Rooster Flock Thread

[The Farmers' Daughter]

Hi all

Thanks for this thread. As soon as I no longer need my grow out coop this fall, I'm moving my boys in. You have helped to ease my fears a lot.

2 of my boys had a fairly nasty encounter a few days ago. One was free ranging with his hens, the other was in a run with his girls. Thank goodness there was a welded wire fence between them, otherwise I'm sure one of them wouldn't be here any longer. Roos of this breed are infamous for fighting to the death if there are hens around.

If I have the roos in a completely separate building and run from the hens, about 100 yards away, do you think it would be beneficial to put up a visual block?

 

[TheTwoRoos]

It sounds like normal behavior.Chasing the hens and breeding them is quite normal.Rooster buddies will make things worse,depending on the age,it can be almost impossible to intergrate another rooster.You pretty much have to let them work through that stage,how old are all the birds?

 

[TheTwoRoos]

What are the

Hi all

Thanks for this thread. As soon as I no longer need my grow out coop this fall, I'm moving my boys in. You have helped to ease my fears a lot.

2 of my boys had a fairly nasty encounter a few days ago. One was free ranging with his hens, the other was in a run with his girls. Thank goodness there was a welded wire fence between them, otherwise I'm sure one of them wouldn't be here any longer. Roos of this breed are infamous for fighting to the death if there are hens around.

If I have the roos in a completely separate building and run from the hens, about 100 yards away, do you think it would be beneficial to put up a visual block?

breeds?

 

[The Farmers' Daughter]

Looking for suggestions @RoostersAreAwesome or anyone else. I have 5 hens and 1 roo, all turned a year old in April. The roo is a mixed breed, supposedly a black sex link. He started getting people aggressive in spring, and he was overmating the hens badly, even with hen saddles he’s tearing up their wings and backs of their heads. A week ago I finally separated him. I split their run and outdoor fenced area in half, so he can still see them most of the time. There’s just a wire fence between them. He has a separate coop where he now sleeps alone.

Since separating him, he has not shows an ounce of aggression to people. BUT he’s so unhappy. He makes a weird crying sound frequently during the day, he almost sounds like a duck. He’s not eating much at all. I hand feed him a few times a day. He paces the fence if he can’t see the hens well. I really don’t think he’s sick, but I know he’s stressed.

Feeling bad for him, I let him in with the hens and he instantly charged one and grabbed her, but she got away, then he immediately went for another one, who also got away. At that point I rounded him up and back to the separation area he went.

So I can either have 5 happy hens and a lonely rooster or 1 happy rooster and 5 bare, terrorized hens. I don’t want to give him away since I know he can be aggressive, and I don’t want him to be abused or mistreated even if someone did offer to take him. I can put up with his “bad” behavior since I still think he’s a good (but way too overprotective) boy but I hate seeing him so unhappy.

Any thoughts? Should I consider getting him some rooster friends to live with? My biggest fear is that it could make it worse. Then what to do with the additional roos?!? But I also feel status quo isn’t going well, not sure if time will change that since it’s only been a week. Thanks.

I've kind of got a similar situation here. One of my roos was getting way too overprotective of his girls (and the chicks in the brooding pen), and bit me 2 too many times. He's now in a time out. I'm hoping that he'll have to re-establish himself within the flock after a few weeks, and his aggression will subside. Either that, or he'll stay in the time out until I get the bachelor pad up and running.

 

[The Farmers' Daughter]

What are the

breeds?

Chanteclers

 

[TheTwoRoos]

How old are they

Chanteclers

 

[The Farmers' Daughter]

How old are they

One is about 16 months, the other 18 months.

 

[The Farmers' Daughter]

One is about 16 months, the other 18 months.

I also have a buckeye roo about 16 months.

 

[CannedMonster]

Looking for suggestions @RoostersAreAwesome or anyone else. I have 5 hens and 1 roo, all turned a year old in April. The roo is a mixed breed, supposedly a black sex link. He started getting people aggressive in spring, and he was overmating the hens badly, even with hen saddles he’s tearing up their wings and backs of their heads. A week ago I finally separated him. I split their run and outdoor fenced area in half, so he can still see them most of the time. There’s just a wire fence between them. He has a separate coop where he now sleeps alone.

Since separating him, he has not shows an ounce of aggression to people. BUT he’s so unhappy. He makes a weird crying sound frequently during the day, he almost sounds like a duck. He’s not eating much at all. I hand feed him a few times a day. He paces the fence if he can’t see the hens well. I really don’t think he’s sick, but I know he’s stressed.

Feeling bad for him, I let him in with the hens and he instantly charged one and grabbed her, but she got away, then he immediately went for another one, who also got away. At that point I rounded him up and back to the separation area he went.

So I can either have 5 happy hens and a lonely rooster or 1 happy rooster and 5 bare, terrorized hens. I don’t want to give him away since I know he can be aggressive, and I don’t want him to be abused or mistreated even if someone did offer to take him. I can put up with his “bad” behavior since I still think he’s a good (but way too overprotective) boy but I hate seeing him so unhappy.

Any thoughts? Should I consider getting him some rooster friends to live with? My biggest fear is that it could make it worse. Then what to do with the additional roos?!? But I also feel status quo isn’t going well, not sure if time will change that since it’s only been a week. Thanks.

DO NOT get another rooster.
They’ll beat the snot out of each other.
Roosters do better with other males if they were raised together.
Can you get more females?
Especially adult hens that are already laying.
Each male should have about 10 hens so they don’t get overmated.
Do you have room for 5 more girls?

 

[TheTwoRoos]

Have you ever let the roosters come in contact?Maybe consider mixing your flock if you have enough space,I would let the roosters have at it and monitor them,and if they continue Seperate them.If you end up Seperating then from your girls,a barrier will be necessary until they realize no girls are around.