Now 17 week old cockerel in Rooberty. Separate alone or with flock mates to mature some before adding back to OG hens?

[Chixmixopolis]

Long but please bear with me for all details! Have flock of 15 total now. 6 OGs that are 2.5 years old. 4 that are 1.5 yrs. Let a broody sit on 5 new day olds this spring. Got a surprise Cali White Rooster (Romeo). (Out of all 15 breeds, would have CHOSEN a Calif White LAST if I wanted a rooster at all)
But, giving him a fair shake at life. He is friendly, NOT lap chicken/pick up friendly, but isnt aggressive with me, dances for OGs and tidbits for all. He does NOT mount his 4 own 17 week old flockmates yet, and they seem to understand already, he IS their boss. I understand from others on BYC, when they start laying, he will start mounting. BUT, the oldest hens, he has been after to submiss to him. Most have, but he is awkward at it and smaller than some OGs and my previous head girls gave him a bit of a run for it. He pulled feathers out of the back of the head on My Buff Orpington and got quite pissy with her. She has 2 pecked holes that were bleeding back of neck also. I separated her for two nights only and used topical antibiotic & Wonder Dust to get injuries healing up and camouflaged. She squats so flat if he even walks by her quarantine area that she certainly submisses now or would. I've had no chance to see if the aggression is over or if he is still harsh with her. She is still healing and I dont want him to grab her again or he will open wounds. Two other head hens (I think I have a top tier clique of 3) say nuh-uh, no way and kick him off, even coming to defense of others now. Most advise to separate HIM and see if he can mature some, which I have done. I have about 3 acres for them to free range when I allow it and they have huge ample space when enclosed even. I do have a smaller 4x6 grow-out coop where he is right now and a prison-yard all his own with fence line boundaries shared with the entire flock and their areas and coops. The question is do I keep him entirely alone for this maturing separation or with the 4 he grew up with who are not laying at all yet and for how long until I try to integrate the whole flock back together again? They have all been living harmoniously since 4 weeks of age when my broody integrated them herself.
I hate the thought of integrating anyone fresh now. Part of me wants to just let all the hens do their thing and rehome Romeo. Why I never got a rooster to begin with. Im not certain a Roo will have more positives within this flock than negatives. All my hens are very social with me and family and friends and chase and peck to establish order, but its all been very mild so far. We have every predator in the book. Hawks, owls, weasels, possums, coyotes, foxes, raccoons, feral cats, you name it. We are Chicken Fort Knox when they are enclosed, so his helpful protection would be free range times only. And I like the idea he could settle pecking order squabbles, but is this all worth it??!!

 

[BigBlueHen53]

I would say no. If you were happy with an all-hen flock before Romeo showed up, then there is no real reason to put up with any added drama now. Eliminate him and let lifego back to the way you liked it. If you're not planning a breeding program you don't need a rooster, they're not all that protective. Even the bravest rooster is usually just the first to go.

 

[MROO]

Even if I'm not planning to hatch, I do like having a good rooster around. A good one keeps peace in the flock and adds an interesting element to flock dynamics and relationships ... and the eye-candy ain't bad either!
Your older hens should teach him some manners in pretty short order, but you may want to give him a few weeks to mature ... maybe swap him out for your submissive hen in the "Hospital Ward" so he can still see the ladies but not close enough to give them any ... ummm ... personal attention.
Oh - and BTW - I love the term "rooberty." It's officially added to my "chickeneering" vocabulary!

 

[BigBlueHen53]

He is a handsome lad, isn't he?

 

[Altairsky]

I went through this with a cockerel that would bite my dominant hens comb until it bled. I fixed this by putting some viks vaporub on the hens comb. That thing tastes so disgusting that my cockerel never bit them again. He's a great flock master now.

 

[Chixmixopolis]

I went through this with a cockerel that would bite my dominant hens comb until it bled. I fixed this by putting some viks vaporub on the hens comb. That thing tastes so disgusting that my cockerel never bit them again. He's a great flock master now.

Hmmmm!! I thought chickens couldn't really taste or at least swallowed before they did, but perhaps this is a plan to try! I have used vaseline thinking it was a slipping off, unable to get a grip thing, and that didn't work, but maybe the menthol is yucky! Does that dry out their combs at all then? I'll let her heal up first but this may be worth a try on someone else WHEN I put them back together. I do think he will be living as a bachelor for a bit to mature a smidge first!

 

[Ridgerunner]

We are Chicken Fort Knox when they are enclosed, so his helpful protection would be free range times only. And I like the idea he could settle pecking order squabbles, but is this all worth it??!!

It is a decision you will have to make. The only reason you need a rooster is if you want fertile eggs. Anything else is personal preference. As you can tell by these responses, some people are perfectly happy to not have a rooster while others would not have a flock without one, even if they did not want to hatch chicks.

Some roosters help with predator protection, some not so much. Most of mine are pretty good as an early warning system but not that great at fighting off predators. If mine detect an actual predator most of mine are more likely to try to lead the flock to safety instead of protecting the rear.

One place they do take chances. If something is suspicious, they often warn the flock and put themselves between the flock and the presumed danger while they check it out. A humorous example is when I walk down here with a camera in my hand instead of a feed bucket. If I am carrying a feed bucket they are not scared of me at all but if I have a small camera which they are not used to the rooster might alert and put himself between me and the flock. He might do the same thing with a fox, raccoon, turtle, or a piece of paper blowing across the lot.

Some roosters will break up fights between the hens, but a lot are ignored. A good one will help with this but not all roosters are good. How many fights between the hens are you seeing? Is this a real need or concern?

Some roosters do help with the peace and tranquility of the flock. Some raise tensions and cause a lot of stress with the girls. If these boys are removed the girls are much happier. Until he matures he will probably raise tension in the flock. After he matures that tension may go away or it may continue. You do not get guarantees with animals and their behaviors.

My general recommendation is to determine your goals with a rooster, why do you want one. That is a personal decision, my goals don't mean anything to you. Keep as few roosters as you can and meet your goals. That is not because you are guaranteed more problems with more roosters but because the more roosters you have the more likely you are to have problems. In your case I don't know if the correct number is zero or one.

Good luck!

 

[Altairsky]

Hmmmm!! I thought chickens couldn't really taste or at least swallowed before they did, but perhaps this is a plan to try! I have used vaseline thinking it was a slipping off, unable to get a grip thing, and that didn't work, but maybe the menthol is yucky! Does that dry out their combs at all then? I'll let her heal up first but this may be worth a try on someone else WHEN I put them back together. I do think he will be living as a bachelor for a bit to mature a smidge first!

If chickens couldn't taste, they would be long extinct because of food poisoning.
Just let the comb injury get a nice crust (it turns black when it has crusted) and then you can apply the thing. The hens won't like the smell but they have to bear it for 3 days, that's how long it took my rooster to learn the lesson.
I applied it once in the morning for 3/4 days.
Vicks is basically vaseline with menthol and other strong oils, it will go away when the hens dust bathe.