Raising a Rooster

[PolloGal]

You have provided a lot more information. I'm not going to try to unpack a lot of it but this will still be a long post.

On the room issue. One way chickens have learned to live in a flock is that in case of conflict the weaker runs away from the stronger and avoids them. This has nothing to do with square feet per chicken but is more about can they get away if they run and can they avoid them once they get away. Clutter, things that break line of sight, can improve the quality of the space you do have. Once they are fully integrated there is usually very little conflict so they can live much closer together, but things like different maturity levels, multiple males, and integration can greatly increase the need for more room.

I don't see a mature hen brutalizing a cockerel or pullet as Miss Henrietta's School of Etiquette for Wayward Boys and Girls. I see it as a fight for dominance. If the cockerel is in puberty it can be even more vicious because he might fight back but even without that extra factor it can be deadly. Mature hens do not always brutalize immature cockerels and pullets but sometimes they do. We have techniques we use to minimize the chance for violence when we integrate, whether immature or mature chickens. They don't always work but many are often successful.

Your cockerel is 11 weeks old, he may or may not be in puberty. If he is not yet in puberty the older hens will likely treat him like they would a single pullet that age if you try to integrate him. Some of the tricks to integration are to house them across wire for a while (days or weeks) so they get used to each other and have separate feeding and watering stations, hopefully out of line of sight to each other. Adding clutter may improve the quality of what room you do have. At night don't try to force them to roost together. As long as it is predator safe and not in my nests I don't care where mine sleep during integration. Sometimes this integration goes so smoothly you wonder what all of the fuss and worry was about, sometimes it can be pretty rough, but if you are patient it usually works out.

If he is in puberty this changes. Many different things can happen. It may still go very smoothly but usually there is drama. He may ignore them and they may ignore him at first. He is still very young. At some point he will try to mate with some of them. Some hens may let him. Many are likely to run away. He may let them go or he may chase them. If he chases he may soon quit and let them go. Or he may chase them down and force them to mate. As mentioned above, that is usually not as horrible as it looks like. Any time there is violence involved there is the risk of injury but I've never had a hen or pullet actually injured during that. It's possible one or more of the hens may fight back and win.

I've had a five-month-old cockerel take over a flock of mature hens with no drama. He had a strong personality and the hens, especially the dominant hen, was OK with him taking over. That is unusual at that age. I had a cockerel wait until he was 11 months old before he took over. He was pretty much a wimp and the dominant hen was really stubborn. She did not want to give up being the flock master. They had some pretty vicious fights for a couple of days before she gave up. No one was hurt so I left them to it. They became best buddies when they finally sorted it but it could have easily ended with a serious injury instead. Before that final fight several of the hens would mate with that cockerel willingly but if the dominant hen saw them she'd run over and knock him off. No fighting, she'd just knock him off to show she was still the boss. He'd run away. When he finally did not run away was when they started fighting.

Most of my cockerels take over the flock of mature hens when the cockerels are about 7 months old. It is usually a pretty peaceful takeover. I think a lot of it has to do with the personality of the individual cockerel. The personality of the hens, especially the dominant hen, has a lot to do with it also. A 10 x 20 area isn't horrible, many people have less, but I have over 3,000 square feet available to them and the weather so it is always available. I think having more room makes a difference in why I so seldom see drama.

In your situation I would try to integrate that cockerel to the hens. Sometimes it is extremely easy. But I'd have a way to separate him if it gets violent. You never know what you will actually see. I suggest you make your decisions by what you see instead of what a stranger over the internet like me tells you. Each chicken has its own personality, each flock has its own dynamics, and those dynamics can change by adding or removing one individual or one individual maturing.

I agree…and thank you so much. I will try to do that, and just keep a close eye to be sure there are no issues. Thanks again.