My 16 wk old roo won't leave the girls alone, they are not ready.

[kathyinmo]

What can I do with him? I have 40 girls. A few are just starting to get red combs. They are not squatting, and are running from him. He has them all running. Should I separate him for a couple weeks, until they are ready? I have 3 roos, and only one is doing this CONSTANTLY. Can I change the pecking order if I separate him for a couple weeks. Will one of the others take over then?

 

[catfish/okie]

I would separete all 3 roos from the pullets for a month or so if you got a place to keep them. People dont always do this. Thats just how I think.

 

[kathyinmo]

But if I separate all the roos out, won't it be hard to reintegrate them back in? They are all the same age, and all been together since day 1. It's just this one roo causing a fuss.

 

[Chicky Mama]

We got our birds starting in March up to April, so like your's they were raised up together.
In my dealings with the bad boys we've had,it's made things calmer amongst the flock to take them out. To many feathers got pulled out by them & worse!!

Though the next cockrel or roo can do the same ,it depends on the bird. Do what your gut tells you, it's usually rite. Plus it can affect your egg laying rate if they're stressed all the time.

 

[Ridgerunner]

If it were only one rooster, yes you could separate him and probably have no troubles reintegrating him when they are older. That's not your case, however.

If you separate one rooster out, you will have a huge problem ever putting him back with the hens and the other roosters. I'd also expect big problems if you try taking all three out then putting all three back in. It's not just the pecking order that is at stake, it is the flock dominance and that is very serious for roosters. I'm not saying that one would definitely die, but it would be a distinct possibility. In a few days, they will totally forget they were raised together.

If you take the dominant one out, one of the other roosters will become dominant. I would not be at all surprised if you then saw a repeat of the behavior.

Is he physically injuring the pullets to the point he is drawing blood? If he is, then he needs to go. Otherwise, he is doing exactly what the dominant flock rooster should do. He is showing dominance over the pullets and that they are members of his flock for him to care for and to protect. He has to establish his dominance over them, which he does by mating, or he can't break up fights or they won't listen to him when he tries to take care of them.

There is a very good chance the pullets and the roosters, currently equivalent to teenagers, will all grow into their roles and things will become much more peaceful. I'd advise patience as long as he is not physically damaging the pullets.

 

[kathyinmo]

Ridgerunner, thanks so much for that information. That all makes so much sence. He is not drawing blood, but is sure pulling out a lot of feathers. I guess I will leave him in there.