Large fowl rooster attacking new hen?

[tobit]

I have 2 flocks, one bantam and one large fowl, one of the bantam hens has been pecking the feathers and comb on another bantam hen so she has been in isolation to let the pecked hen recover, i thought maybe we could integrate her into the LF flock where she wouldn't be bullying other hens due to her size. I let her and the LF flock (4 hens and 1 year old rooster) into our garden ("common ground") and the rooster came over to her, she immediately submitted to him, but he stood over her threateningly as if she was a threat, and subsequently behaved as if she was a threat by pulling 2 beakfulls of neck feathers from her whilst she was hunched on the floor, is this normal? Should he not see that she is a hen? He is a cream legbar and the bantam hen is a silver laced wyandotte.

 

[oldhenlikesdogs]

Your rooster sees her as an intruder, not every rooster wants more hens. I think I would leave bantam with bantam and try to figure out why your hens are fighting. How much room do they have and are they allowed to free range? Too tight of quarters with often cause bullying behaviors because dominant members are trying to drive out submissive member to make more room.

 

[tobit]

Hmm I think I'll have to do that! They have a smallish coop and a 2x3 meter run, with 3 of them in there, we've not had any problems like these before and we've had up to 5 bantams in this run and coop at one time (1 roo & 4 hens)

 

[oldhenlikesdogs]

Than maybe giving them more room will settle things down. Not all chickens get along sometimes.