New Roo has given up!

[cheekiechickie]

My cream legbar (such a sweet boy) seems to have given up on his rooster duties. My girls are 15 months, and he is 7 or 8 months old. When he was finally introduced to the flock and made his place in the pecking order, he was amazing at keeping my 5 girls together. It's been maybe a month he has been with them, and today I found my girls all over scattered in the yard, just doing their own thing, careless about the world, and he is just chilling in the chicken run. I even had to do all the work to round the girls up for bed too! They aren't picking on him, and he seems fine. Are my girls just too much for him to handle?

 

[ShannonR]

Is he not feeling well?

 

[aart]

He's still young...and not sure they keep them all together all of the time.

 

[cheekiechickie]

He acts like normal. Took feed out and he got all happy and pranced around like the bowl was empty all day (It wasn't) and when I picked him up he was warm enough, not wet, eyes clear, vent clean, feathers kept, and happy to be held and stroked. I know one of my girls, a red sex-link, has a bad habit of going her own way and leading other girls astray. I would almost think he went in the run to look for missing girls, but he stayed in there for like three hours. I really need him to a great rooster. We have already lost one girl because they wander off alone all the time. If he can keep them just on the same side of the property I would happy.

 

[ShannonR]

How is he today? I still suspect that all may not be well with him if he is hiding out in the coop a lot. It could be anything.

 

[cheekiechickie]

He is out free ranging today, but not really caring about what the girls are up to. He is doing more eating himself that showing the girls where stuff is. He crows when he is alone, but not really looking for the others... I do like to out with them, and usually keep them away from the edge of "their" boundary. Am I the reason he isn't working? Does he see me as the girl, or rooster in charge????

 

[aart]

He is out free ranging today, but not really caring about what the girls are up to. He is doing more eating himself that showing the girls where stuff is. He crows when he is alone, but not really looking for the others... I do like to out with them, and usually keep them away from the edge of "their" boundary. Am I the reason he isn't working? Does he see me as the girl, or rooster in charge????

I'll repeat, he's young yet....and he might not keep them together all the time, even when he does mature......
.....and he may not keep them in the boundaries that you think he should.
Your expectations may be out of line.

 

[ShannonR]

Your idea of the rooster possibly thinking you are the dominant one is worth exploring more. Especially if your (older than him) hens already see you as the dominant roo.

 

[Mrs. K]

You are asking your rooster to be a flock master, and he is not old enough yet. Roosters become sexually active long before they are interested in any of the other duties of being the flock master. I really do not expect much from a rooster until he is a year old. In a couple of months, I think he will be fine.

Mrs K

 

[DuckGirl77]

I'll repeat, he's young yet....and he might not keep them together all the time, even when he does mature......
.....and he may not keep them in the boundaries that you think he should.
Your expectations may be out of line.

x2

He just needs to get a bit older. Hens don't like to stay in a little group, anyways. I have a good rooster and he tries to keep them together but there's only so much he can do.