Lonely Hen

[SgtFreddyBufford]

I have 11 hens, all raised together, all laying. I added a younger rooster by about 3 months. Everyone seemed to be getting along just fine, they all wintered together in the same coop, no issues. The girls laid eggs over the winter, no issues. However, About two months ago the rooster started getting frisky with the girls. There didn’t seem to be much of an issue with any of them. Then I noticed that one of the hands was not receptive to his advances and she would run away. He started targeting her and chasing her. At night she would sleep in the nest and not on the roost. One morning when I went out to let everybody out of the coop she had been aggressively pecked On the neck, eliminating all the feathers and skin across the back of her neck. I separated her into a coop by her self to see if she would recover and heal. She’s recovered, she is healing, but she runs and hides anytime she sees the rooster. What, if anything, can I do to help re-integrateBack into the flock. Any suggestions would be great. They’re not even a year old. She’s very sweet

 

[turkey girl 0964]

@Ridgerunner @JacinLarkwell @HeatherKellyB

 

[turkey girl 0964]

@casportpony @DobieLover

 

[TropicalBabies]

Get rid of that rooster and find a nice one who will not flog her. Shame on him. Bad roo!!!
In my experience this will not get better only worse. He is probably a great roo to the rest just not a great roo for your flock.

 

[DobieLover]

Your cockerel is not a very good flock protector. He is more intent on dominating than winning over the pullets. I would re-home him and wait for the flock to settle in and your unwilling recipient to fully recover physically and mentally.

Then, if you still want a male in the flock, look for a mature proven flock protector that is not human aggressive. I would look for a broody raised rooster (1 year old minimum) that was raised in a flock of hens and a senior rooster. These boys have learned how to woo their hens and generally have very good manners. You could meet him prior to deciding to take him.
If you post an ad in CL or local FB Poultry groups, you could get a decent male for your flock.

 

[Ridgerunner]

Hi, welcome to the forum. Glad you joined,

Your story sounds familiar, something similar happened to me once. I had a cockerel growing up with the flock. At about 5 or 6 months of age I removed the dominant rooster and left the cockerel in with the older hens and some pullets his age. Everything was fine until he hit 11 months of age. Most of the pullets and hens would willingly mate with him but the dominant hen would not. If she saw him mating another hen or pullet she's rush over and knock him off. No fighting or anything, she'd knock him off and he'd leave.

When he finally matured enough to stand up to her bullying he fought back and won the fight. He was determined to become flock master and she did not want to give up that position. For two days any time she'd approach the flock he'd chase her away. Or he'd attack her out of the blue, trying to peck her head which is where they can do the most damage. They can kill by pecking the head. He was not trying to mate her, he was trying to hurt her. Somehow, after two days she signaled that she accepted his dominance and they became best buddies. She remained the dominant hen but he was flock master.

I don't now how much room you have, I have over 3,000 square feet outside so she could get away and stay away. Mine never drew blood, yours has. That is dangerous. Your situation may be similar but it is not identical.

So what can you do? First, she needs to stay separated until she heals. It is possible that he will continue to mature while she is healing and she will accept him as flock master when you put them back together. Hens, especially mature hens, often want a rooster to act like a responsible father to their potential chicks. An adolescent often has trouble doing that. This is why we often suggest that you add a mature rooster to a flock of all hens, that often goes well if he can impress them with his mature magnificence. If you keep them separated long enough, he may become the mature rooster introduced to a flock of mature hens.

It is also possible she will never accept him. Hens contribute to flock dynamics, it's not just the boys. She may never accept any rooster as flock master. Still, I've solved some problems with separation like this. Another issue is that he is fairly late maturing. He may never develop the self-confidence to win her over. That's why I generally prefer an early maturing cockerel. Nothing is guaranteed with chickens and their behavior.

I've had one cockerel as young as 5 months take over a flock of mature hens peacefully. The typical age when I see that is 7 months but each flock has its own dynamics. I strongly believe the personality of the individual hens, especially the dominant hen, has a big part to play in that.

Why do you want a rooster? You don't need to tell me, this is for you to think about. The only reason you need a rooster is if you want fertile eggs. Everything else is personal preference. Nothing wrong with personal preference, I have a few myself. But there is a difference in need and choice.

