is my roo too mean?

[mendozer]

I took in a rooster rescue and it became my big alpha male (only had a silkie roo before) and lately i see more hens sleeping on the nesting boxes and the other night i put them back on the pole and he immedieately pecked the hell out of one (who also has her back feathers missing so she's being bullies). I quickly bopped him on the head and held his head down like you're supposedly being the alpha. then he did it a few more times right away. what the hell? he's not aggressive other than the usual peck i'd expect from a rooster to a young pullet or hen being rowdy. i told the person who i rescued it from that if he causes problems he's becoming dinner.

 

[nuthatched]

How long have you had him? How did you introduce him to the hens?
If he's making their lives miserable, he needs to go.

 

[mendozer]

he was taken in this past...winter? i just put him in there as he was like 8? weeks old when i got him. he scuffled a bit for sure with my rooster as he grew up but he's normally pretty chill out in the run. once in a while i hear something of a debacle but i never see it in time.

 

[Paz]

Try giving them a second roost pole. If that takes care of everything, I’d say he’s not too mean.

 

[2 chiks n a roo]

I took in a rooster rescue and it became my big alpha male (only had a silkie roo before) and lately i see more hens sleeping on the nesting boxes and the other night i put them back on the pole and he immedieately pecked the hell out of one (who also has her back feathers missing so she's being bullies). I quickly bopped him on the head and held his head down like you're supposedly being the alpha. then he did it a few more times right away. what the hell? he's not aggressive other than the usual peck i'd expect from a rooster to a young pullet or hen being rowdy. i told the person who i rescued it from that if he causes problems he's becoming dinner.

My rooster started getting nappy with the girls at night when I first got them but as soon as I separated him, he became calmer and as long as the girls went to bed before him, he would have a big feed and wander around his hut until he felt like it was time for him to go to bed. He's also much quieter (induced by a no-crow collar) when the window between him and the girls is covered. The last 2 days he hasn't crowed in the evenings at all.. He doesn't like a perch and sleeps in his own nest. Because I'm urban, he has the collar and blacked out hut. It keeps his volume down in the early mornings too.
Perhaps try giving yours his own space at night, at least until he learns the rules

 

[mendozer]

Try giving them a second roost pole. If that takes care of everything, I’d say he’s not too mean.

there's a ladder type setup with 5 poles

 

[mendozer]

My rooster started getting nappy with the girls at night when I first got them but as soon as I separated him, he became calmer and as long as the girls went to bed before him, he would have a big feed and wander around his hut until he felt like it was time for him to go to bed. He's also much quieter (induced by a no-crow collar) when the window between him and the girls is covered. The last 2 days he hasn't crowed in the evenings at all.. He doesn't like a perch and sleeps in his own nest. Because I'm urban, he has the collar and blacked out hut. It keeps his volume down in the early mornings too.
Perhaps try giving yours his own space at night, at least until he learns the rules

interesting. I'm not sure how best to give him his own space as of yet. I'll brainstorm. I don't see them go in so I couldn't tell you whos first or last

 

[2 chiks n a roo]

interesting. I'm not sure how best to give him his own space as of yet. I'll brainstorm. I don't see them go in so I couldn't tell you whos first or last

From what I'm learning, Rhodey goes in last. I haven't built my coop yet, still getting materials together so the girls sleep in my xxxL dog crate covered with empty feed bags, a tarp,and wood roof. It's warm an cozy. Rhodey has an old ute (suv) canopy as shelter on cold days, the girls join him sometimes, an he has a plastic dog kennel with his nest for at night. The canopy has mesh on the side windows and the end opens to the girls crate. This is all temporary btw, but in the meantime it works. When the girls go in, I cover them but don't close (block draught rather than close) the window to the canopy until I bring the dogs in. As soon as I do that, Rhodey has a big feed an potters around until he's ready for bed then goes into his nest. I close his doorway as it gets dark, although I haven't tonight yet, an.its already 9pm. He doesn't do the night crow anymore, unless the girls are still out.
I'll take some pics tomorrow for you.
It's only a short solution until I built their coop. The runs finished though

 

[mendozer]

The Buff seems to want to be on the boxes in the last 6 months. Not sure why. The young ones have copied here. And tonight those two started. IDK what's going on. There's tons of space on the roosting poles.

 

[mendozer]

I just went out to feed the girls and found one of my hands barely clinging to life in the run. Eyes clothes and body curled up but I could tell she was breathing. It look like she was scratched and packed the death because her feathers were missing on one side of her body. She was looking fine in the coop last night other than a small bare spot on her back which I assumed was rooster mounting. Maybe. I just don't know if it was the rooster or not. There's another hen that has been packed at so I have an apron on her and she's being chased away by that rooster and one of the other hands when they eat. And she looks like she's getting smaller too. I have to assume it's the rooster. I have no other option because we've had two mysterious deaths in the last 4 months