Rooster bloody tail, being pecked, feathers broken off

[Wyorp Rock]

So Billy went to the vet, was way beyond a perfect gentleman while there and everyone fell in love with him. He had been attacked at the gland opening he pulls the oil from to preen himself. She thinks he might have just pulled a small feather sideways, it drew the attention of my most assertive hen, and once she began working at it the blood drew everyone else. The good news was he had zero infection and the wound looked good (thanks to everyone here who gave such great advice!). He was given pain meds for 3 days and she said he won't have any problem healing, all the shafts sticking out were broken but would grow back, they weren't the kind that keep bleeding. The downside is she does not believe he will ever be able to live with this group of hens again since they have already gone after him. He went back in his infirmary box but we are putting together yet ANOTHER coop to see if he and the terrorist hen would be able to live together in harmony. If not, this practice is so outstanding that they found me two different people who will rehome roosters or hens if requested. Wow! I will let you know how Billy and the terrorist do...

Glad you were able to have him checked out!

He is still very young. Keeping him in another coop until he matures would be a good idea. I would try him with the pullets when he get to be about 9-12months of age, if he can't hold his own with the girls at that age, he never will.

 

[minaayindra]

Glad you were able to have him checked out!

He is still very young. Keeping him in another coop until he matures would be a good idea. I would try him with the pullets when he get to be about 9-12months of age, if he can't hold his own with the girls at that age, he never will.

Thanks- I have no intention on giving up on him and I think you might be right. He is twice the size of every other hen here and I can’t fathom why he would allow them to tear him up again. His fly-by-night coop setup starts tomorrow so we will see.

 

[minaayindra]

The alternate coop was too unsafe from predators so I tried him in general population again, first day just to go outside with them, yesterday let him stay open in the coop. Everything seemed to be alright until my husband picked him up to check out the healing area- he said the hens all looked like a light bulb went off and they immediately started picking at the area again. Poor Billy, he is back in his kennel for the foreseeable future. I will see what happens when the now coop arrives but will have to rehome if the increased space doesn't make any difference.

 

[minaayindra]

Now they are apparently pecking his feet because he has blood running every time he goes outside with them. I don't see them doing it, unlike the tail, so I'm not sure what is happening. If I have to keep him separated until he is older and can take care of himself, it will have to be. I think he would be okay in a coop by himself for a few more months, and maybe a single hen would be willing to keep him company without pecking. All I really want to do is get him out of the stupid kennel!

 

[Wyorp Rock]

Now they are apparently pecking his feet because he has blood running every time he goes outside with them. I don't see them doing it, unlike the tail, so I'm not sure what is happening. If I have to keep him separated until he is older and can take care of himself, it will have to be. I think he would be okay in a coop by himself for a few more months, and maybe a single hen would be willing to keep him company without pecking. All I really want to do is get him out of the stupid kennel!

Can you get some photos of his feet showing the leg scales and broken/bleeding feathers?
If they are picking at him that much, then you have no choice but to keep him separated.
I would watch to make sure he's not picking at his own feet just in case too.

 

[minaayindra]

Wow, I never thought that he might be doing it! I will get some photos as soon as he lets me. Yestersay Billy suddenly decided I was Satan's spawn and went after me numerous times. He finally gave me a break when I misted him by his face but he is not too thrilled with me now.

 

[minaayindra]

Billy can no longer be free with the hens, they simply won't stop hurting him. He has also become an aggressive mater, who grabs the combs on the hen's heads as often as he gets the back of their necks; one is so scared of him that she wants to stay inside if she sees him outside.

Sooooo- I now have the options of putting him in his own separate coop where he can hear the hens but not mingle, or re-homing him in an open environment (no closed coop) on a farm with high predation rates. He still attacks me but I think part of that is his frustration with being caged up most of the time; it does not, however, make the experience any more pleasant.

If anyone has rooster expertise, do you know if roosters can survive well without having their own flock of hens and living alone? He would have his very own coop so that's a plus but I've also heard chickens can die of loneliness if they don't have others living with them. He would still get out on his own and he would be able to see the hens walk by his coop but that would be his sole contact. This has been one of my most frustrating animal experiences!

 

[Wyorp Rock]

Billy can no longer be free with the hens, they simply won't stop hurting him. He has also become an aggressive mater, who grabs the combs on the hen's heads as often as he gets the back of their necks; one is so scared of him that she wants to stay inside if she sees him outside.

Sooooo- I now have the options of putting him in his own separate coop where he can hear the hens but not mingle, or re-homing him in an open environment (no closed coop) on a farm with high predation rates. He still attacks me but I think part of that is his frustration with being caged up most of the time; it does not, however, make the experience any more pleasant.

If anyone has rooster expertise, do you know if roosters can survive well without having their own flock of hens and living alone? He would have his very own coop so that's a plus but I've also heard chickens can die of loneliness if they don't have others living with them. He would still get out on his own and he would be able to see the hens walk by his coop but that would be his sole contact. This has been one of my most frustrating animal experiences!

Roosters can live alone, but I would make sure he's got some space. Maybe when the hens/pullets are in their run, turn him loose for a while so he can roam around a bit. I had 1 cockerel that would beat up a certain hen every time he could get close, I hoped he would "grow out" of it, but sadly, he didn't. I kept him in his own housing next to the hens and during the day he was allowed to roam around the outside of the coop/run (inside an electric fence/when I was home) during the day since I keep the hens penned too. I tried several different times to reintroduce him with the hens (even after he was well over a year old) but he would go directly for that particular hen (my very best egg layer). I eventually culled him, but he was fine by himself.

All that said, you have some decisions to make - yours is already attacking you, unless you change behavior, he may get worse. Think about how you are approaching him. Do you hand feed him, is he attacking when you bring food or goes for you every chance he gets? Frustration is not why he's attacking, imho.
Going to a farm where he can free range is an option - even with high predation, some roosters thrive. You never know. Bottom line is to think about WHY you want/need a rooster, does he serve a purpose and/or fit into your chicken keeping goals?

 

[minaayindra]

It wasn’t a case of want, he just happened out of a straight run of chicks. He isn’t necessary for anything, I just got attached to him from hand-raising him. He treats the hens beautifully except for being aggressive when he mates because he has a poor sense of aim for the hen’s neck. As far as when he has started going after me, it is always when I come close to the coop and the hens are outside. He dances around me inside the coop but he hasn’t bothered me. I guess I will try keeping him in a coop of his own and just supervise him to go outside every day for a short period. No hens, no threat (hopefully). If that doesn’t work, it’s very encouraging to hear that some roosters do well in a free-range situation. He is a very large bird so maybe he would be less tempting to try to kill!

 

[minaayindra]

Billy did great when I let him out alone and he didn’t feel he needed to protect the hens from my obviously murderous intentions! The hens came out alone and they were thrilled to not be jumped on- so it looks like Billy will remain a solitary bachelor for the remainder of his time here. I hope the solution was just this simple.