Rooster drama

[lazy gardener]

Very true comments on the breed. I guess he should go. And the father of the other cockerel chicks I have is a really great rooster so probably better genes to keep in my flock.

It sounds like you have just talked your way through your own problem solving. IME, you've come to a good choice.

 

[aart]

If his brother was culled last week, the cockerel is under a lot of stress

Or finally got a competitor out of the way and is now going hogwild.

Very true comments on the breed. I guess he should go. And the father of the other cockerel chicks I have is a really great rooster so probably better genes to keep in my flock.

There ya go then!
Get rid of him now.
Hopefully one of the boychicks will pan out.

Maybe put him in the sick bay and the beaten bird back with the flock.
Wait, was she also picked on by the others birds, (think so, too lazy to scroll back)?

 

[robyn8]

Ah...a missing piece.

If his brother was culled last week, the cockerel is under a lot of stress (missing his brother, trying to prove his value, scared, etc).

There's always an adjustment period after flock membership changes.

Please give him some time to settle down. He's missing his brother and scared he may just disappear too, if he can't prove himself.

I must have missed this - but what is the goal with the breeding? To sell the chicks? For the eggs? For the meat?

I have two goals - eggs and meat. So it's not going to matter too much to me what the new chicks are. They are either egg layers or meat.

The goal with the breeding is that I have hens who like to go broody and I think its easier and more fun to let them brood versus trying to break them. We will eat the extras so not a huge problem if we can't find them homes. I just want my animals to be as happy as they can be while under my care.

 

[robyn8]

It sounds like you have just talked your way through your own problem solving. IME, you've come to a good choice.

Thank you! I always struggle with these decisions!

 

[robyn8]

Or finally got a competitor out of the way and is now going hogwild.



There ya go then!
Get rid of him now.
Hopefully one of the boychicks will pan out.

Maybe put him in the sick bay and the beaten bird back with the flock.
Wait, was she also picked on by the others birds, (think so, too lazy to scroll back)?

She was pecked by another hen when that other hen had chicks. They normally get alone fine. She's still in the cage on the coop. I think I'll give her a few more days as I found more wounds I hadn't noticed initially. The cockerel is scheduled for termination this week. We're going out of town and I don't want our neighbor to have to deal with more potential injuries.

 

[Sara Ranch]

Tough decisions. *hugs* I am glad you worked through it all.

I am totally with you about the chickens being happy.

 

[robyn8]

Hi, me again, lol! I have more questions for you smart folks! So we were sort of giving the roo another chance. We've had injured hen in a cage in coop all week. The roo has been fine with all the others and doing a good job warning them of hawks so we thought we'd let him stay for a while. I just tried to let injured hen out and who I thought was my second highest hen tried going after her and injured hen just felt flat and didn't fight her off. I got the other hen off let injured girl calm down then tried again and the roo kept making a bee line for her. I kept chasing him off but when he finally got her she went flat again and he started to peck and push her down. I got him off and put her back in her cage.

So what to do now? Seems like roo and this one hen have it out for the injured one. The hen that was going after her is one that also went after her when she had chicks but after she weaned them they seemed fine together. Do you think things will settle down if we remove the roo like we originallt planned to?

 

[Sara Ranch]

It sounds like the other hen moved up in the pecking order and definitely didn't want the injured hen to return to be the "fav" again.

I don't think removing the rooster will stop the second hand from being mean to the injured hen. However, things may settle down again.

I am blessed that I have the space that I could move chickens around a bit. (I've done that - removed a rooster and his two girlfriends because they became bullies to the coop-mates. Those three were put in a senior flock and have totally mellowed out. Their previous flock is getting along very happily without them there.)

Don't know your big picture, end game goal. Would you consider culling the mean hen as well as the rooster if she continued to pick on the injured hen?

 

[Stephine]

Good sound bite, but provides no insight into behaviors that are likely a function of unnatural social structures imposed out of convenience.

I agree with centrarchid. Yes, there are lots of roosters in feed stores, but they might be there for bad behavior - one of mine certainly went that route.
Have a little patience. I know it is tricky. If you pen the roo, the big hens will feel like they are on top again and they will have to learn they are not all over when you let the roo join them again. When you pen the hen, the roo will see her as more of an outsider and if he already has an issue with her that will not make it better.
I would make sure the hen can get away. Simple hiding spots, no dead ends, multiple drinkers, multiple feeders. Put Rooster Booster’s Pick No More on her wounds, so they don’t attracked attention. Keep a close eye.
I have a new roo that for some reason wnats one of my hens gone, and that is what I am doing. So far so good.
If he keeps injuring her I would either separate the rooster until mature or, if you can’t make that work (or don’t want to make a rooster really unhappy), give this one to a feed store and wait for your little ones to grow up. If you want to keep more than one, you’ll probably have to keep them separate from the flock until they are mature and you know more about their personalities, too.
Good Luck!

 

[robyn8]

It sounds like the other hen moved up in the pecking order and definitely didn't want the injured hen to return to be the "fav" again.

I don't think removing the rooster will stop the second hand from being mean to the injured hen. However, things may settle down again.

I am blessed that I have the space that I could move chickens around a bit. (I've done that - removed a rooster and his two girlfriends because they became bullies to the coop-mates. Those three were put in a senior flock and have totally mellowed out. Their previous flock is getting along very happily without them there.)

Don't know your big picture, end game goal. Would you consider culling the mean hen as well as the rooster if she continued to pick on the injured hen?

The mean hen is normally my favorite. The one most people friendly and a wonderful mother so I really don't want to get rid of her. I don't mind culling the rooster if need be...I know I will have to cull either him or my young ones but I was thinking if he could get along till I know how the youngest will turn out I don't mind keeping him and letting him help protect my ladies.