Roo rejection....

[Cheyx1x]

Hi all, I've been lurking in the shadows and learning a lot as well as a few laughs and giggles.
I do have a question. My roo, Pepper, is a demanding yet gentle roo to his hens and baby hens. He is a colorful leghorn.
BUT.... he has rejected one of his hens, honey, she is a buff orpington.
A little background...
Honey was a real witch with a capital B. Then one day while free ranging in my back yard, she took off to another home 3 houses and 1 or 2 dogs inbetween.
She was gone for about a week. I thought she met her maker and was sad about it. Then poof, she was back.
She was just a little thinner but, other then that, she was okay.
She slipped back in with the flock and soon found out her new pecking order. The hens she used to peck the crap out of her were now pecking her.
I knew enough to leave them be and they'll figure it all out on their own.
Slowly, as fall turned into winter, I noticed the roo had to chase her to get "some" from her.
By later winter, he was running her away from the hen grazing. Then the feed bowl.
A few weeks later, I had to chase him off of her, he was pecking and drawing blood, the other hens joined in as well.
I took her away and caged her into the house to heal and fatten up a little. Then slowly, I reintroduced her.
First within the cage, then with the cage door open, finally taking the cage away totally.
That day, I caught them all beating on her and they put a big hole into the back of her neck!
I got her the heck out of there and now she is in a cage once again.
Wounds are totally healed but, that is no kind of life for her and I'm in the process of finding her a new home.
So my question is, why do you think he did that? (She is not sickly at all.)

Thanks ahead of time for any and all input.

Tracie
Crazy house.... 3 boys, 2 malamutes, 1 funky lorikeet and 13 chickies.

 

[teach1rusl]

Sometimes, if a hen won't submit to a rooster, and he's insistant in dominating her, that's what happens. Some roosters have killed hens that wouldn't "bow" to them. Personally, I wouldn't have a rooster that would do that (but my hens are #1 with me, not my rooster). I ended up rehoming my rooster because he kept bloodying the comb of my BO (more than once), who is a sweet chicken, but would not submit to his advances without a fight. Some roosters will walk away and be content with the other, more submissive hens, some won't.

 

[Cheyx1x]

Wow, really??? I'd really hate to rehome him, he is awsome with the other hens and protects them. He is awsome with my sons, one of which as autism. Pepper just keeps away from them, he doesn't like to be handled in anyway unless the 2 malamutes get lose and chase him down. Then he's like "MOOOOOMMMMMMYYY!!!!" and jumps into me.
Thanks so much for taking the time out to reply to me,

 

[teach1rusl]

Of course don't rehome him if you feel he's great in a lot of ways, although I would strongly suggest rehoming the hen that keeps getting beat up. The rooster I rehomed was a pretty good bird overall, just way overzealous with my girls, whom I had a good six months before him, so they were my primary concern. If you love him and he does a good job with the others, find a nice home for your hen

 

[RM44]

If you're already set on keeping the Roo, re-home the hen. Somebody's got to go!

 

[poultryfan73]

Quote:
X2 It drives me nuts to see a rooster chasing my hens around the barnyard! Idk why it drives me nuts! Whenever i see my rooster do that more then 3 times hes gone! So far ive went through about 5 roosters this year because of that!