Introducing new roo to younger hens

[Bluffdweller]

I've read a few older posts. But didn't see anything specific to an older roo...

Today I picked up a four month old black australorp and put him in with 16 three month old pullets. He immediately went to work establishing his dominance. He's pecking some of the girls pretty hard but I figure it's just natural domination. He's about twice their size.

Should I keep them separated or follow some procedure? I put him in the coop for a couple hours by himself to get hm used to his new home and then openned the door to free range with the gals. Now they're all cooped up for the night. Hope I don't find a murder scene tomorrow a.m.

 

[NanoByte]

First of all, the dominance thing is called a pecking order. Most chickens wont peck really hard but if the coop or area is too small, the pecking may get violent.

What i'd suggest is put a bit of white vinegar into the drinking water and hide the rooster for 2 days (Put the roo somewhere the girls cant see) and re-introduce the roo.

Vinegar lowers the chickens urge to peck.

Hope this helps.

 

[SmittenChicken]

I'm new to this, but shouldn't you quarantine for 30 days before introducing a new chicken into the flock?

Also, if the roo has reached sexual maturity and the pullets haven't, his advances might not be appreciated! Is he pecking them repeatedly and drawing blood?

 

[Bluffdweller]

Well he's the boss now. I didn't see the responses quickly enough to try the vinegar technique. He's settled in pretty well already. No blood yet which is nice. He tries his "advances" but they get away. Lots of room as they free range. We'll see how it goes after the girls grow to full size.

Thanks for the help.