Rooster beating up hen

[sheps4her]

I have an unknown breed rooster who up until recently has actually been picked on by all the hens. Here lately all of the hens have fallen in line to his leadership, but there is one hen that I swear he is going to kill. He ripped open the top of her head.

That has since healed up and is regrowing feathers. (I seperated her from him of course!)This morning, while I was tending to everyone, he got out of his pen and got into her seperate pen (they were next to each other..i was hoping to be able to put everyone back together so I kept them within sight of each other) and he immediately started to attack her! I had to grab him and throw him back in his pen. Why is he so aggressive to her, and do you think I will ever be able to put her back with everyone else??

 

[Chicken Woman]

roo soup

 

[Mrs.Puff]

I agree. If you have other roos, put him in the pot. Do the other hens pick on your poor lost soul also? Is there something wrong with her, is she funny looking or something? Chickens can be mean, just like the classroom full of 7th graders I'm watching over right now.

 

[Hangin Wit My Peeps]

I think he has something out for her. Maybe she was the dominant hen when he was not a leader roo in the pen and now he sees her as a threat to his hens. I don't think she will ever be able to go back in the pen as long as he is in there. She isn't safe around him and prob never will be. Good luck!

 

[sheps4her]

She is the newest addition to the flock....but I have had them together with her for almost 2 months (quarantined her for 1 month first) with only minor chasing and pecking, and that was from the other girls, not the rooster. This behavior from him is new, and my Dh says she must have done something to piss him off! I don't know what would have triggered this behavior.

 

[rebecca10782]

Do they have enough room? I noticed my rooster started getting really pissy with everyone when we had to keep them in the coupe without free ranging for awhile. My girls will get really mean to the younger ones when they get into the pen at night because they are outgrowing it and don't have much elbow room

We are a little late building the new one

 

[sheps4her]

yes, they have plenty of room..this incident actually happened while they were out free ranging. I was just so surprised. My DH was out there at the time and chased the rooster away from her but not before he had done some damage. I hate to have to get rid of him...I have come to look forward to his crow..right on time at 6:30 every morning!

 

[Chickapooh23]

Maybe you could rehome her. If you want to keep him do you know someone who could take her in?

 

[rebecca10782]

Well then, I don't know. That is so sad for both of them. Poor roosters don't know what the heck they are doing

I would give it a little more time, at two months my hens were still very nasty to the younger ones. If it keeps going on after some time, I would find a great home for one of them.