Rooster Aggression Directed at One Hen

[kattabelly]

Really?? I thought that meant killing them.

It can do.

 

[sourland]

I never had this happen until a coupe of years ago. This is what happened. I had a Roo that became heartless to this one hen. She was older, and I had decided to cull her in the fall. But in the meantime a predator got the rooster. She immediately did fine in the flock.

But the following summer, the new rooster started the same thing on the same hen. I did cull her, and peace was back in the flock.

So I don’t think your flock dynamics will go back. I think you need to remove one of them. Do you want to keep an old , non productive bird or the rooster.

You might pull out the victim and see how the flock interacts. If he picks a new victim, cull him. If the flock is calm and peaceful, cull her.

The thing is, this strife upsets the rest of the hens too.

Mrs K

Good, solid husbandry advice.

 

[Mrs. K]

It can mean killing them, but mostly it just means adjusting your flock. Often times flocks do need adjusting.

Personally I hate strife in the flock. I do not see it does the victim any good to be kept in strife. Unfortunately some chicken keepers just wish they would all be nice, when in reality the flock won’t become peaceful until the flock is adjusted. I myself, have been guilty of this.

 

[sandy10m]

I have a similar situation and would appreciate advice. I read all the responses above, and I will try some of this. Here is the situation. I have 2 older hens (production RIRs) that bullied the chicks that I hatched (heritage RIRs, 11 in the new group, 9 hens, 2 roosters, all grew up together, now 6 months old). So there are 2 roosters and 13 hens. Only the 2 older hens are making eggs (sporadically, starting to sputter). The new group isn't making eggs yet. I would assume any day now.

I know that there is a balance between number of roosters and number of hens. I probably don't have it. But one rooster in particular (named Prince) is mean to multiple hens. Today I found one new group hen (named Iris) with a punctured eyeball. I don't know what her outcome will be, but I asked the medical question in another forum.

When you separate a rooster or hen, do you build them their own coop/run? Is it near the original coop/run? Or completely separate and out of sight?

I have been putting VetRX on the combs and waddles of the injured hens. That has been helping to reduce the pecking attacks. But I find Prince pecking and holding onto the hens combs/waddles, and the hens are screeching. I have used the water hose and chased him with a tree branch to let him know I was not happy about this.

All the hens live in a huge 20 ft x 30 ft enclosed run, 6 ft tall. They free range all day, from about 10 am until 5 pm. Prince attacks the hens inside and outside the coop/run, but not all the hens. Maybe 4 of the 9 new hens?

I will try separating Prince from the flock, once I find out how to separate him.

 

[CoopBoots]

I have a similar situation and would appreciate advice. I read all the responses above, and I will try some of this. Here is the situation. I have 2 older hens (production RIRs) that bullied the chicks that I hatched (heritage RIRs, 11 in the new group, 9 hens, 2 roosters, all grew up together, now 6 months old). So there are 2 roosters and 13 hens. Only the 2 older hens are making eggs (sporadically, starting to sputter). The new group isn't making eggs yet. I would assume any day now.

I know that there is a balance between number of roosters and number of hens. I probably don't have it. But one rooster in particular (named Prince) is mean to multiple hens. Today I found one new group hen (named Iris) with a punctured eyeball. I don't know what her outcome will be, but I asked the medical question in another forum.

When you separate a rooster or hen, do you build them their own coop/run? Is it near the original coop/run? Or completely separate and out of sight?

I have been putting VetRX on the combs and waddles of the injured hens. That has been helping to reduce the pecking attacks. But I find Prince pecking and holding onto the hens combs/waddles, and the hens are screeching. I have used the water hose and chased him with a tree branch to let him know I was not happy about this.

All the hens live in a huge 20 ft x 30 ft enclosed run, 6 ft tall. They free range all day, from about 10 am until 5 pm. Prince attacks the hens inside and outside the coop/run, but not all the hens. Maybe 4 of the 9 new hens?

I will try separating Prince from the flock, once I find out how to separate him.

If I'm separating a rooster or cockerel longer-term, I use a big dog kennel within my main chicken run. I've used smaller crates/cages for short medical look-but-don't-touch precautions when dealing with injury or illness, usually also within the main chicken yard.

If I'm separating a hen or a bird with special needs, I generally section off a bigger area and add sleeping quarters there for a more permanent solution. An adjacent secondary run could also work if you have the space. They can socialize that way without suffering from bullying.

I've had a lot of cockerels ingegrate into my flock and none of them have ever caused a medical situation I needed to treat. I agree a long look-but-don't-touch setup for your boy may help.

 

[Mrs. K]

Prince is not a prince. Regardless of space, of numbers, of handling techniques, there are a lot of roosters that are rotten. It is genetic. He is rotten, and if it changes, there is the strong probability he will get much worse. A lot of people say that they love this bird, but the truth is, you loved the bird he was. Cockerels are often times darlings, it is a stage. Once they outgrow that stage there really is no going back.

As for the hose and tree branch, those are good while you are there, but no one lives in the coop/run. And that behavior is still there when you leave. Instead of wrapping the injuries in velcro wrap, you do need to pull that rooster out of there. Chicken fighting is real and ugly. If you can't catch him in the day - wait till dark, wear a long sleeve sweatshirt and leather gloves and hold a towel on each end, flip that over his head, and grab him, by whatever part you catch. Have your dog carrier laying on the back wall so that the opening is on top, drop the bird in and shut the crate.

In my opinion, as a long time chicken keeper, this is going to get a lot worse. I would not keep him anywhere. With your numbers, I would imagine that there is a lot of tension in the flock with two roosters. He definitely bought a ticket out of there.

Now the other thing is, if you pull this cockerel, and leave the other one, he may either continue to become a great rooster, or sometimes they too will become rotten.

A lot will depend on your commitment and finances. A lot of people build bachelor quarters - do know, that sometimes they work, and sometimes they work for a while, and sometimes they don't. Roosters are just a crap shoot. If you have your druther, out of sight and hearing is best. If that is impossible, it is ok to build them next to each other.

I like a peaceful flock, a flock where there is no tension in the flock, and I use animal husbandry to achieve those ends, which means that I adjust who comes and goes in my flock. I keep a flock, have for decades, but the birds come and go. I adjust that flock based on behavior and age. I would cull this bird and keep him in my pantry for homemade soup.

Mrs K