I try to solve things for the benefit of the flock, not for an individual chicken. I have removed females instead of the male when I determined she was the problem. You may need to decide between the two of them. There are too many good roosters out there to keep a bad one. There are too many good hens out there to keep a bad one. Something else to think about. How is the flock getting along with him in there and her gone? Is he really the problem?

I think your options are to wait and try again, house them so they are forever separated, remove him and go with a rooster-less flock, remove him and bring in a mature rooster, or remove that hen.

Good luck however you decide. And again,

 

[turkey girl 0964]

Hi, welcome to the forum. Glad you joined,

Your story sounds familiar, something similar happened to me once. I had a cockerel growing up with the flock. At about 5 or 6 months of age I removed the dominant rooster and left the cockerel in with the older hens and some pullets his age. Everything was fine until he hit 11 months of age. Most of the pullets and hens would willingly mate with him but the dominant hen would not. If she saw him mating another hen or pullet she's rush over and knock him off. No fighting or anything, she'd knock him off and he'd leave.

When he finally matured enough to stand up to her bullying he fought back and won the fight. He was determined to become flock master and she did not want to give up that position. For two days any time she'd approach the flock he'd chase her away. Or he'd attack her out of the blue, trying to peck her head which is where they can do the most damage. They can kill by pecking the head. He was not trying to mate her, he was trying to hurt her. Somehow, after two days she signaled that she accepted his dominance and they became best buddies. She remained the dominant hen but he was flock master.

I don't now how much room you have, I have over 3,000 square feet outside so she could get away and stay away. Mine never drew blood, yours has. That is dangerous. Your situation may be similar but it is not identical.

So what can you do? First, she needs to stay separated until she heals. It is possible that he will continue to mature while she is healing and she will accept him as flock master when you put them back together. Hens, especially mature hens, often want a rooster to act like a responsible father to their potential chicks. An adolescent often has trouble doing that. This is why we often suggest that you add a mature rooster to a flock of all hens, that often goes well if he can impress them with his mature magnificence. If you keep them separated long enough, he may become the mature rooster introduced to a flock of mature hens.

It is also possible she will never accept him. Hens contribute to flock dynamics, it's not just the boys. She may never accept any rooster as flock master. Still, I've solved some problems with separation like this. Another issue is that he is fairly late maturing. He may never develop the self-confidence to win her over. That's why I generally prefer an early maturing cockerel. Nothing is guaranteed with chickens and their behavior.

I've had one cockerel as young as 5 months take over a flock of mature hens peacefully. The typical age when I see that is 7 months but each flock has its own dynamics. I strongly believe the personality of the individual hens, especially the dominant hen, has a big part to play in that.

Why do you want a rooster? You don't need to tell me, this is for you to think about. The only reason you need a rooster is if you want fertile eggs. Everything else is personal preference. Nothing wrong with personal preference, I have a few myself. But there is a difference in need and choice.

I try to solve things for the benefit of the flock, not for an individual chicken. I have removed females instead of the male when I determined she was the problem. You may need to decide between the two of them. There are too many good roosters out there to keep a bad one. There are too many good hens out there to keep a bad one. Something else to think about. How is the flock getting along with him in there and her gone? Is he really the problem?

I think your options are to wait and try again, house them so they are forever separated, remove him and go with a rooster-less flock, remove him and bring in a mature rooster, or remove that hen.

Good luck however you decide. And again,

You always have such great information!

 

[SgtFreddyBufford]

Hi, welcome to the forum. Glad you joined,

Your story sounds familiar, something similar happened to me once. I had a cockerel growing up with the flock. At about 5 or 6 months of age I removed the dominant rooster and left the cockerel in with the older hens and some pullets his age. Everything was fine until he hit 11 months of age. Most of the pullets and hens would willingly mate with him but the dominant hen would not. If she saw him mating another hen or pullet she's rush over and knock him off. No fighting or anything, she'd knock him off and he'd leave.

When he finally matured enough to stand up to her bullying he fought back and won the fight. He was determined to become flock master and she did not want to give up that position. For two days any time she'd approach the flock he'd chase her away. Or he'd attack her out of the blue, trying to peck her head which is where they can do the most damage. They can kill by pecking the head. He was not trying to mate her, he was trying to hurt her. Somehow, after two days she signaled that she accepted his dominance and they became best buddies. She remained the dominant hen but he was flock master.

