Omg I thought she was dead..unusual mating behavior?

[z3lda3]

Fantastic Post.

I agree wholeheartedly. I've learned many things over the years too, some harder than others unfortunately.

Do you think he may outgrow this behavior?

 

[Wyorp Rock]

Do you think he may outgrow this behavior?

Possible. He's only 14 weeks old right?
Do you have a flock of mature hens that he can live with and not have access to the young ladies (pullets)?

Older mature hens will usually not put up with the nonsense and keep him in his place. How he behaves when he matures - hard to know, he could become a menace or be a great rooster...time will tell on that one.

I'm not saying get rid of him, his potential has not been seen just yet, he's young and hormonal, so he needs to be separated out either by himself or ideally with just older hens.

 

[azygous]

I agree with @Wyorp Rock. Your rooster won't fully be mature until close to age two. He will be schooled by the older hens in the flock. If you had an older rooster, he would discipline this youngster when he mistreats a hen.

You also can discipline your young roo. When you see him engage in any bad behavior, give him a swat ( I have a fly swatter at hand for this) or chase him off whichever hen he's mistreating. Roosters are very fast learners.

 

[z3lda3]

Possible. He's only 14 weeks old right?
Do you have a flock of mature hens that he can live with and not have access to the young ladies (pullets)?

Older mature hens will usually not put up with the nonsense and keep him in his place. How he behaves when he matures - hard to know, he could become a menace or be a great rooster...time will tell on that one.

I'm not saying get rid of him, his potential has not been seen just yet, he's young and hormonal, so he needs to be separated out either by himself or ideally with just older hens.

As a matter of fact I do! 4 big girls, standard size 20 weeks. My head hen will not put up with nonsense, she stares him down until he runs away. He’ll attempt to chase one and the rest put an immediate stop to it, he walks away. Should I put him in the big girls coop? I can make him a hiding spot in there, I don’t the big girls to kill him. Honestly he is great, he screams at anything flying over head, screams at the girls when he finds food, digs dirt holes for them, he’s absolutely nonaggressive with my family. He went bonkers and attacked a squirrel in the yard. The only problem is with Morticia. So I’ll try anything.

 

[BigBlueHen53]

I don't imagine the big girls would kill him. Has he already been integrated into this group?

 

[z3lda3]

I agree with @Wyorp Rock. Your rooster won't fully be mature until close to age two. He will be schooled by the older hens in the flock. If you had an older rooster, he would discipline this youngster when he mistreats a hen.

You also can discipline your young roo. When you see him engage in any bad behavior, give him a swat ( I have a fly swatter at hand for this) or chase him off whichever hen he's mistreating. Roosters are very fast learners.

You know, this is my first year raising chickens, and add a cockerel..it’s hard to know what’s normal. I had no idea that hens were receptive, I thought roosters just did their thing. Sigh why can’t everyone just get along??

 

[z3lda3]

I don't imagine the big girls would kill him. Has he already been integrated into this group?

During the day all my chickens are in yard together. At night I have 2 separate coops, one for my big girls, and another one for everybody else. The big girls were my first chicks, and as I added on, I was like “I can’t put the babies with the bigger girls” so now I have two coops. I’d love to have everyone in one big coop.

 

[BigBlueHen53]

Lol, yeah it's a whole little Peyton Place. Hum, you may be too young to catch the reference. Oh well.

 

[azygous]

When a hen reacts as decisively as your hen has with this rooster, suffering near collapse from encounters with him, I would say that no, she is not going to suddenly decide she wants him to mate her. The die is cast. Her very bad experience with him is probably stamped indelibly onto her brain. If anything, I would expect her to get even more repulsed by him, and no telling if that will enrage the rooster as it did my rooster.

So, no, I would not risk it if I were in your place.

 

[z3lda3]

Lol, yeah it's a whole little Peyton Place. Hum, you may be too young to catch the reference. Oh well.

By about 10 years looks like. I googled it.