My rooster is being violent! Help!

[Chiaralouisa]

Hi guys thanks for all the answers. This has really been helping me. A lot of people asked how old my violent rooster is. He is 5 and half months old. Also yes I do have another pen to keep him in. But I feel like it's useless to keep him if he is not with any females.

 

[aart]

There are times to be together and good reasons to be apart.
There are some birds that fit the flock and some that do not.
Allowing one or multiple males abuse the females is not good management, bordering on cruel.

 

[bobbi-j]

Hi guys thanks for all the answers. This has really been helping me. A lot of people asked how old my violent rooster is. He is 5 and half months old. Also yes I do have another pen to keep him in. But I feel like it's useless to keep him if he is not with any females.

So you don't have a rooster yet. (A rooster is a male over a year old.) You have a hormonal cockerel who is coming into sexual maturity. How old are your hens? If they are under a year old, they are pullets. I know, seems picky, but it does help us help you better if we know roughly how old everyone is. If your hens are the same age as your cockerel, that could be part of the problem. As I said, he has reached sexual maturity. Those hormones running through him are telling him to "Breed, breed, breed!" But if your hens are the same age, they may not be there yet. They don't know what the heck is going on because their hormones aren't giving them that same message. It might be an idea to pen him separately for a couple of months - within sight, and maybe next to the girls if possible - until they catch up. When a pullet is in the same frame of mind (usually around the same time they are getting ready to lay) she will be much more cooperative and he won't have to force himself on her. At least not so much.

 

[nissalovescats]

If you do have another pen, perhaps you could put all your roosters (well, cockerels) together in it, keep the sexes apart for a month or so, and return them together. That way the roosters (cockerels) won't have to fight again as they would if you took just one of them out. The girls might appreciate the boys a little better after a time of separation.