Mean Silkie Rooster?

[BerrytangleFarm]

Well, I stuck him in there this morning and he chased them all around the pen! Sheesh! I mean, he is the same size as they are, but still! I really expected the opposite to happen!

 

[kasey08]

Trying to mate with them?

 

[BerrytangleFarm]

Quote:
Nope, just doing his normal strutting and showing who's boss stuff. They're huddled in a corner right now with him having the rule of the run. Wow!

 

[kelar]

Young roos are often aggressive and inappropriate with the hens when they first start trying to mate and are feeling their testosterone. With silkies, I separate the roos at this age to keep them from injuring the hens. Normal behavior for a boy, but very hard on the girls

 

[BerrytangleFarm]

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I do have half a 4x8 brooder I can put him back in (the babies are on the other side of the wall) where he was with the others before the coop was built. Should I just put him in there for a bit by himself? How long?

 

[kelar]

Depends on what you plan to do with him. The roos really have to go through this scenario as they are learning to breed. I put up with it if I have a boy I'm going to use for breeding and usually put them with some older hens to start with so they can learn. If you are not going to use him for breeding, I'd put him by himself or with some other roos or even older, bigger hens.

 

[BerrytangleFarm]

Quote:
That's a really good point. I'm not sure what we plan to do with him. To be honest, we wouldn't have kept him if he hadn't been so close to his companion. It would be nice if we could hatch some of our own eggs, but it's not a priority. We really just want eggs and some pretty-to-look-at-and-fun-to-watch chickens. Right now, he's on CL to see who's interested. It's probably the best for all.

 

[kasey08]

Wow I wish I lived closer...

 

[BerrytangleFarm]

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Me, too!

 

[BerrytangleFarm]

Okay, this guy is just too hormone-filled for my ladies. I don't like how he acts. Maybe I'm just being ignorant of nature, but he has his companion Silkie running from him and those a month younger squealing at his approach. He corners the 6.5-month-old ladies and I don't want to risk him stressing them into not laying when they just started. He's been banished to solitary confinement in the garage, and my husband isn't really happy about that. He's listed on CL, but with no bites. I'd have no problem with making him dinner, but there's no one in the area that does butchering, and that's just not something I'm equipped to do here.

Ideas anyone????

Sigh.