Large Rooster with a Small Hen??

[HannahL]

Hi all. So I have a beautiful RIR mix rooster named Harvey. He’s a great roo. Gorgeous, very polite, never attacked anyone, protective, and quite gentle with the hens. I had him separated for a couple of weeks while my hens were molting and also while I introduced two older 4-year-old hens to the flock. I now have five hens. One lavender Orpington, one golden laced Wyandotte, one RIR, one partridge olive egger, and one red Sexlink. Now, the olive egger is a very small girl. Quite skittish. She probably weighs around 3 pounds. She isn’t a bantam, just petite. The rest of the hens probably weigh around 5-6 pounds. Now, the rooster is easily around 10-15 pounds. He doesn’t mate with them too often but had difficulty getting his balance when he does. We keep his spurs and nails short and we keep him separate three days a week so the hens can get a break. But I’m a bit worried about the olive egger. Will him mating with her hurt her back? Will him mating hurt the other hens’ backs? Also, considering we got two older hens and the rooster is about one year old, prime of his life and all. I suppose my question would be, even with keeping him separate a couple of days a week, will it be too physically and psychologically stressful for the hens (particularly the older one and the olive egger)? Thanks in advance for any replies and sorry for the lengthy post.

 

[sourland]

Monitor the situation closely and be prepared to separate if necessary. It may work out fine = time will tell.

 

[Ridgerunner]

Part of the mating act is that the hen squats. That gets the hen's body in contact with the ground so the rooster's weight goes through the entire body into the ground, not just through her legs. Most roosters are heavier than the hens of that same breed. This is nature's way of protecting the hens from that weight. The more difference there is in weight the bigger the risk, but many people keep bantam hens with full sized roosters without problems. I can't give you guarantees because you just can't tell what will happen with living animals but I would not be that concerned. As Sourland said though, keep an eye on it.