I don't now how much room you have, I have over 3,000 square feet outside so she could get away and stay away. Mine never drew blood, yours has. That is dangerous. Your situation may be similar but it is not identical.

So what can you do? First, she needs to stay separated until she heals. It is possible that he will continue to mature while she is healing and she will accept him as flock master when you put them back together. Hens, especially mature hens, often want a rooster to act like a responsible father to their potential chicks. An adolescent often has trouble doing that. This is why we often suggest that you add a mature rooster to a flock of all hens, that often goes well if he can impress them with his mature magnificence. If you keep them separated long enough, he may become the mature rooster introduced to a flock of mature hens.

It is also possible she will never accept him. Hens contribute to flock dynamics, it's not just the boys. She may never accept any rooster as flock master. Still, I've solved some problems with separation like this. Another issue is that he is fairly late maturing. He may never develop the self-confidence to win her over. That's why I generally prefer an early maturing cockerel. Nothing is guaranteed with chickens and their behavior.

I've had one cockerel as young as 5 months take over a flock of mature hens peacefully. The typical age when I see that is 7 months but each flock has its own dynamics. I strongly believe the personality of the individual hens, especially the dominant hen, has a big part to play in that.

Why do you want a rooster? You don't need to tell me, this is for you to think about. The only reason you need a rooster is if you want fertile eggs. Everything else is personal preference. Nothing wrong with personal preference, I have a few myself. But there is a difference in need and choice.

I try to solve things for the benefit of the flock, not for an individual chicken. I have removed females instead of the male when I determined she was the problem. You may need to decide between the two of them. There are too many good roosters out there to keep a bad one. There are too many good hens out there to keep a bad one. Something else to think about. How is the flock getting along with him in there and her gone? Is he really the problem?

I think your options are to wait and try again, house them so they are forever separated, remove him and go with a rooster-less flock, remove him and bring in a mature rooster, or remove that hen.

Good luck however you decide. And again,

Thank you for the great information! I was hoping that by adding a rooster to my flick if ladies

Hi, welcome to the forum. Glad you joined,

Your story sounds familiar, something similar happened to me once. I had a cockerel growing up with the flock. At about 5 or 6 months of age I removed the dominant rooster and left the cockerel in with the older hens and some pullets his age. Everything was fine until he hit 11 months of age. Most of the pullets and hens would willingly mate with him but the dominant hen would not. If she saw him mating another hen or pullet she's rush over and knock him off. No fighting or anything, she'd knock him off and he'd leave.

When he finally matured enough to stand up to her bullying he fought back and won the fight. He was determined to become flock master and she did not want to give up that position. For two days any time she'd approach the flock he'd chase her away. Or he'd attack her out of the blue, trying to peck her head which is where they can do the most damage. They can kill by pecking the head. He was not trying to mate her, he was trying to hurt her. Somehow, after two days she signaled that she accepted his dominance and they became best buddies. She remained the dominant hen but he was flock master.

I don't now how much room you have, I have over 3,000 square feet outside so she could get away and stay away. Mine never drew blood, yours has. That is dangerous. Your situation may be similar but it is not identical.

So what can you do? First, she needs to stay separated until she heals. It is possible that he will continue to mature while she is healing and she will accept him as flock master when you put them back together. Hens, especially mature hens, often want a rooster to act like a responsible father to their potential chicks. An adolescent often has trouble doing that. This is why we often suggest that you add a mature rooster to a flock of all hens, that often goes well if he can impress them with his mature magnificence. If you keep them separated long enough, he may become the mature rooster introduced to a flock of mature hens.

It is also possible she will never accept him. Hens contribute to flock dynamics, it's not just the boys. She may never accept any rooster as flock master. Still, I've solved some problems with separation like this. Another issue is that he is fairly late maturing. He may never develop the self-confidence to win her over. That's why I generally prefer an early maturing cockerel. Nothing is guaranteed with chickens and their behavior.

