Roo picking on a different girl every day

[frogs n chickens]

I got home last night to a pullet that did not want to go in the coop because the roo was attacking her. My DW told me he had been chasing her all day. A few days before that it was one of the RIR pullets he was picking on all day.
The question is, will this aggressive behavior stop when the girls begin submitting to him or will he continue beating up a different lady every day. I am already discussing the possibility of free range chicken for dinner if his behavior does not change. My pullets are around 17 weeks old but none are laying yet nor are they doing the squat when you walk up to or try to pet them.
I would really prefer to keep the roo to protect the ladies as we live out in the boondocks and they free range all day. We do have some coopers hawks nesting nearby.

 

[The Chicken Man]

Personally, I wouldn't keep an overly aggressive rooster in the flock. All roosters show a little aggression, because they are, well, roosters. They assert their dominance. But if you have a rooster that's actually bullying the hens (don't mistake this with mating behavior), I would definitely not want him in my flock. Choose a nice, calm rooster, one that won't fly up in your face or attack you. Give your rooster some time, and if overly aggressive behavior continues, replace him (or cull, if you're alright with it). Try to break him of it first. Stop him from chasing the hens around, hurting them, etc. Remember, it could just be mating behavior, and if so, perfectly natural. Give him some time and see what you think.

I remember gritsar had a guide to rooster reform on her BYC page that I found very useful. It can be found here:

https://www.backyardchickens.com/web/viewblog.php?id=4810

 

[frogs n chickens]

I have looked at the guide and am hoping that his behavior is just normal breeding behavior. He does not seem to be harming the girls, but one of them would not go back into the coop with him and he jumped on her when I put her through the pop door-but no bother after I placed her on the roost.
I would really like to keep him, but have no issue with culling should it become necessary. I would like to keep a roo for protection of the flock.

 

[The Chicken Man]

That's good! You say he's jumping on top of them, and that's probably just mating behavior. Always watch and make sure he isn't actually abusing them, though. A rooster who fights a rooster is just doing what instinct tells him. One that fights his own hens, however, has formed a very bad habit! Again, don't be afraid to replace him with with a better roo.

May I ask the breed and age of this rooster? I hope he turns out all right for you. Good luck!

 

[Judy]

My roos were ready to do the deed about 2 or 3 weeks before the pullets were. Things finally settled down.

 

[The Chicken Lady]

It sounds like he's a bit too mature for the girls he has at this point. He's probably trying to get them to submit to him, and they are still at that in-between stage between chick and pullet.

 

[Laskaland]

He's just spreading the love, man, spreading the love. He's showing them that he's their "man", and it means your girls will start to lay very soon, they are right at their maturity. MMMM yummie fresh eggs!! Congrats!!!

 

[SusanH]

So if your rooster just grabs the back of the hen's head and bites her, that's rooster behaviour?

I have a rooster that if he's eating treats and a hen comes up he will bite them. He doesn't do it with all of them but he does it regularly.

Is this normal behaviour?

Thanks,
Susan

 

[nwgirl]

My pullets and cockerel are 11 weeks old and the cockerel has been chasing the hens now for about a month. You can tell the hens don't like it as they'll go back into the coop just to get away from him. I think he does it because he's bored being confined to the run since he doesn't do it when I let them out in the yard to roam. However when I do let them out they all chase each in circles. I think they're just playing and its really funny to watch.

People who think teenage hormones are bad probably never had a rooster.

 

[tdgill]

I have learned that alot of what you see is normal behavior. He is just learning too. Give him time, and time to get the hang of his position, and give him some respect and space for now too. He is just doing his job by herding them and giving a peck to show he's the boss. I had to go watch youtube videos of chicken mating to get an idea what to expect. It gets less rough when they start submitting. I still kept an eye on things and would give the hens some time to range without him pestering...one rooster kept the hens in the coop for a good while. Its amazing to watch the interaction with roos and hens. I am so glad I kept my roos...