Problems introducing hens to adult rooster

[Cuckoo4Cochins]

So we have had our 9 month old easter egger rooster by himself for a while because it is very hard to find hens in our area. I finally got ahold of some Wyandotte hens that are seven monthes old the other day. The hens are on the smaller side while our ee rooster is huge. I put the two hens out today and our rooster starting chasing them around pulling the hens hackle feathers out. We've separated them for now but is this normal or is our rooster just being bad? Thanks

 

[ThePRfan]

First off their all young.The rooster is mating.Well if he is mounding them then he's mating.But, young roosters do this.He will calm once he's older,but for now he will pull out head feathers and everything.Best is to put all the hens in there.He's not trying to kill them,but he is trying to mate an d place taht he is dominant.

 

[aart]

How many hens/pullets total do you have?
Adding 2 new hens to an existing flock with no integration time is fraught with peril....for the new hens.

The roosters behavior is typical dominance behavior.


Here's some notes I've taken on integration that I found to be very helpful.
See if any of them, or the links provided, might offer some tips that will assist you in your situation:


Integration of new chickens to flock.

Consider medical quarantine:
BYC Medical Quarantine Article
Poultry Biosecurity
BYC 'medical quarantine' search

Confine new birds within sight but physically segregated from older/existing birds for several weeks, so they can see and get used to each other but not physically interact. Integrating new birds of equal size works best.

For smaller chicks I used a large wire dog crate right in the coop for the smallers. I removed the crate door and put up a piece of wire fencing over the opening and bent up one corner just enough for the smallers to fit thru but the biggers could not. Feed and water inside the crate for the smallers. Make sure the smallers know how to get in and out of the crate opening before exposing them to the olders. this worked out great for me, by the time the crate was too small for the them to roost in there(about 3 weeks), they had pretty much integrated themselves to the olders.

If you have too many smallers to fit in a crate you can partition off part of the coop with a wire wall and make the same openings for smallers escape.


The more space, the better. Birds will peck to establish dominance, the pecked bird needs space to get away. As long as there's no blood drawn and/or new bird is not trapped/pinned down, let them work it out. Every time you interfere or remove new birds, they'll have to start the pecking order thing all over again.

Multiple feed/water stations. Dominance issues are most often carried out over sustenance, more stations lessens the frequency of that issue.

Places for the new birds to hide out of line of sight and/or up and away from any bully birds.

Read up on integration..... BYC advanced search>titles only>integration
This is good place to start reading:
https://www.backyardchickens.com/a/adding-to-your-flock

 

[Ridgerunner]

Read my post, #8, in this thread. I think it very much applies to your situation.

https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/937468/rooster-chasing-my-hens

 

[aart]

Read my post, #8, in this thread. I think it very much applies to your situation.

https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/937468/rooster-chasing-my-hens

This a great explanation about rooster behavior.....do you have it in an article that could be cited?

 

[Ridgerunner]

No Aart, I don't. There are a few articles I need to write. it would save me a lot of typing. Someday I'll get around to it.

 

[aart]

No Aart, I don't. There are a few articles I need to write. it would save me a lot of typing. Someday I'll get around to it.

I have several blurbs I cut and paste from a word doc, as I'm a terrible and slow typist.
I add and delete within the post sometimes to fit the situation.
You could just copy from that post you linked and paste into an article.

 

[Cuckoo4Cochins]

Thanks everyone for your help. I have put our new hens in our run so the roo can get used to them. I haven't put them out with him again yet, but he seems to have calmed down quite a bit.