead hen keeps attacking him he may come to hate her. That could be bad news for her when he comes of age.
 
janiedoe said:
Welcome to BYC. Titus is still too young to establish himself as part of the flock, much less as the leader. I would keep him seperated but within sight of the hens. If your lead hen keeps attacking him he may come to hate her. That could be bad news for her when he comes of age.
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That's a good point, I hadn't thought about him being a single (hormonal) young male.

@kalikarma since you just realized he's a male, you could rehome him and get an adult rooster once you get settled in the new place. It'll be far less stressful for you and the pullets.
 
redinator said:
Yeah, I was thinking it was 2 cockerels and 3 pullets . . . which would be bad chickenmathwise. It seems Margarette might be the dominant pullet in your bunch. Since Titus is 10 weeks he will be crazy hormonal and the girls will set him straight. Unfortunately that does mean some cuts and scrapes.

It seems you’re doing everything as you should: switching out which birds get put in a crate and so on. Good luck!
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Hiya, Kali, and welcome to BYC! :frow

Pretty birds!

I know you said you're moving, and maybe it's just the picture, but that run seems so small. That can also add to problems if it is. Chickens need 4 square feet each in the coop and 10-15 square feet each in their run. Just mentioning it also for your new place. Good luck on your move!

We're glad you're here.
 
Howdy, and welcome to BYC! I would probably separate Titus until he is fully healed and maybe slightly older and stronger and can assert his dominance over the hens, as combs don't grow back and I wouldn't want him to lose part of his. (I've had some aggressive young hens and currently have one who is missing two spikes from her comb. Sadly, now she is constantly aggro by pulling out the feet feathers of the hen who pecked her comb, and i've had to separate that hen as she is now partly lame.)
 
Hello Kali, and a belated welcome to BYC.

Unfortunately, you do not have enough space for your pullets let alone for an integration. I would work to greatly expand their space. I know @Debbie292d stated 10 sq ft per bird for the minimum on the run size but IMO, that is just too small. It's just an absolute bare minimum that is quoted on this site by most members and really only works in small flocks with mild temperaments where the run is cleaned out frequently.

I agree more strongly with her stated 15 sq ft per bird for the minimum run area. Because your pullets are now raising a cockerel, you will eventually end up with fertile eggs and a girl or two (my vote is on the Orpington) will oblige to hatch some and then you will need room for the resulting little family. Broody hens and chicks need even more space. Then if you want to keep the pullets from the hatch... go BIG with the expansion.

The birds need not only lots of space but things to enrich that space like dry organic litter to scratch around in, perches (branches, stumps, pallets, discarded wood chairs or stools) to hang out on, places to hide from other flock members, dry spaces to dig out dust baths and sunny spaces to sunbathe. These are all instinctive behaviors that chickens want to participate in to make their lives as good as possible within the confines of a run.

Your cockerel is physically too small to take on any of the pullets to try to stop them from going after him. He will not develop the maturity to be their flock leader for a while. He needs to learn the ropes. The pullets are actually trying to teach him to give them space and be wary of them but he cannot get out of their personal space easily because they don't have enough space.

As for Titus's torn wattle, I would leave it alone now. Once you clean and disinfect the injury and the bleeding stops, you should just monitor, especially with the cold weather. You don't want to apply wet products to skin in cold weather. Wattles and combs bleed. A LOT. Your Orp got a hold of it and ripped it. It's not uncommon in situations like this.

Good luck with all your chicken projects and enjoy your developing flock!
 
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