Rooster Behavior with New Hens

[Chebird]

Hi all! We have had six pullets inside a large dog pen in our coop for about three weeks now to get the flocks used to each other. We have two hens, fourteen older pullets, and two cockerels (one is boss) who have calmed down and are generally behaving themselves. Well, we let the pullets out last evening, and boss cockerel pinned down and violently attacked two of the pullets before we could get them back in the pen. Hubby screened off a bigger part of the coop for the six pullets. So my question is, was the boss rooster just claiming the newbies? Would this be temporary? I'm thinking of putting the two cockerels into the screened off part, but we really enjoy watching the rooster antics. BTW, boss rooster got a lot of lovin' last night, which he hates

 

[Ridgerunner]

I don't know how old those pullets are. You said he is a cockerel but is calming down. He may still be more immature cockerel than mature rooster.

The way a mature rooster welcomes mature hens into his flock is that he mates with them. Mating behavior is not always about sex, it is dominance behavior. The one on bottom is accepting the dominance of the one on top, either willingly or by force. With mature hens and rooster it is often willingly, though a rooster may chase a hen if she doesn't submit.

With immature pullets and cockerels it's often more by force. The cockerel's hormones are still raging, telling him to dominate the flock. The pullets often aren't mature enough to do their part or do not want to be dominated by any other chicken. I don't know if those pullets were considered "hens" that he was welcoming to his flock or if they were still so immature he was establishing his dominance, whether they are willing to accept him or not. I think since it was the dominant cockerel especially that it as about dominance, nor sex. That is pretty typical behavior.

If you find it too rough, keep them separated until the pullets grow up.

 

[Chebird]

Thank you so much. That is exactly what I thought. The pullets are about ten weeks old.

I don't know how old those pullets are. You said he is a cockerel but is calming down. He may still be more immature cockerel than mature rooster.

The way a mature rooster welcomes mature hens into his flock is that he mates with them. Mating behavior is not always about sex, it is dominance behavior. The one on bottom is accepting the dominance of the one on top, either willingly or by force. With mature hens and rooster it is often willingly, though a rooster may chase a hen if she doesn't submit.

With immature pullets and cockerels it's often more by force. The cockerel's hormones are still raging, telling him to dominate the flock. The pullets often aren't mature enough to do their part or do not want to be dominated by any other chicken. I don't know if those pullets were considered "hens" that he was welcoming to his flock or if they were still so immature he was establishing his dominance, whether they are willing to accept him or not. I think since it was the dominant cockerel especially that it as about dominance, nor sex. That is pretty typical behavior.

If you find it too rough, keep them separated until the pullets row up.

I will keep them separated until the smallest one gets bigger. She's extremely tiny compared to the other five. I think I may have a bantam Hamburg.

 

[Chebird]

I meant to say the one that was getting most of the cockerel's attention

was a tiny bird. She's also ten weeks old but about half the size of everyone else. Tribe number three now has a nice section in the coop for their own.

 

[Mrs. K]

You might lift that fence a few inches off the ground, to allow the smaller birds to escape to their safety zone, but explore out with the older girls on their terms, not yours.

I recently added a single pullet - which is difficult to do... but she is in. What I noticed is my 14 month old Rooster tends to chase her off. She is not sexually mature, about 12 weeks old. So she comes around and he chases her off, but just a few feet. He is mature enough to know(?) that she in not ready.

Good luck, getting birds into an established flock can be tricky.

Mrs K

 

[Chebird]

You might lift that fence a few inches off the ground, to allow the smaller birds to escape to their safety zone, but explore out with the older girls on their terms, not yours.

I recently added a single pullet - which is difficult to do... but she is in. What I noticed is my 14 month old Rooster tends to chase her off. She is not sexually mature, about 12 weeks old. So she comes around and he chases her off, but just a few feet. He is mature enough to know(?) that she in not ready.

Good luck, getting birds into an established flock can be tricky.

Mrs K

Thank you for your reply! Where the little girls are is the safety zone. It is a flock of six, and five of them are the same size as my other pullets. The problem is the little Hamburg. She's so small compared to the others, and she was the one Boss cockerel was after. I don't want to separate that small flock so that when I do put everyone together, there will be more in that tribe. Putting the second tribe in with the first tribe went pretty well, but there were no cute little runts.