I've had one cockerel as young as 5 months take over a flock of mature hens peacefully. The typical age when I see that is 7 months but each flock has its own dynamics. I strongly believe the personality of the individual hens, especially the dominant hen, has a big part to play in that.

Why do you want a rooster? You don't need to tell me, this is for you to think about. The only reason you need a rooster is if you want fertile eggs. Everything else is personal preference. Nothing wrong with personal preference, I have a few myself. But there is a difference in need and choice.

I try to solve things for the benefit of the flock, not for an individual chicken. I have removed females instead of the male when I determined she was the problem. You may need to decide between the two of them. There are too many good roosters out there to keep a bad one. There are too many good hens out there to keep a bad one. Something else to think about. How is the flock getting along with him in there and her gone? Is he really the problem?

I think your options are to wait and try again, house them so they are forever separated, remove him and go with a rooster-less flock, remove him and bring in a mature rooster, or remove that hen.

Good luck however you decide. And again,

thank you so much for your thorough response. I really appreciate it. My reason for getting a rooster was that he would be a protector of my flock. I free range and I was hoping that he could provide them extra eyes in case of danger. Unfortunately what I’ve got is and extremely distraught hen who continues to lay but is targeted and abused. I continue to keep her separated and he caught a glimpse of her on the other side of the house today and went after her again, jumped her, started packing the back of her neck again, she got away and he just continued to attack. I’ve decided that he is the crux of the problem as I watched him with her out of the picture he’s aggressive to the other girls but they are submissive and let him be the man.
I think I have decided that I will return the job of man of the flock to my German Shepherd who seems to like the job and is nice to the ladies.I’ll keep you posted. Thank you again

 

[TropicalBabies]

Thank you for the great information! I was hoping that by adding a rooster to my flick if ladies

thank you so much for your thorough response. I really appreciate it. My reason for getting a rooster was that he would be a protector of my flock. I free range and I was hoping that he could provide them extra eyes in case of danger. Unfortunately what I’ve got is and extremely distraught hen who continues to lay but is targeted and abused. I continue to keep her separated and he caught a glimpse of her on the other side of the house today and went after her again, jumped her, started packing the back of her neck again, she got away and he just continued to attack. I’ve decided that he is the crux of the problem as I watched him with her out of the picture he’s aggressive to the other girls but they are submissive and let him be the man.
I think I have decided that I will return the job of man of the flock to my German Shepherd who seems to like the job and is nice to the ladies.I’ll keep you posted. Thank you again

My Barred Rock who was flogged repeatedly by what was a decent rooster to the rest of my flock is more or less permanently terrorized by her time with him. Sounds like similar or the same, maybe she did not submit to his standards at first? Who knows, she was submitting in the end and he kept pecking and also would single her out, then he would single out her sister and started a similar behavior- he had his favorites.
So, he was moved to the pasture flock about a year ago where he has few if any friends because of his behavior.
She, is now recovering from a dog attack that she submitted to because IMO of him and his flogging. https://www.backyardchickens.com/posts/24081034
She just squats forever for whoever now because of him. I constantly have to pick her up and let her know she is ok pre attack.
The roo I replaced him with is definitely a step up, he watches, shows food and respects his girls and will have a place with me forever. His only job is to be good and protect all.
Maybe don't give up on A rooster, but maybe give up on THAT one.

 

[SgtFreddyBufford]

My Barred Rock who was flogged repeatedly by what was a decent rooster to the rest of my flock is more or less permanently terrorized by her time with him. Sounds like similar or the same, maybe she did not submit to his standards at first? Who knows, she was submitting in the end and he kept pecking and also would single her out, then he would single out her sister and started a similar behavior- he had his favorites.
So, he was moved to the pasture flock about a year ago where he has few if any friends because of his behavior.
She, is now recovering from a dog attack that she submitted to because IMO of him and his flogging. https://www.backyardchickens.com/posts/24081034
She just squats forever for whoever now because of him. I constantly have to pick her up and let her know she is ok pre attack.
The roo I replaced him with is definitely a step up, he watches, shows food and respects his girls and will have a place with me forever. His only job is to be good and protect all.
Maybe don't give up on A rooster, but maybe give up on THAT one.

Thanks, I appreciate the information. Yes, our situations sound similar.He is going into solitary confinement for now.