Hey, I have a 1 yr old Hen and a 6 month old Rooster. While in the coop they both started fighting. They had their neck feathers out and they were flying and clawing each other. I separated them for a bit, but the hen was bleeding from a scratch by her eye. Is this normal for a rooster? Will he stop it or will I have to get rid of him?
It's normal for a cockerel that age and a grown hen to fight. He wants to mate with her but she will not let him until he demonstrates his fitness by winning the fights, and it can take a cockerel a while to do that and establish his dominance. If he is harming her or drawing blood, it is a good idea to separate them for a while. But it prolongs the fighting.
Sometimes it is best to introduce cockerels when they are older, to avoid all of this, since an older cockerel or rooster will assert himself without much fuss from the hens. Could you maybe keep them in the same area but put the male in a crate for a while? Or maybe make a little separate area with wire for him?
Sometimes it is best to introduce cockerels when they are older, to avoid all of this, since an older cockerel or rooster will assert himself without much fuss from the hens. Could you maybe keep them in the same area but put the male in a crate for a while? Or maybe make a little separate area with wire for him?
How long have you had this cockerel...was he raised in the flock or brought in recently?
More info about your flock(numbers, ages, genders), your coop(size in feet by feet with pics), might help garner suggestions.
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