Rooster attacking hen

[spope]

Hi. So I know that roosters have a tendency to be aggressive while mating with the hens. BUT, I have a rooster (who seems to be a little mentally and physically delayed, seriously). We actually thought he was a girl until we heard him crow one day. He is full grown, 8 months or so. Just started crowing randomly, doesn’t protect, has a cross beak, haven’t even developed his full spurs.

It seems like he is just starting to try and mount one of our hens. I truly don’t think my two girls seem him as their “rooster”. So when he tries to mount them, my hen and him end up violently fighting. To the point where I physically have to break it up or I’m afraid they will peck eachother to death.

They don’t always act like this but since our rooster is developing kinda slow. I see this has being reoccurring. He is not aggressive with us whatsoever. What should I do???

 

[Folly's place]

Welcome!
Are your birds all the same age? If yes, cockerels mature before the pullets, and aren't ready for this activity yet. in a flock with older birds, hens and a rooster, this guy would learn better manners from the adults.
And, no cross beaked bird should reproduce! He'd be gone here already...
Mary

 

[azygous]

Cockerels aren't fully mature until one year. They will still put on weight and size for another year after that. In the eyes of the hens an eight-month old cockerel is just a young punk, not to be taken seriously, especially if the hens happen to be a season or two older. In that case, the hens will often react aggressively to his overtures. If you are breaking up their altercations within the first few seconds of the squabble, you could save yourself the trouble by waiting another few seconds for them to finish. Allowing chicken squabbles to complete themselves is really better for them and a lot gets understood and resolved in well under half a minute of a dust-up. This goes for hen fights and cock fights and fights between an older hen and a cockerel.

On the other hand, you will know when to break up a fight if the cockerel or rooster is chasing the hen, corners her, and she isn't able to fight back. This can quickly become deadly. I've had a hen become seriously injured when my younger rooster was enraged rather than discouraged by her refusals. This also goes for hen fights where a dominant hen ends up on the back of a more timid hen and the victim can't fight back but gets a pounding by the beak of the aggressor. Severe injuries and even death can occur from these kinds of fights.

If you happen to have straight run and a mixture of pullets and cockerels, a precocious cockerel may decide to become aggressive to a brooder mate even before hormones start up the mating urge. This can happen as early as six weeks, and you may see a cockerel standing on a pullet pecking viciously at her. When a cockerel is just plain mean and aggressive to a more timid pullet prior to the age of mating, you will want to intervene in any of these outright acts of aggression. When it happens in my flock, these immature aggressive cockerels are culled.

In short, don't be too quick to break up a routine altercation unless it's very obvious it involves a chicken that is overwhelmed and can't fight back. Most chicken fights don't last longer than ten seconds and the loser runs away while signaling that they accept that the other chicken won.

 

[Folly's place]

Good advise above, with added comments: multiple feeders and waterers, and plenty of space, especially with out of sight areas, makes all this a lot more peaceful. Crowding is really bad for birds of any age.
Mary

 

[Bigbluefrog]

Good advise above, with added comments: multiple feeders and waterers, and plenty of space, especially with out of sight areas, makes all this a lot more peaceful. Crowding is really bad for birds of any age.
Mary

Thanks Mary

 

[Bigbluefrog]

Cockerels aren't fully mature until one year. They will still put on weight and size for another year after that. In the eyes of the hens an eight-month old cockerel is just a young punk, not to be taken seriously, especially if the hens happen to be a season or two older. In that case, the hens will often react aggressively to his overtures. If you are breaking up their altercations within the first few seconds of the squabble, you could save yourself the trouble by waiting another few seconds for them to finish. Allowing chicken squabbles to complete themselves is really better for them and a lot gets understood and resolved in well under half a minute of a dust-up. This goes for hen fights and cock fights and fights between an older hen and a cockerel.

On the other hand, you will know when to break up a fight if the cockerel or rooster is chasing the hen, corners her, and she isn't able to fight back. This can quickly become deadly. I've had a hen become seriously injured when my younger rooster was enraged rather than discouraged by her refusals. This also goes for hen fights where a dominant hen ends up on the back of a more timid hen and the victim can't fight back but gets a pounding by the beak of the aggressor. Severe injuries and even death can occur from these kinds of fights.

If you happen to have straight run and a mixture of pullets and cockerels, a precocious cockerel may decide to become aggressive to a brooder mate even before hormones start up the mating urge. This can happen as early as six weeks, and you may see a cockerel standing on a pullet pecking viciously at her. When a cockerel is just plain mean and aggressive to a more timid pullet prior to the age of mating, you will want to intervene in any of these outright acts of aggression. When it happens in my flock, these immature aggressive cockerels are culled.

In short, don't be too quick to break up a routine altercation unless it's very obvious it involves a chicken that is overwhelmed and can't fight back. Most chicken fights don't last longer than ten seconds and the loser runs away while signaling that they accept that the other chicken won.

Just found this post! Good advice... I am struggling too with a new rooster injuring hens. Not new to hens but haven't had much luck with roosters.

 

[Bigbluefrog]

Welcome!
Are your birds all the same age? If yes, cockerels mature before the pullets, and aren't ready for this activity yet. in a flock with older birds, hens and a rooster, this guy would learn better manners from the adults.
And, no cross beaked bird should reproduce! He'd be gone here already...
Mary

Cross beaked bird? What is that?

 

[Folly's place]

'Crossed beak' is when the face/ beak doesn't grow straight, so the top upper and lower beak don't mesh properly. It starts as a very minor deviation, and gets worse as the bird grows, with the need for serious management, because these birds can't eat normally, they need extra care. And it's a genetic defect, more common in some breeds than others.
Mary

 

[Bigbluefrog]

'Crossed beak' is when the face/ beak doesn't grow straight, so the top upper and lower beak don't mesh properly. It starts as a very minor deviation, and gets worse as the bird grows, with the need for serious management, because these birds can't eat normally, they need extra care. And it's a genetic defect, more common in some breeds than others.
Mary

Thanks for explaining

 

[pohhtf]

Hi. So I know that roosters have a tendency to be aggressive while mating with the hens. BUT, I have a rooster (who seems to be a little mentally and physically delayed, seriously). We actually thought he was a girl until we heard him crow one day. He is full grown, 8 months or so. Just started crowing randomly, doesn’t protect, has a cross beak, haven’t even developed his full spurs.

It seems like he is just starting to try and mount one of our hens. I truly don’t think my two girls seem him as their “rooster”. So when he tries to mount them, my hen and him end up violently fighting. To the point where I physically have to break it up or I’m afraid they will peck eachother to death.

They don’t always act like this but since our rooster is developing kinda slow. I see this has being reoccurring. He is not aggressive with us whatsoever. What should I do???

It will get worse when your not around and death will occur. Get rid of rooster or the hens.