Lonely rooster?

[JennieNoelle]

I have a rooster...just under a year old.
He lost his hen to a predator two weeks ago to what we think was a fox. A Pluff of feathers was all that's left.
Can a rooster become depressed?
He look like he's lost weight.
I don't want him in with other hens .
I want to take another hen and put her with him at the barn as replacement.
How would I make her adjust without stressing her but have company for him?
I'm thinking of dog crating her in stall with rooster for a week. They wont be together directly.
Will this work?

 

[N F C]

Chickens are social creatures and need the company of others like them.

Do you mind if I ask why you don't want him in with the other hens?

 

[Brahma Chicken5000]

Yes chickens can suffer from depression.

 

[Chickem707]

You shouldn’t really have one rooster with one hen. To minimise damage to the hens, people say about 10 hens to 1 rooster.

 

[Wyorp Rock]

I have a rooster...just under a year old.
He lost his hen to a predator two weeks ago to what we think was a fox. A Pluff of feathers was all that's left.
Can a rooster become depressed?
He look like he's lost weight.
I don't want him in with other hens .
I want to take another hen and put her with him at the barn as replacement.
How would I make her adjust without stressing her but have company for him?
I'm thinking of dog crating her in stall with rooster for a week. They wont be together directly.
Will this work?

How many hens do you have?
To me, if you want him to have a hen and these girls are already with a flock, give him 2-3hens that get along well. While a single rooster with hen will work, the hen may also miss having a "buddy" too.

If you think he is losing weight, it would be a good idea to weigh him now, then track it for several weeks. If he really is losing weight, then you need to find out why. For a young rooster, worms and/or crop not functioning would be the first things I would look at IF he really is losing weight.

 

[aart]

Do you mind if I ask why you don't want him in with the other hens?

Was wondering the same.

You shouldn’t really have one rooster with one hen. To minimise damage to the hens, people say about 10 hens to 1 rooster.

Sounds like it was working before....it is possible.

The 'rooster' to hen ratio of 1:10 that is often cited is primarily for fertility efficiency in commercial breeding facilities.
It doesn't mean that if a cockbird has 10 hens that he won't abuse or over mate them.
Many breeders keep pairs, trios, quads, etc
It all depends on the temperaments of the cock and hens and sometimes housing provided.
Backyard flocks can achieve good fertility with a larger ratio.

 

[Mrs. K]

Do breeders keep pairs, trios, quads as long term living arrangements, or just short term for breeding?

 

[Chick-N-Fun]

Chickens thrive in flocks. They need company.

 

[JennieNoelle]

Chickens are social creatures and need the company of others like them.

Do you mind if I ask why you don't want him in with the other hens?

I have him a hen from the hen coop. So far so good