Randy Juvenile Delinquent Rooster...

[Farmgirl1878]

My eight juvenile delinquents are just four months old and are a combination of Wyandottes, a RIR, and a New Hampshire Red. The roo is a Wyandotte and boy, has he ever developed fast! He’s already jumping on my girls, who of course scream like they’re being murdered. He’s so ready and they’re so not that one of my larger girls now has a sprained ankle... Everyone’s on edge and avoiding him, which seems to make him even more determined to hump them to death. Other than separating them or putting him in the crock pot, is there anything I can do to make the transition to “henhood” easier for my girls?

 

[oldhenlikesdogs]

Yes separate out those boys. I haven't met a Wyandotte rooster worth keeping yet, they are the worse for jumping pullets. Your boys are just following their hormones. It's best it all that isn't taken out on your maturing pullets. Many roosters can take months to settle, and some a year or two. I personally prefer to look out for my girls first. The boys come second.

 

[RWise]

I too would remove the rooster! I place any I am growing out in a bachelor pad until at least 1YO and I prefer 2YOs over the flock. By 2 YO if they have not calmed down, they go to the stew pot.

 

[Farmgirl1878]

I guess he can free range all day... (I only let them out when I can supervise because we have so many predators. So they’re out a few times a day for an hour or so at a time.) I don’t yet have separate coops/runs...

 

[aart]

Other than separating them or putting him in the crock pot, is there anything I can do to make the transition to “henhood” easier for my girls?

Nope.

I just slaughtered the last of this years cockerels, so peaceful now.

Oh, and.....
FYI.....semantics, maybe, but can be important communication terms when discussing chicken behavior.
Female chickens are called pullets until one year of age, then they are called hens.
Male chickens are called cockerels until one year of age, then they are called cocks(or cockbirds or roosters).
Age in weeks or months is always a good thing to note.

 

[Folly's place]

This is an awkward time for your adolescent cockerel, and he's not in a flock of adult roosters and hens who would help keep him humble. You can follow advice and separate him, find him another home, or invite him to dinner.
I like having multiple roosters in my flock, and generally the hens and cock birds keep the cockerels manageable. Any cockerel who's human aggressive in any way, or just too rough with his agemates, goes.
This first flock, without mature birds, may be best off without him, especially if he's causing any injuries at all.
Mary

 

[Farmgirl1878]

He’s still aggressive (though never towards me or my hubby), but in the past couple of days, he has started to make very different noises when he finds little piles of feed I’ve left on the ground. He almost coos, but kind of gargles, and then the girls come running! He’s not at all protective and is usually the first one in the covered run when he hears or sees something he doesn’t like. And he’s still pulling on feathers and trying to mount the girls... Sigh, at least he’s figured out the food thing.

Hubby’s busy finishing the “chicken jail” for him to move into, but now my question becomes, “how do we keep them separate and yet give him the opportunity to learn how to be a good roo?”

 

[RWise]

His attitude will change so much when he is 1 YO and even more by 2. Right now he is a horny teenager,,,
I would lock him up in full site of the flock until he is 1 YO and let him out for a try.
However my oldest has been over the flock at 4 months, but he was not trying to mount the girls yet. The girls were mostly older and thought him how to act.
It really all depends on attitude of the individual cockerel, and how much you can stand to watch,,,

 

[Farmgirl1878]

It is hard to watch (and listen to all the screaming) as he mounts the girls a few times a day. They’re all about four months old now, so the girls probably have a long way to go before they’re interested in mating... I’ll see how the new bachelor pad works out. If not, I can rehome him as I am supposed to have a male in the batch of chicks from Meyer. If he is a he, he will be a handsome blue laced red Wyandotte.

 

[Farmgirl1878]

So LJ’s in his bachelor pad tonight and crying like a big baby... It’s so pitiful hubby and I could hardly stand it. (That’s the view of his new home from the girls’ run.) He went into his coop a few times, but came right out to continue pacing and crying. I’m going to wait until after dark to walk out and check on him...