Rooster Attacking hen

[Lady Who]

This started maybe two days ago. My rooster is the sweetest rooster in the world and care deelply about his hen so this is abnormal and stressfull for all members involved.

I want to check on my chickens in the afternoon and i see my rooster fav hen running to me, thinking she just wanted what was in my hand. i want over to the hanging backet and i hear a scream, i turned around to find my rooster attacking his own fav hen and its been happening everyday. this rooster has never shown aggrestion toward anything since i have owned him so this 100% blindsided us.

background:

• The rooster is a 8 months bantam cochin and the Hen is a 4 years old Bantam bramha.
• nothing has changed in it food, location and flock.
  
• this hen Use to be his fav and he would go out of his way to give her anything.
  
• My father wanted me to add that he thinks she is broody but this hen has never been broody in her whole life and she is still laying eggs and he has no past with attacking broodies becuase half of my flock goes broody all the time.
  
• its gotten to the point where she is scared of him and runs anytime he even gets close.
• He attacks her then acts like his normal self, happy and tid-bites like none of that even happened

i gave them both baths, put an apron on, removed him then added him back. I'm lost and at my wites ends about this. then to top it off. i got a broody hen

 

[Wyorp Rock]

Can you get a video of this behavior? Upload to youtube and provide a link.

Is it possible what you are seeing is mating behavior? He is an 8 month old Cockerel full of surging hormones. He is just now starting to mature a little. Is he drawing blood?
Some hens can be quite dramatic when mated too, so you need to observe and try to determine if he's hurting/attacking her or if he is mating and she's attempting to refuse his advances.

 

[guardianoftheflock]

Yeah, I would have to see a video. Sometimes mating can seem pretty aggressive.

 

[dawg53]

Are you sure your 4 year old Bantam Brahma is still laying eggs? When was the the last time she laid an egg?
The reason why I ask is because roosters can sense when a hen is infertile and they will try to kill the hen, eliminate her from the flock. I've only seen this happen once before. He was constantly attacking her and managed to rip open a wattle. A mistake on the roosters part, she was my favorite hen and I got rid of the rooster. Older roosters take care and protect their hens, old or young. Young roosters constantly tread hens.

 

[Shadrach]

You're not going to believe this but ..............
Your rooster is attacking his favorite hen because you are giving her treats and she is accepting them. He is at the age where the hens become his hens and not yours.
At the moment he is to young to attack you, but I would think this will be the likely outcome in time.
Roosters attract hens by finding them treats. Once he has attracted a hen then any other creature that offers his hens treats is a threat, not to him in person but because the roosters that find the best treats attract more hens.
Try giving him the treats and stand back. Let him call his hen over for the treats.
I'm sure lots will tell you the above is nonsense but if you don't accept this you will be posting here soon that your rooster has become aggressive towards you.

 

[Lady Who]

sooo.... haha. I want to take the video so separated the hen and the rooster from the flock and well... it fixed it XD I don’t know what happen but a switch in his little brain want back to normal so I kept them together for the rest of the day and by the evening the hen was back to taking treats from him and being her normal jerk self and this morning she pretty much under his feet again trying to eat everything.
You guys unknownly help me
My father says that it might have been my broody that triggered it. My bramha hates this broody so he believed that the bramha attacked the broody so the rooster stopped it and forgot why he was attacking her.

I do want to answer some question.
This rooster doesn’t get mad or mean even with his hormone flashes, just has high anxiety haha. He like a tiny version of me haha.

The bantam bramha lay an egg every other day. I have a broody at the moment so I have to open the nesting boxes for her in the morning.

I use to have a rooster that would attack his own hens over treats and attack the hens becuase he wanted a treat. He was a pig... so I know what that looks and that wasn’t it

I alway give something to my rooster to tid bit so to build relationship with the older hens and he really flippin happy when he tidbits. Never seen a rooster be so happy in life

 

[Wyorp Rock]

I'm glad things seem to have settled down.