Introducing Chicks to a Hormonal Cockerel

[Sadness Child]

I have a flock of 6 chickens 5 pullets and 1 cockerel, and 1 pullet is a bantam who became broody recently. My flock of 6 are all 6.5 months old now.

My cockerel has been slow to mature he just started crowing a month ago, and when we had a Jersey Giant cockerel (the same age) with him he was very submissive. now we culled the Jersey Giant about 3 weeks ago.

The other cockerel who is a buckeye named Tony, is a very good rooster, when I have to catch the chicks to check on them he will run over a see what is happening. which is what I like to see in a rooster. The only problem is in the morning, when he chases the hens around, they all come out of the coop, and when they past him he just sprints to them, and when he gets to them he just pecks them, he does not mate with them. I will include that he never learned to do the rooster dance to woo the girls, which is why I thinks he chases them so much.

I just do not want him to be overly assertive, and try to mate with the chicks and hurt one of them. The chicks are about 2/3 the size of Tony. I am building a new coop so I can add onto the flock, so I was thinking then, because they would have to figure out who sleeps where in the new coop.

 

[JacinLarkwell]

The rooster dance isn't something they learn. It's an instrince. Not every youngster does it though

 

[Sonya9]

Can you set up a chick crib that only the little ones can squeeze into? Perhaps a fenced off area with a gap so they can run into that area to get away from him? Course you should keep them in that area for a couple of days with food/water and them let them start venturing out on their own.

 

[Sadness Child]

Can you set up a chick crib that only the little ones can squeeze into? Perhaps a fenced off area with a gap so they can run into that area to get away from him? Course you should keep them in that area for a couple of days with food/water and them let them start venturing out on their own.

I have had them in the same area since they were 8 weeks old, and even then the whole flock could see them, but not touch. My chicks did not seem to know were holes are, they always get themselves lost and cannot find the door that leads to the coop when they are in a panic, they just run and don't think about where they are running to.

 

[LaFleche]

It might be best for your hens if you found a rooster of a smaller/lighter breed, maybe even a bantam.

 

[Sadness Child]

It might be best for your hens if you found a rooster of a smaller/lighter breed, maybe even a bantam.

All of my hens are standard size, except for my bantam, who I will be making a separate flock for.