Rooster condo for overly zealous rooster

[Dandelion_Hen]

We have a 4 hens, (1 recently passed away from her crossbeak deformity) and 1 rooster. We had never planned on a rooster, we only wanted 6 laying hens. However, my husband and I love our rooster and all the noises he makes and his beautiful looks. Our hens and rooster are currently in a large covered run with attached hen house. Now that spring is here the rooster is really mating with the hens and two of the hens have been loosing a lot of feathers and have small bald spots forming. I put the hen saddles on but one of the wild hens already got hers off. I want my hens to be happy and safe, I realize he doesn’t have enough hens to go around. Has anyone ever made a rooster condo next to their hen house? Would he be happy living on his own during the mating season where he is next to the hen house and run and can see them, but he can’t mate with them? We’d really enjoy keeping him, he’s like a pet we never knew we wanted haha. Most people are trying to get rid of their rooster but ours is really fun! More hens is an option but it would take some time to get to that point. Any ideas anyone might have would be much appreciated! We are pretty new to the chicken world. Thank you!

 

[aart]

Keep him separated until later in the spring.
Do you actually have space for more girls?
Keep in mind that adding more females doesn't always solve the problem,
and integration can be tricky and time consuming.

 

[Ridgerunner]

How old are they? Are they immature pullets and an immature cockerel going through puberty or mature adults? Immature juveniles often behave differently than mature adults.

So what are your options? Obviously getting rid of him (eat or rehome) would solve the problem but you've already said you don't want to do that.

You could keep going as you are. Some feather loss during mating is normal but bare spots are dangerous. So do a better job of keeping that apron on her.

You could isolate the two with feather loss and see how he does with the other two. When I had this type of problem there was something wrong with the girls. It was not the boy. The other two may be fine with hm. You never know until you try.

You can isolate the boy. Will he be happy? Probably not, but would you rather he be dead or gone?

If they are juveniles there is a chance the problem will go away when they actually mature. Finding a way to keep those girls safe for a few months may solve your problem.

The last thing I'd do is add more to try to solve this problem. In my experience it is not likely to help and you add all the drama of integration. If you want more girls by all means go for it, but do it because you want more anyway, not because you think it will solve this problem.

I'm sure my goals and set-up are different from yours but I agree with Aart. Separate him for a while, it could solve your problem, especially if they are juveniles. Even if they are mature, hormones could calm down some later on but this sounds a lot like a juvenile problem.

Good luck!

 

[Cecisflock]

How old are they? Are they immature pullets and an immature cockerel going through puberty or mature adults? Immature juveniles often behave differently than mature adults.

So what are your options? Obviously getting rid of him (eat or rehome) would solve the problem but you've already said you don't want to do that.

You could keep going as you are. Some feather loss during mating is normal but bare spots are dangerous. So do a better job of keeping that apron on her.

You could isolate the two with feather loss and see how he does with the other two. When I had this type of problem there was something wrong with the girls. It was not the boy. The other two may be fine with hm. You never know until you try.

You can isolate the boy. Will he be happy? Probably not, but would you rather he be dead or gone?

If they are juveniles there is a chance the problem will go away when they actually mature. Finding a way to keep those girls safe for a few months may solve your problem.

The last thing I'd do is add more to try to solve this problem. In my experience it is not likely to help and you add all the drama of integration. If you want more girls by all means go for it, but do it because you want more anyway, not because you think it will solve this problem.

I'm sure my goals and set-up are different from yours but I agree with Aart. Separate him for a while, it could solve your problem, especially if they are juveniles. Even if they are mature, hormones could calm down some later on but this sounds a lot like a juvenile problem.

Good luck!

x2 for sure

 

[Dandelion_Hen]

How old are they? Are they immature pullets and an immature cockerel going through puberty or mature adults? Immature juveniles often behave differently than mature adults.

So what are your options? Obviously getting rid of him (eat or rehome) would solve the problem but you've already said you don't want to do that.

You could keep going as you are. Some feather loss during mating is normal but bare spots are dangerous. So do a better job of keeping that apron on her.

You could isolate the two with feather loss and see how he does with the other two. When I had this type of problem there was something wrong with the girls. It was not the boy. The other two may be fine with hm. You never know until you try.

You can isolate the boy. Will he be happy? Probably not, but would you rather he be dead or gone?

If they are juveniles there is a chance the problem will go away when they actually mature. Finding a way to keep those girls safe for a few months may solve your problem.

The last thing I'd do is add more to try to solve this problem. In my experience it is not likely to help and you add all the drama of integration. If you want more girls by all means go for it, but do it because you want more anyway, not because you think it will solve this problem.

I'm sure my goals and set-up are different from yours but I agree with Aart. Separate him for a while, it could solve your problem, especially if they are juveniles. Even if they are mature, hormones could calm down some later on but this sounds a lot like a juvenile problem.

Good luck!

Thank you all for your suggestions, I really appreciate it. They are all juveniles so I like your idea of trying to separate them especially if we can’t keep those aprons on. I want everyone to be safe.

I was thinking of adding more hens but this is a long term plan so maybe next year, nothing right now.