My young rooster just killed one of the hens

[Cardiff]

I also lost a 9 week old hen last night and I suspect it was my big rooster. I have a 3 year old flock of hens, 2 rooster (a 3rd one I killed last year because I had had enough of him attacking me) and 5 guinea hens. I brought home 2 New Hampshire Red hens at 8 weeks and kept them close but separated by a fence. Yesterday I decided I could let them out and everything seemed fine. A few hours later I found the one baby dead behind the hen house with her head all bloody and feathers all over. I was just sick I didn't watch them better. The other hen took me a while to find but she was stuffed head first into some tall grass and was ok. I, of course am not positive who did this, but I do suspect my big rooster as I noticed him being very aggressive at the fence when they first came. What made me think it was ok to let them out yesterday as I got a 2 yr old hen last year and just threw her in my flock and she fit in with zero issues with anyone. Interestingly, the comment about the "peeping" which these babies were still doing, I wonder if that was it and that they were just still too young. I'm just sick to my stomach I wasn't there to defend this baby and separate them again. I am going to get another baby to put in with this lone hen, but worry down the line what will happen. Maybe, like someone said, they need to be separated until they are very mature?

 

[stonetownChx]

I rescue hens and roosters and honestly I find it disgusting when people kill their roosters.. Find homes for them or give them to a barnyard sanctuary.. Killing shouldn't even be a thought...

 

[marilyn1954]

I was told that when even one chicken or rooster is taken from a flock the pecking order has to start from scratch. Maybe that was the problem

 

[keesmom]

I also lost a 9 week old hen last night and I suspect it was my big rooster. I have a 3 year old flock of hens, 2 rooster (a 3rd one I killed last year because I had had enough of him attacking me) and 5 guinea hens. I brought home 2 New Hampshire Red hens at 8 weeks and kept them close but separated by a fence. Yesterday I decided I could let them out and everything seemed fine. A few hours later I found the one baby dead behind the hen house with her head all bloody and feathers all over. I was just sick I didn't watch them better. The other hen took me a while to find but she was stuffed head first into some tall grass and was ok. I, of course am not positive who did this, but I do suspect my big rooster as I noticed him being very aggressive at the fence when they first came. What made me think it was ok to let them out yesterday as I got a 2 yr old hen last year and just threw her in my flock and she fit in with zero issues with anyone. Interestingly, the comment about the "peeping" which these babies were still doing, I wonder if that was it and that they were just still too young. I'm just sick to my stomach I wasn't there to defend this baby and separate them again. I am going to get another baby to put in with this lone hen, but worry down the line what will happen. Maybe, like someone said, they need to be separated until they are very mature?

That is unusual. All the roosters I have had have been tolerant and even protective of chicks and juveniles. I wouldn't assume the hens aren't guilty of the crime as well.

If they accepted an adult before you should probably try that route again. Raise chicks separately and not introduce them until they are almost full grown.

 

[keesmom]

I rescue hens and roosters and honestly I find it disgusting when people kill their roosters.. Find homes for them or give them to a barnyard sanctuary.. Killing shouldn't even be a thought...

There is a wide variety of people on this site, and an equally wide variety of reasons to have chickens. Some have house chickens. Some have pampered pets that will be spoiled until the end of their days. Some raise chickens for dual purpose use - keeping layers and culling unproductive hens and cockerels. Some keep laying flocks. Some keep meat only flocks. Some are breeders that hatch many but cull down to the best 10 to maintain/improve a breed. Many will cull aggressive males. None of these reasons are right or wrong, just a different way of keeping poultry.

 

[Cardiff]

So far things are ok here. My young hens are still locked up next to everyone. I will keep them like that until they are bigger and stop chirping. They almost sound like adults. Thanks for the responses!

 

[Cardiff]

Amen!!!!!

 

[Diannastarr]

gosh thats sooo horrible im so sorry to hear of your lost hen, but did your roo do the dirty deed..? maybe it was some thing else..? { im hoping } i have had a flock that became more roosters then hens over the years and we never had any problems ,that was when my kids were small they loved all the chicks our hens had, so we kept all the chicks that hatched on our farm back 30 years ago, but just to see for your self , I would put the roo with the hens in the day time and just sit and watch them, to see if any thing starts to happen...?& you could be around to stop it, but for now I would keep your roo in a separate pen near the hens in the coop at night, so if thats what really happened it will never happen again..? and let the roo out only when you are around, for a wile just to see & you can tell whats up..? & if he did kill your hen...??but that may never happen again..??? I personally have never heard of that happening in my life..? & I was raised on a farm in new England chicken country, but you have to be sure. and see what happens between your roo & your hens, thats what i would do. and now since i read about this, i plan to invest in a baby monitor, to put in the hen house so i could hear what goes on in the hen house at night, i would sleep better knowing all my girls were safe, take care kindest regards Dianna

 

[Cardiff]

Hi Dianna,
I am pretty sure it was my rooster because I saw him be aggressive with the babies a week or so before on the other side of the pen. Since this was a few months back I kept my babies separated til they got older and stopped "peeping" which is what was suggested here. All is good and they are out and happy now. I do have 3 hens laying on eggs (I was out of my house off and on for several weeks and the roommate didn't pick up eggs) so now I'll have babies soon. I figure the mommy hens will protect their babies as they grow up. Thanks for the reply!
Cardiff

 

[mimischicksnat]

Hi Dianna,
I am pretty sure it was my rooster because I saw him be aggressive with the babies a week or so before on the other side of the pen. Since this was a few months back I kept my babies separated til they got older and stopped "peeping" which is what was suggested here. All is good and they are out and happy now. I do have 3 hens laying on eggs (I was out of my house off and on for several weeks and the roommate didn't pick up eggs) so now I'll have babies soon. I figure the mommy hens will protect their babies as they grow up. Thanks for the reply!
Cardiff

I was considering putting my 4 week old pullets in with my 9 week old pullets. The 4 week olds still peep. I have had the littles in a pen in the coop for about a week. Should I wait another week or two to integrate them. As far as I know I don't have any cockerels. They were all ordered as pullets, but it is possible that 1 in the older group is a cockerel. That one doesn't give me much trouble though.

Last night I brought a couple of the littles out and let the bigs come over and check them out. There didn't seem to be too much of a fuss, but I was right there and without me there it could be different.