My pullet is dominant over my cockerel...

[somewhere]

Hi,
My chickens are about 2 months old (5 Orpingtons and 1 Americana) and I was going to keep my cockerel until I could show him at the fair this summer (he is a beautiful lavender Orpington) or until the neighbors complained. He hasn't crowed yet but his brothers started crowing at one month old. I found them good homes. I watched my small brood this morning and saw my dominant female was showing him who was boss. When I call them for treats she comes first and he comes second. She always steals food away from him. Will this change as they get older? I secretly hope he is gender confused and never crows so I can keep him.

Thanks

 

[tiffanyg2]

I hope my supposed cockerels are gender confused to~ I don't want to have to give them up either but if they start crowing in my neighborhood, I know I would have soome pounding on my front door! I don't know about the female dominator but somebody else on here told me they had Buff's and that her male was actually sweeter than the female. I think so to because my supposed male loves to cuddle on my lap moreso than my female

Goodluck!

 

[somewhere]

He has always been a subordinate. I named him Dirty Birdy because he kept hiding underneath all the other chicks and I found poop deep inside his wing-pit. I will keep my fingers crossed that we get to keep our sweet boys.

 

[Pinky]

When he grows a little more he will be over her on the pecking order.

 

[somewhere]

He is considerably smaller than her right now.

I was reading how the dominant hen sometimes gets a bigger comb than the other chickens and could stop laying (trying to be a rooster) if I can't keep my rooster. Does this always happen?

 

[woolwell]

I've had cockerels that were dominant from the start, while others that grew into the role. My current rooster was second-to-last in the pecking order for a long time, but eventually he took charge. He didn't crow until he was nine months old or more. He's a fine rooster now, takes good care of the ladies but doesn't bother me. Your guy, too, may be a late bloomer.

 

[Sorin]

Don't worry

this will change. The one Roo I have right now went through the same situation. He really didn't take over until he was about 6 months old. I went out there one day and all of a sudden I noticed him flogging the head hen. He did it a few more times over the next couple of days and then everything calmed down and he was the boss!

 

[DanEP]

I have a barred rock cockerel that was dumb enough at four months to think he was sleeping on the top roost, the girls threw him off hard enough that he knocked another pullet off the bottom roost before he hit the floor. Now at seven months he sleeps in the middle of the top roost surrounded by his favorite girls including one pretty far down in the pecking order but nobody complains.your little guy just needs a little time.