Once mating starts, things will turn out to be rough. He will be constantly mounting the hens putting them under a great deal of stress. I had a 5 month old cockerel who happened to be very friendly and was a sweet lap bird. Once his hormones kicked in he got away with pecking me on the foot and then gradually he started getting worse such as flying on to my arms and legs viciously attacking me. Kicking an aggressive hen back into the place will usually stop this aggressive behavior but reinforces it in a rooster.Thank you both for your experienced advice.
Happily, and at least so far, my M. Maurice is easy with his hatch mates and the 2 older hens as well. They all live with him equally well. I hope it won't get too ugly until he gets the hang of mating because both my husband and I have gotten really fond of him.
We never meant to have a rooster. I paid for ladies because we live on a 1/2 acre lot. My neighbors -- who have been tolerant so far -- may insist that he go before we ever see 18mo.
I'm just hoping for the best as he is one gorgeous guy and, so far, his temperament is more mellow than any of the girls but I'm seeing signs that the hens are approaching maturity so I may find out what the next chapter holds in store soon. By Spring, for sure.