Ostracized Rooster - Need Advice

[Lady Badlands]

Those who have experience with maintaining a chicken flock with multiple roosters, I need your advice. My heart has been breaking because our former head Rooster, Sven, has been demoted by second-in-command, Peyton (there is a third one named RA). That wasn't a problem during the good weather months because Sven would just hang out in the woods with a few of the hens around him. Whenever he got near to Peyton, Peyton would chase him. It was actually kind of funny.

Now I'm not laughing anymore. We had snow last night and none of the chickens would come out of the coop even thought I opened all their doors. Peyton kicked Sven out of the coop early this morning and the poor guy just stood in the snow, with one leg up because it was so cold and wet. He was all by himself. Then he went into the woods by himself.

He's still outside all alone even thought the snow is melting. I put food outside our door for him so he could at least eat. And there are still some waterers around the yard he can drink from. It's heartbreaking to see him out there all alone.

I'm forseeing a very bad situation when it is the dead of winter with a snow-packed ground and snow or rain coming down and wind blowing. Since they won't let him back in the coop, I feel like he will perish over the winter months.

I don't think it's a good idea to give him away because even if I find someone who wants him, he's one of those roosters that occasionally attacks people. I know, I know...but he's like the scorpion in the story of the scorpion and the frog. It's in his nature to attack/protect even though not all roosters have this programming.

Does anyone have any experience with this and if so, do you have any suggestions/advice for this sad situation?

Thank you so much!

 

[CMV]

Time for a second coop. You are going to need one anyways if you plan to hatch. Pullets can grow up in the main flock, but cockerels will need to be separated out as they age for the peace of the entire flock.

Set up a second coop and install Sven with a group of close-knit ladies. He will think he has died and gone to Heaven.

Eventually your second coop can become a bachelor pad for roos/cockerels.

 

[Lady Badlands]

Thanks CMV. That's a brilliant solution. I have one other building I use for raising little chickens, but it's in use now for my peahen and her two peachicks. The father peacock and one of the peachicks were both killed by an owl a week apart about three weeks ago. :-( They used to all sleep in a tree, so I've trained the mama to take her chicks into the cottage.

I actually found Sven in the hallway of the cottage today while the Peas were sitting on their roost. But Peyton came into the cottage and chased Sven out. It's like they want him dead or something. Do you think three roosters are too many for 34 hens?

I wonder if there is any other solution that I can use immediately. It will take some time to dig out a space and lay down hardware cloth to build an additional chicken coop on. We'd have to try and work super fast before the ground freezes.

Anyway, thanks again for your brilliant idea.

 

[Bogtown Chick]

If you have a second shelter or him...that's a great solution.

We ran into this situation this summer with 2 flock mates who grew up together as chicks onto young cockerels. Roger: our New Hampshire Roo from the beginning was head Roo. He was/is very good with gaurding and keeping an eye out for all the rest. Watched him settle disagreements, etc. Just an excellent Bird. He's great/ patient with my young kids-- a cuddler to us...

and then their was Hans. Hans was a skiddish chick, never really took to handling and as he grew and matured this past August started raising heck with the girls. I mean he was just pesky with the girls, mounting, chasing continuously. Not looking out for the girls at all. Birds of Prey would fly over Roger would have them scuttled under the cover of a bush or under the deck...Hans not so much...too busy chasing girls and then fighting with Roger.

Roger was dethroned and then the girls were refusing to come out of the coop. Roosting during the day on the roof of the coop not feeding or getting much needed water during the hot days of August.

It became a concern to me for especially the latter reasons, and just the security of my free range flock. Plus my numbers of girls:guys ratio was not good. 3 roos/6 pullets. (other roo is a very submissive bantam). We made a very difficult decision to cull Hans. We could have gave him away to another farm but his future was uncertain there as well and I didn't want a "botched" job for him. I hated doing it...he was going to be beautiful...but even as head Rooster he was often left on his own by the rest when they could sneak away from him. It was sad to see almost. We still have tears for him in the house once in a while, but I guess that's the business of chickening sometimes.

We weighed our options...and that's what we did.

 

[farmyardchic]

Very sad. I have a second rooster that is doing the same thing. He still wants to go into the roost at night but I try to be up early to let them out because they'll fight in the coop. The second rooster will come out in the morning and fly out of the pen and stays by himself all day. He had a girlfriend but it appears she has abandoned him too. I've been thinking I may have to cull him. He's a very unhappy bird all by himself. I tried to put him in a tractor with one of the girls but she wanted out because he was being a pain to her.

 

[Wyorp Rock]

Very sad. I have a second rooster that is doing the same thing. He still wants to go into the roost at night but I try to be up early to let them out because they'll fight in the coop. The second rooster will come out in the morning and fly out of the pen and stays by himself all day. He had a girlfriend but it appears she has abandoned him too. I've been thinking I may have to cull him. He's a very unhappy bird all by himself. I tried to put him in a tractor with one of the girls but she wanted out because he was being a pain to her.

How old is this rooster?
How old are the hens?
It won't kill him to pen him by himself, he will adjust.
Having 2 roosters together a lot of times just does not work. If you want to keep him, then maybe get him his own hens.

Processing him or re-homing are a couple of other options.

 

[farmyardchic]

How old is this rooster?
How old are the hens?
It won't kill him to pen him by himself, he will adjust.
Having 2 roosters together a lot of times just does not work. If you want to keep him, then maybe get him his own hens.

Processing him or re-homing are a couple of other options.

How old is this rooster?
How old are the hens?
It won't kill him to pen him by himself, he will adjust.
Having 2 roosters together a lot of times just does not work. If you want to keep him, then maybe get him his own hens.

Processing him or re-homing are a couple of other options.

They are all 11 weeks. We've got another 5-9 weeks before slaughter.

 

[Acre4Me]

They are all 11 weeks. We've got another 5-9 weeks before slaughter.

at that age, they are cockerels, not roosters. How much room do theyhave? If they are cramped, they will fight. I’ve had multiple males at one time at this age, but the fighting is minimal, if at all. However, I now have a multiage flock, which likely helps the situation, along with a large run.

 

[farmyardchic]

at that age, they are cockerels, not roosters. How much room do theyhave? If they are cramped, they will fight. I’ve had multiple males at one time at this age, but the fighting is minimal, if at all. However, I now have a multiage flock, which likely helps the situation, along with a large run.

Oh yes...Cockerels. I have 23 birds in a coop that is 7'x10'

 

[Wyorp Rock]

They are all 11 weeks. We've got another 5-9 weeks before slaughter.

Just youngsters - Cockerels at that age.
Sounds like they need more space - how much room do you have? Sqft of coop/run?
How many pullets (girls) do you have?

If they are fighting and this one is dejected already, then separate him with his own food/water, his health will suffer if he's being picked at from the other one.
Nothing says you can't keep him until he matures, he may actually turn out to be a better rooster - you never know.
Youngsters can be a pain and cockerels the same age as the pullets they are with can be an even bigger pain with pestering the girls. You may find that you need to separate the dominant one to his own space too until he's more mature.