Old rooster getting mean with hens

[jemimarose]

We have an older blue-laced wyandotte rooster that we inherited from someone else so we don't know his age. He came with 3 hens, also older. We integrated them with 6 Rhode Island Reds and they have all been together for about a year, so there's nothing new going on that would precipitate his bad behavior.
He is getting more and more mean--especially first thing in the morning. He tries to prevent the hens getting to the food and he chases and pecks them for no apparent reason. He does his little dance that would have meant courting when he was young, but now he does it to intimidate the hens and chase them away. I have to put feed in several different locations so the hens can eat--meanwhile he runs from one location to the next chasing the hens away from the food.

Just in case this is relevant to the situation, there are two stray guinea fowl that adopted our flock last fall. I think they're both males because I haven't found any egg clutches and at least one of them has been observed trying to breed our hens. Most of the time they are separated from the flock by a fence but they sometimes fly over it and then they harass our rooster, chasing him around and basically doing to him what he does to the girls.

We let the flock out in the afternoon to free range for a few hours and then the guineas will make the rooster's life sort of miserable until they get tired of the game. No real physical damage has been done, no bleeding or anything.

I have a gate between our chicken run and the chicken yard and I wonder if I should separate the rooster from the hens to see if his behavior improves, or if he needs to go in the stew pot and we need to get another rooster.

 

[sourland]

His behavior may very well be a reaction to the bullying he is receiving from the Guinea fowl.

 

[jemimarose]

Well we are moving soon and we won't be taking the wild guineas with us so maybe he'll settle down then. If not he's going in the stew pot. Do old roosters get cranky? Or is it most likely the competition from the other male/s?
I guess I should ask if I get a new rooster, should I get a cockerel to add to a flock of mature hens or should I get an adult rooster?

 

[Folly's place]

I'd first blame the stress coming because of those guineas, and remove of fence them if possible. You could give him a pen next to the flock but out of reach of the guineas especially.
It seems to me that everyone is now miserable, except maybe those (sexually?) frustrated guineas, who would be gone if they were here.
Mary

 

[aart]

Or is it most likely the competition from the other male/s?

That's my guess.
Get rid of the guineas asap if possible.

 

[Flockincrazy]

We have an older blue-laced wyandotte rooster that we inherited from someone else so we don't know his age. He came with 3 hens, also older. We integrated them with 6 Rhode Island Reds and they have all been together for about a year, so there's nothing new going on that would precipitate his bad behavior.
He is getting more and more mean--especially first thing in the morning. He tries to prevent the hens getting to the food and he chases and pecks them for no apparent reason. He does his little dance that would have meant courting when he was young, but now he does it to intimidate the hens and chase them away. I have to put feed in several different locations so the hens can eat--meanwhile he runs from one location to the next chasing the hens away from the food.

Just in case this is relevant to the situation, there are two stray guinea fowl that adopted our flock last fall. I think they're both males because I haven't found any egg clutches and at least one of them has been observed trying to breed our hens. Most of the time they are separated from the flock by a fence but they sometimes fly over it and then they harass our rooster, chasing him around and basically doing to him what he does to the girls.

We let the flock out in the afternoon to free range for a few hours and then the guineas will make the rooster's life sort of miserable until they get tired of the game. No real physical damage has been done, no bleeding or anything.

I have a gate between our chicken run and the chicken yard and I wonder if I should separate the rooster from the hens to see if his behavior improves, or if he needs to go in the stew pot and we need to get another rooster.

You know some roo's are just jerks right off the bat but it seems like your guy is being provoked into it it is the guineas that need to go those are his girls and he is trying to show dominance over them because of the guineas