Juvenile rooster hurting hens

Roli

Chirping
Apr 4, 2020
64
89
53
Conway SC
I have 3 rooster 2 are juveniles and I believe are starting to hurt my girls. I first started noticing missing feathers on heads and necks. Then I saw them trying to mate some of the hens. Let’s just say it was unpleasant. Is there anyway to break them from doing this. I was planning on keeping at least one of them but if I can’t break the habit I don’t want them with my ladies. They have gotten a hold of some of the older leghorns I have and are doing some damage to the back of their combs. (From watching them mate I believe this is what is causing the damage to their combs anyway) here are some pictures of the damage sorry I know they’re not great pictures they don’t stand still for a second lol
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The cockerels (juvenile roosters) are always hard on the hens for a while. Their hormones are raging and they don't really know what they're doing. As they get older, they will calm down. If you keep just one it will be easier on the hens. It takes them a few months to settle down. I don't know about yours, but our hens will put the cockerels in their place if they get too frisky...especially the older hens. I know this is not much help, but it kind of goes with the territory. Our peafowl will intervene and try to protect the hens if the roosters are too rough, or if there is too much fighting amongst the chickens, they will break up fights, or try to. I don't know if other birds...like geese..will do that, but that's another possibility to think about.
 
At first my older rooster was chasing them away from the hens. I’m not sure if there were too many hens for him to keep track of (14) or if they simply just got too big for him. He is a smaller game too. But they will avoid him at all cost, so why does he not stop them from hurting the hens ?
 
Idk, but if you only have fourteen hens, you really only have room for one more rooster.

The ratio is supposed to be 12 hens per one rooster, but you can stretch it some, we have.
In our case, they are difficult to rehome or trade, esepcially these days because of the virus, there's not many swaps or auctions... and we don't even have a meat processor that will do chickens anywhere near. Usually, the Alpha rooster will assert his dominance, but not always. I don't .often see our older roosters trying to discourage the cockerels.
 
Our roosters will help manage the cockerels, and the hens do some correcting too. Our roosters have their own social order, and will interfere with mating sometimes.
Watch those cockerels, and ID any who are too rough! You don't have room for all three, and if one of the two is rough, and the other isn't, it's time to eliminate the one causing injury.
Here I don't keep cockerels who injure pullets or hens, ever. There are so many nice boys, and for me it's a cull point, along with human aggression and structural faults.
Your hens and pullets deserve better!
Mary
 

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