My dang rooster is a meanie to one of my hens. He attacks her if she comes close to the flock.

[Vicki1957]

I’d say early days. How old are they? How old is the male? Did he grow up with these hens? Do you have more than 1 feed and water stations?

Who is highest in the pecking order? Sometimes it isn’t the male right away, especially if he is young and there are older females or a particularly dominant female. Could the harassed female have been high in the pecking order so that she and the male were fighting for dominance? We gave a cockerel to the neighbor who had pullets a few weeks older than the male. It took the male many, many weeks to move slowly up the pecking order. Even after 2 months, he and the top pullet were fighting it out.

do the other females treat this female well, with only the male giving her problems?

What are your goals for having a rooster?

 

[Vicki1957]

This could be a possibility but the rooster out weighs Smarty big time. But I could see Smarty thinking she is top. Tonight when I went to put Smarty into her cage in the coop she was standing on the roost like she wanted to be a real chicken lol. Sad really all the other chickens think she is just like them. It's the rooster that is the problem. I wanted the rooster for the fun of it. Was hoping to work it out. So far I have been managing to keep them apart. Its actually been entertaining watching the rooster try to get into the pen or out of the pen. I am surely keeping him busy. Got allot to read and research after what you all have offered in ideas. Thank you. This place is a pretty cool place. This coming weekend we are going to build another small coup and pen just for smarty and a friend or four. I am going to beat this rooster at his game and have a blast doing it hahaha

 

[CindyinSD]

Hmm... is he really hurting Smarty or just harassing her? If he’s bloodying her up, I’d have him in the soup pot at my earliest convenience and until then he’d be the one in the kennel, not Smarty. I know, I know... maybe he could still reform but there are plenty of roosters around and most of them at least know how not to treat a lady.

He’s a handsome boy, but again, all my roosters are lookers but one. Two are headed to the stockpot next time I process—one for attacking me and the other for scalping a hen.

Otherwise, if he’s just harassing her, I’d give it a few weeks and see if things settle down.

 

[Vicki1957]

Hmm... is he really hurting Smarty or just harassing her? If he’s bloodying her up, I’d have him in the soup pot at my earliest convenience and until then he’d be the one in the kennel, not Smarty. I know, I know... maybe he could still reform but there are plenty of roosters around and most of them at least know how not to treat a lady.

He’s a handsome boy, but again, all my roosters are lookers but one. Two are headed to the stockpot next time I process—one for attacking me and the other for scalping a hen.

Otherwise, if he’s just harassing her, I’d give it a few weeks and see if things settle down.

 

[Vicki1957]

No he has bloodied up her comb. Her head is purple from the Blue Kote I sprayed her with. Honestly he seems to be pretty rough. Think he is a young rooster the spurs are not fully developed. These chickens came from a craigslister who needed to down size the flock. Most all hens are beautiful too. Think they were all or most of them are specific breeds ...but! what do I know i Haven't been living this but for the last week and a half. Been learning and watching youtube for the last 3 years before I took the leap and jumped in and became a chicken mama. I fell in love as soon as I spent time with them after bringing them home. It was so wonderful cohesively peaceful until the last 4 days. Thanks for the input...helps sort things out

 

[CindyinSD]

You’re likely right that he’s young with the undeveloped spurs. Are you sure he isn’t hurting her in process of catching and mating her (or attempting)? The young ones can be somewhat overzealous. Hopefully they outgrow it.

BTW, if you’d like breed ID, there’s a forum section for that in addition to this thread. A good side shot, showing some detail (cloudy day or sun behind you, ideally not in snow (b/c plumage can be underexposed)) will make it easier. I’m not especially good at recognizing all the breeds, but with the shots you were able to get it’s gonna be harder.

 

[EggWalrus]

OK thanks Fortcluck for giving me your advice. I just didn't want to give up too easily. I think the rooster will be history if in the next day things do not change for the better.

Give the poor young child a chance. He's new and has raging hormones , but give him till next summer and he'll become a good little man. He doesn't have a Big Boy to look up to and learn from, so he's just doing the best he can to learn as he goes.
Rather than kill him, try putting him in a crate and maybe the Head Hen too for a week or two. That will give your "picked on girl" a chance to work herself up the pecking order without interference. By then he will have forgotten why her didn't like her. Heck, he might even find out he likes her after all.

 

[EggWalrus]

He's a good looking Easter Egger!

 

[Shezadandy]

Did you take a picture of the injury? That can help put things in perspective.

Drawing blood can be dangerous. Chickens LOVE blood- and will keep picking at bloody wounds- and that can be extremely devastating for the chicken who is bleeding if not caught in time.

 

[cluckcluckhens]

Rooster is young right? Mine is six months old and he has came after me and hubby once or twice. After hubby got done with him he settled right down. He had to do what he did a few times. He chased him around the run and showed him who is boss of the run.

Rooster isn't a rooster until a year old so we have a cockerel. Ours is learning as he didn't have anyone to show him what to do. He is doing the best he can.

That said, maybe yours is trying to tag her? The girls are smart and if they notice he is trying to tag them they know how to get away from him if they want to. I have watched ours and the only time I see ours is when he is keeping the pullets in place while he tags them. He holds them in place with his beak the times I have watched ours. Roosters keep the girls in check so there isn't a pecking order. I know and I went threw murder without a rooster. Hen will take over the roll of rooster if something happens to them. One of ours did this the last few years.

Give him lots of time. Our cockerel was with the eight chicks that I picked up. I gained a cockerel.

Rooster do have their favorites. Ours hung out with one of the breeds we have and show them and told them what he wanted them to do. It was interesting watching him teach the one breed what he wanted them to do. That is a first.