poll: cockerels bullying pullets

[pysankigirl]

my chickens are 11 weeks old

I am wishing that my 3 cockerels came with a book on what to expect or an instruction manual. Are they always so mean to the pullets? I expected some jockeying for position and maybe some aggression between the guys, but the constant attacks on the poor girls is saddening me. I don't have any older hens to give the young men some perspective.

Do I need to get a Mrs Robinson Chicken to teach them how to court the young girls properly?
Should I separate them until the hormonal surge has passed?

oooh! An oportunity to try a poll!!!

 

[Mattemma]

I have a hard time dealing with the whole pecking order and mating aggression,so I would be seperating them and picking one to keep.Might be ok with 2 if the males can sort out who is top dog.As for being mean with the women some just will always be like that.

If they are actaully causing physical injury I would not let them near the girls.To me the girls welfare is more imporant,so if they are stressed so am I.

Good luck!

 

[pysankigirl]

they are so far just pulling out feathers. but it just seems to be so out of the blue.
I guess it is part and parcel of life as a chicken but if I were them I'd be shell shocked.

 

[Life is Good!]

Nope, just part of chicken life! Yes, it does seem hard - but remember, pullets will do this behavior with one another to figure out who's "top hen".

When I started our flock last year, I kept all the members together and just watched carefully - many more hours than I wish to admit to were spent figuring out who would be 'best' roo to keep. I knew I wanted a roo to protect the flock as well as to reproduce more, but I wanted one that respected me as well as the girls he'd be with.

I had to choose between five - two were too busy fighting with one another (out!), one was so docile he didn't know he had gonads (out!), which left two.....I chose the one who was watching the skies (for predators) as well as watching where everyone was - including me. The other wasn't so interested in the sky when food was around and rarely offered the food to the girls. (out!)

Now, a year later, this same roo, who was SO good until the babies came this spring - is going to be sent to Camp Frigidaire in the next few days. Seems that because his 'choices' in his harem were so depleted while the girls were broody and raising chicks, he's become exceptionally agressive towards the hens. And despite all of SpeckledHen's rooster rehab tips (tried nearly all of 'em and he's still agressive). So....off to Camp! One of his sons will take his place in the flock - got 12 chicks, at least 7 are roosters - so at least one of them will be a good one!

A rooster is a good thing, a good rooster a GREAT thing. Choose with care, but remember he's replaceable! YOU are the top roo (even if female!)

 

[Lacy Blues]

my chickens are 11 weeks old

I am wishing that my 3 cockerels came with a book on what to expect or an instruction manual. Are they always so mean to the pullets? I expected some jockeying for position and maybe some aggression between the guys, but the constant attacks on the poor girls is saddening me. I don't have any older hens to give the young men some perspective.

Do I need to get a Mrs Robinson Chicken to teach them how to court the young girls properly?
Should I separate them until the hormonal surge has passed?

oooh! An oportunity to try a poll!!!

I'd say it depends on how many girls you have with those three boys. I've read from some master chicken breeders that as soon as you can tell the boys from the girls, you should separate them. The boys mature faster and their getting after the girls can slow the girls' maturing because of the stress they are under. The girls will figure out their own pecking order but it won't be as stressful as having the boys among them. I'd separate them and then figure out which to keep if they're pestering the girls too badly. If you have enough girls for 3 roosters then you shouldn't have any issues as I've also read that 3 roosters is better than 2 because then the head rooster doesn't pick on the one other. They just sort of keep their distance from the head honcho and only grab a hen when he's not looking. This has been my experience as well.

Edited to add: The rooster is top over all and doesn't interfere (generally) with the girls' squabbles and jockeying for position.

 

[pysankigirl]

I only have 10 pullets currently and will be getting 5 more this weekend, but they will be much younger (and that is another issue I will have to figure out how to deal with)
I was originally thinking only one rooster but since I'm getting the 5 more I might keep 2 if they aren't killing each other or overmating the chickens.

is it cruel to keep one rooster at a time separate... like in a cage?

 

[galanie]

3 boys with 10 girls is bad news anyway. And since they are so young, OUCH. Yes, just keep the boys separate from the girls for now. No, it is not cruel to keep one separate, even in a cage, so long as he's not overheated or starved or anything.

 

[Pele]

3 boys with 10 girls is bad news anyway. And since they are so young, OUCH. Yes, just keep the boys separate from the girls for now. No, it is not cruel to keep one separate, even in a cage, so long as he's not overheated or starved or anything.

I agree, the ratio is a recipe for trouble. One young roo would be more than enough to keep 10 hens on their toes by himself. Poor hens.

I'd personally council you to give your girls a break, and pen the boys away in a bachelor pad where they can weather out Hurricane Testosterone seperately. Once they get through the teenaged angst stage, their real personalities will emerge, and you'll be able to get a more accurate idea of how good of a rooster they are. Let them range one at a time (very important, let them solo!) with the girls. Watch how they attend their duties. A good rooster does the following:

Keeps an eye on the sky for hawks
Warns the girls of danger before taking cover (just running to save himself is an automatic out. Super bonus points if he'll take on something for a hen.
Calls the girls over if he finds good food
Doesn't lie about finding good food just to get the girls near
Lets a hen 'decline' him if she really isn't in the mood (otherwise things get violent and potentially dangerous and stressful on the hen)
Doesn't spur or pull out gobs of feathers while mating
ISNT HUMAN AGGRESSIVE (suuuuuper important, trumps everything else)

Watch for these things, pick the roo who does the best solo performance, and boot the others. Think of it as a job interview.