Need help with a rooster problem

[genesis1verse1]

I have 2 jersey giant roosters in a pen with 11 hens. The roos are the same age and are just gettting mature, 6mos. 6 of the hens are laying and 5 are due pretty soon. We haven't had a problem until today when both roosters began attacking one hen. They singled her out and were inflicting some damage. My quick solution was to throw an older rooster in there to break it up until I figure out what to do. What would cause those two roos to just begin picking on one hen severely? (She is a good layer). The reason I have two roosters is because I plan to breed them this spring and one is a back up. I only have one spare pen right now. Should I remove the young JG's for a while and leave my spare mixed rooster in there with them (he's several weeks older and more mature acting) or just remove one JG roo for now? Or a completely different strategy?

 

[ChickenCanoe]

I would put the two young ones in their own pen. You aren't breeding yet anyway yet are you?
Wait till they mature a bit before you reintroduce the primary breeder. They can have the bachelor pad till the end of winter.

 

[Mrs. K]

 

[genesis1verse1]

I would put the two young ones in their own pen. You aren't breeding yet anyway yet are you?
Wait till they mature a bit before you reintroduce the primary breeder. They can have the bachelor pad till the end of winter.

That is a thought. I'm not breeding them yet, but space is a consideration. I was hoping since they were raised together that they could get along at least until I finish my perimeter fence around my land in a couple of months. I have a mixed rooster, like I said, that I am planning to cull. I will watch and see what happens and if more problems persist I suppose the mixed one will go a little sooner than planned so I can utilize his small pen for the two JG's.

 

[ChickenCanoe]

Is that a trap nest I spy in your avatar?
Way cool.

 

[genesis1verse1]

Yes, that's the first crude one that I made to test it out. I made some much nicer ones that I will take a pic of and put on here soon.

 

[lazy gardener]

I'd only allow one rooster in with the girls. When I started my chicks, I ended up with an abundance of young roosters and they learned to isolate one pullet and would all gang up on her. I ended up keeping the roosters separated from the girls all the time until they went to freezer camp, which wasn't easy b/c I only have one small coop.

 

[genesis1verse1]

Here are some pics of my trap nests I built:


This is the back side:

 

[ChickenCanoe]

Those look like the simplest yet very effective designs I've seen. I need to build trapnests asap.

 

[farmgirl277]

I hope you don't mind my asking. But what are trap nests used for?
Thanks,
Alex