One of my girls hates my rooster

[Ridgerunner]

If you have the space, partitioned off sections in the run are invaluable for so many purposes. I have a 4 x 6 section in my run. I also have a larger sectioned off area 12 x 8. Both of these enclosures have gates that enable me to corral chickens for any reason, and the reasons can crop up unexpectedly. It's so handy to have them.

Today, for example, I have one of my two roosters spending the day in the smaller space because he has a sore leg and doesn't feel like free ranging. So he is hanging out there talking to the hens. I don't want him in with the hens because they pluck his neck feathers. See how this works?

When the spaces aren't in use, the gates are open, and the chickens use them at will.

 

[MarlaMac]

I am not so worried about the run as I am about the coop. My chickens free range from sun up to sun down. Although I see your point on the ability to separate. My run is small - 12x12 and they really do not spend time in the run. The only exception is at sunset the go into the run and I close it off so those who desire feed/water before bedtime can have it. This allows me to be elsewhere/do other things before they enter the coop at last light. They literally spend 1/2 hour a day at the most in the run. The littles may go over there to eat during the day b/c some times the hens are jerks and won't let them eat at the other feed station.

 

[lenanjer]

I am dealing with the same issue. My Bertha used to be the queen. She was not always nice and was not too nice to our rooster who is younger than she. When Roo got old enough to act the Rooster, he did well with all the other 6 hens, but Bertha is terrified of him. She was staying in the nesting box all day and I found her with cuts on her comb. Cleaned her up and separated her. Right now I let her free range the yard when he and the others are in the run and put her in the run when the rest are out in the afternoon. On the occasions we have tried to have them in the yard together, as soon as he sees her, he chases her. She will fly up on a strange human to avoid him. We are going to introduce our chicks on Bertha's side of the coop. Hopefully, they will all get along. And then we are hoping that Roo will have too many girls to worry about to have time to chase her. Any suggestions would be welcome. I must admit, she has become my special girl...

 

[MarlaMac]

I am sorry you are having this issue. Our hen is doing better with rooster, sometimes. Last night she was running from him and I had to intervene again. I basically, took him off her after the 4th time he chased her down and mounted her. We brought her in to sleep with LC again last night. Today she did better with him. I could see she was being more submissive to him tonight. Instead of running from him, she would walk quickly, but swat for him when he noticed her. He seemed satisfied with that tonight and she pecked around with everyone and went to bed with the flock.

I don't know what to do/not do, but just trust my instincts on what to do in the moment.

Our rooster is very good at listening to us. He knows he is "rooster". I always let him "discovery" the treats when I give them. But he knows I am in charge of all things chickens. Sometimes when I see him charging her, I simply say, "rooster" in a stern voice and he will stop.

They free range all day, so our gal has space to get away and stay hidden. This seems to work to her detriment. Rooster likes to keep his flock in a tight group.

We have a young cockerel that is jut now trying to mount everyone. Today Rooster came to this hen's rescue. I am hoping this endears her to him.

All this to say that I think that every situation is unique. You know your flock best. You know what your hen needs best. I hope you find a way to make things work for your girl. I have heard some people say to separate the rooster from the flock for a few days and see if that helps. We were almost at this point, and may still have to do this. My plan if I have to do is would be to separate him for a couple hours, then let him out. If he attacked her when let out, I would immediately separate him again, this time a little longer. Chickens are smart, I think he would associate the behavior with the time out.

Good luck. Sorry I cannot offer more specific help.

 

[Tonyroo]

If anyone has an aggressive rooster towards a hen or two. I suggest you maintain the rooster spurs and toenails. Keep it blunt, It should prevent some serious damage towards your hens.

But when he attacks her like he's sparring with another rooster. You have to separate her from him. Because he won't stop.

Just a suggestion.

 

[MarlaMac]

If anyone has an aggressive rooster towards a hen or two. I suggest you maintain the rooster spurs and toenails. Keep it blunt, It should prevent some serious damage towards your hens.

But when he attacks her like he's sparring with another rooster. You have to separate her from him. Because he won't stop.

Just a suggestion.

I have never seen my rooster do this with my hen, but, I agree if this was the case it would have to be stopped immediately.

 

[TropicalChickies]

it's not very often I encounter such perception and good instincts. You have them. Trust them.

Humans have preconceived ideas as to how things should be. Hens in a flock happily submitting to the rooster is one of them. That's not how things work in real life. In real life, higher life forms have "agency", meaning they make decisions to optimize their survival. Their individual perceptions guide them. Chickens do this.

If we try to force our "rules" onto our chickens and ignore their decisions as to what is best for their survival, we can cause problems or aggravate problems that might otherwise be resolved by our chickens. Some hens simply do not like the rooster and they become very stressed when forced to submit to a rooster that they feel does not respect them. Not all roosters have the hens' best interests in mind. Some are real jerks.

And occasionally, a rooster can turn into a psychopath and do real harm to a hen who rejects his advances. I had this happen in my flock. Even though I had been aware that this one hen absolutely refused to allow one of my roosters to mate her and I had her in her own run, one day I wasn't paying attention and tragedy struck.

She was out free ranging at the same time I let this rooster out. He wouldn't take "no" as an answer when he attempted to mate her, and instead followed her into her run and then pursued her into her coop where he cornered her. In the struggle, her resisting and him trying to get her under control, he scalped her, and I mean her scalp was entirely flayed from her head. The blood splatter made for a very gory scene, indication the hen had been severely injured.

After than, I kept her penned, rarely letting her out. In spite of that, this rooster would attack her through the fencing, working himself into such a rage that he ignored the 10,000 volt shocks her was subjecting himself to as he was throwing himself at the fence.

Why didn't get rid of this guy? Because he was a perfect gentleman with all the other hens, and this hen didn't live much longer after this incident occurred, as she was getting on in years.

I urge you to listen to your instincts and try to accommodate your hen's desire not to be assaulted by this rooster. Don't risk a tragedy as I had.

That's quite a cautionary story. I appreciate and am taking to heart what you said about chickens having agency and some humans not recognizing or choosing to recognize that. I'm four years into keeping chickens and gradually getting a bit more seasoned, but still with a lot to learn. But taking time to observe them living their lives and their dynamics has been an amazing teacher and experience.

I've had a psychopath rooster as you describe. He was maiming not one, but all of the hens and chasing one with chicks into the forest. They were all getting sick from stress. At first, I doubted my instinct to get rid of him, thinking that I should be able to "control" him somehow -- a feral creature, and already about a year old when I got him. After finding an open gash under a hens wing by a trail of blood, I said, no way, no more psycho rooster. It was incredible to see how the hens settled into their own rhythms once he was gone.

One of the best things about chickens is that they don't pretend to be anything else but what they are. It's up to us humans to live with and care for them as they are -- or not -- without expecting them to be anything else.

 

[azygous]

Very wise observations.

 

[TropicalChickies]

If you have the space, partitioned off sections in the run are invaluable for so many purposes. I have a 4 x 6 section in my run. I also have a larger sectioned off area 12 x 8. Both of these enclosures have gates that enable me to corral chickens for any reason, and the reasons can crop up unexpectedly. It's so handy to have them.

Today, for example, I have one of my two roosters spending the day in the smaller space because he has a sore leg and doesn't feel like free ranging. So he is hanging out there talking to the hens. I don't want him in with the hens because they pluck his neck feathers. See how this works?

When the spaces aren't in use, the gates are open, and the chickens use them at will.

Sounds like a plan. I'm pretty sure I'm going to have two roosters pretty soon.

 

[TropicalChickies]

Very wise observations.

Thanks. I'm still learning.