rooster attacking one of my hens

[spiceholler]

I've got an "accidental" rooster, about 1 year old and he's pretty good, very docile and respectful of us and most of the flock.

I have one hen, "Massachusetts" who was formerly a high ranking hen and the rooster has been singling her out and attacking her.

I watched it happen again yesterday...Massachusettes was walking down a path and saw the rooster in front of her so she tried to hurry past him and once he saw her he turned and attacked her, she hunkered down and he pecked at her until I scared him off.

Certainly punishment isn't going to work. I know what would work (culling), but am not prepared for that. Wondering whether I isolate one or both of them?

 

[MysteryChicken]

I've got an "accidental" rooster, about 1 year old and he's pretty good, very docile and respectful of us and most of the flock.

I have one hen, "Massachusetts" who was formerly a high ranking hen and the rooster has been singling her out and attacking her.

I watched it happen again yesterday...Massachusettes was walking down a path and saw the rooster in front of her so she tried to hurry past him and once he saw her he turned and attacked her, she hunkered down and he pecked at her until I scared him off.

Certainly punishment isn't going to work. I know what would work (culling), but am not prepared for that. Wondering whether I isolate one or both of them?

Can you get pictures, & or a video of exactly what he's doing?

You sure he's actually attacking her, or trying to assert dominance, or possibly trying to breed her?

 

[Ridgerunner]

With that pecking it sounds like your boy has finally matured enough to take over as flock master and that hen was the dominant hen. To be flock master he has to de-throne her. That can be vicious and violent, the hen may be seriously injured or killed. Or she may accept his dominance and become his best buddy.

I've been through that. After two days of pretty vicious attacks they worked it out. But it could have easily ended up with her dead. How they try to kill each other is to peck at the head until they bore a hole to the brain.

So, what can you do. If she is just laying there instead of trying to get away and he keeps attacking the head she will probably die. Mine did not do that, he just attacked and ran her away from the flock. You can try to let them work it out, that worked for me, but there is certainly a risk with that.

You can try isolating one for a few days. If it were between two hens I'd remove the bully to knock her down in the pecking order. That often works. But in this case you do not want to knock him down in the pecking order, that just delays them fighting for a while. He will be the dominant one at some point. I'd isolate the hen for a few days to let him take over the flock and then let her join the flock. I don't know if this will work but I think it gives you your best shot. Good luck!

Can you get pictures, & or a video of exactly what he's doing?

You sure he's actually attacking her, or trying to assert dominance, or possibly trying to breed her?

Good questions.

 

[MysteryChicken]

With that pecking it sounds like your boy has finally matured enough to take over as flock master and that hen was the dominant hen. To be flock master he has to de-throne her. That can be vicious and violent, the hen may be seriously injured or killed. Or she may accept his dominance and become his best buddy.

I've been through that. After two days of pretty vicious attacks they worked it out. But it could have easily ended up with her dead. How they try to kill each other is to peck at the head until they bore a hole to the brain.

So, what can you do. If she is just laying there instead of trying to get away and he keeps attacking the head she will probably die. Mine did not do that, he just attacked and ran her away from the flock. You can try to let them work it out, that worked for me, but there is certainly a risk with that.

You can try isolating one for a few days. If it were between two hens I'd remove the bully to knock her down in the pecking order. That often works. But in this case you do not want to knock him down in the pecking order, that just delays them fighting for a while. He will be the dominant one at some point. I'd isolate the hen for a few days to let him take over the flock and then let her join the flock. I don't know if this will work but I think it gives you your best shot. Good luck!


Good questions.

All of my years raising chickens, I've never had a rooster attack/kill a head hen. I've had roosters/cockerels peck/grab, & chase lower ranking hens, they'd do this for awhile before actually mounting them.
All my head hens kept their places in the flocks, with an Alpha Rooster.

I've had plenty of fights happen between head hens, & lower ranking hens. Attempts from the hens on the lower end of the pecking order trying to rise in rank, possibly taking the head hen's place.

My flocks consist of an Alpha Male, & Alpha/Head hen, one coop has two head hens, & two Alpha Roosters(The 2 Alpha Roosters are both brothers, no fights between them, they share the hens equally).

 

[MysteryChicken]

I've had hens kill a rooster many years ago, but never had the opposite happen.

 

[LaFleche]

You can separate him out of sight from the hens for a week or longer and then put the formerly attacked hen in an adjoining run to see if he will try to properly woo her or if he is still trying to attack her.

If he is friendly, going out of his way to attract and woo her, you can try to let the two mingle, but stay right there with them in case he changes his mind and attacks, so you will be able to intervene immediately.

Rehoming the attacked female does not always solve the problem as it can lead to him singling out and attacking another hen similar to the one he is abusing now.

 

[Ridgerunner]

All of my years raising chickens, I've never had a rooster attack/kill a head hen.

I've only seen that one time. It was an 11 month old cockerel raised with the flock. I removed the previous dominant rooster when that cockerel was about 5 months old. As time went by he would mate the other lower ranking hens but the dominant hen would knock him off if he tried to mate with another hen in her presence. She did not attack him, just knock him off to show she was the boss.

When he turned 11 months he stood up to her and defeated her. For two days he ran her off anytime she approached the flock. If she approached the flock he's chase her and peck her, especially around the head. He never injured her but kept her away. After two days of that she somehow accepted his dominance and they became best buddies. She remained the head hen.

I think part of the problem was that he had a fairy weak personality and she had a strong personality. Most of my cockerels can take over as flock master at 7 months of age and that is usually pretty peaceful. None of the drama that came with this hen and cockerel.

 

[bobbi-j]

A few years ago, I had a rooster that attacked one of my hens. I saw the poor hen, all bloodied and staggering around outside. My first thought was that a predator had gotten her. The top of her head was laid open. I put her in a dog crate in the coop. Everyone ignored her, and after a few weeks she had healed enough to go out with the flock. She was hardly out of the crate when the rooster flew at her and went right for her head again. I have never seen a rooster go after another chicken like that. Especially a hen! So, into my spare coop she went, and I gave her a friend to hang out with. A week or so later, I witnessed the rooster go after a pullet with the same ferocity. I grabbed him off of her and put him in isolation until we could remove his head from his body.