Roo hates my Hamburg?

[LadyRed76]

I have a maran rooster that is mounting my Hamburg hen so much he has pulled her feathers out and has tore her skin. My other hens are fine. He mounts her if she walks by,gets off her perch. Just my Hamburg is being treated this way.
Anyone have any idea why he would choose her over 5 other hens?

 

[TheTwoRoos]

First of all your roo to hen ratio isnt good.Some roostesr can handle small amounts but some roosters just are vigorous maters.

Even if you do get more hens,this may not change anything.Roosters have favorites.In my flock my roosters go for easily intimidated or scared hens those are my roosters most favored,and I have about 17 outta 2,and I had more hens.You could try hen saddles or even getting rid of him,how old is he?

 

[keesmom]

How old is he? How much space do they have?

If he is young he may calm down as he gets older. It's also quite likely that you will have to decide between keeping him or having a happy hen.

 

[LadyRed76]

How old is he? How much space do they have?

If he is young he may calm down as he gets older. It's also quite likely that you will have to decide between keeping him or having a happy hen. 

There are 6 hens 1 rooster.
I have 4 other hens but Rooster does not notice or mess with them.
He is 6 months old.
They free range 2 acres.
He is a very quiet,calm rooster,A French copper Maran,except to my Hamburg.
Never had this problem before.

 

[TheTwoRoos]

Hes young.It takes a lot if roosters a year or 2 to mature and learn how ro be nice.

 

[aart]

Quote: Does this cockerel mate the others at all?
Are all your bird 6 months old?
The hamburg may be the only one submitting to him.

 

[LadyRed76]

Does this cockerel mate the others at all?
Are all your bird 6 months old?
The hamburg may be the only one submitting to him.

Indeed he does mate with the others,just not aggressively. And yes they are all the same age.

 

[aart]

Quote: Are all the pullets laying?

Might be a good idea to isolate him until he and they are all more mature.
If you really need and like him....otherwise get rid of him.

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).

 

[donrae]

Not sure why you said he hates her. Sounds to me like he likes her, too much.

You can try separating him for a while and see how things go after that. He may calm down, the others may appear more appealing, who knows. Or, he may always be a jerk to her.

I had one rooster years ago who was simply a psycho stalker. Free range, had two dozen hens to choose from. He stalked my two BO hens, actually stalked and terrorized them. They hid under the porch, he'd perch on the porch waiting for them to come out. For hours. When they ventured out, he'd grab them and it was screaming and fighting. Seriously, psycho.

He tasted just like chicken.

Not sure there is a whole lot of other fix, besides trying to wait it out. Otherwise, you'd have to decide which you want more, the hen or the rooster.