Rooster grabbing hens neck feathers?

[The Golden Egg5]

I know this is probably normal, but I just want to make sure. I have 2 roosters and 20 hens. One rooster in particular will just out of the blue grab a hen and hold on. She squawks and tries to get away, while he just holds on. I feel so bad for her every time. Is he just trying to figure out how to mate? They are 16 weeks old.

 

[eggbert420]

Its what they do.

 

[clembone]

Some roosters are jerks. If I cannot stand the treatment, I turn them into soup. Chicken sex is their own thing, and I try not to be judgemental about it. Blood, torn out feathers, screaming --- it does not have to be that way. Find a rooster who is OK. In the 22 years I have kept chickens in the back yard, several overly aggressive troublemakers have met Mr. Knife. Back yard chickens should be rewarding. If the rooster does not promote harmony and causes injury to the ladies, he is a goner.

 

[The Golden Egg5]

I have read that once the hens start to lay that will be more ok with it. Is that true? I love these boys and I don't want to get rid of them they haven't even attempted to mount yet, only grab the feathers. I hope they settle down.

 

[Hensndoes]

They will get better at it. Your girls are still pullets and haven't figured it out yet. If the roosters are the same age they are cockerels and haven't quiet figured out the finess yet.

 

[The Golden Egg5]

Thank you I sure hope thay get better at it. They are all 16 weeks old.

 

[HenOnAJuneBug]

Some of my hens squat when they see mr rooster with that gleam in his eye (and have to endure maybe 2 seconds of humiliation), others resist and get the rough treatment. I even saw one grab a hen by the wing. I called him a knucklehead and yelled at him to stop (which he did). I keep telling them that they will catch more flies with sugar than with vinegar.

 

[clembone]

Squawking and flapping is pretty normal. Clumsy youngster actions are pretty normal. I have put up with some feather pulling if the hens are OK with it. But too much screaming and much in the way of blood, and that is the end of that Romeo. If the hens can get away, that makes a big difference. You could pen up the roosters for a month or two to let them mature, if it gets bad.

Having a good rooster around who knows how to keep the hens happy is a cool thing. Having the hens seek the rooster out and line up for service from a gentlemanly fellow in quiet is far better than the chasing and violence and screams and flying feathers a mean guy can bring to the flock. I do not need that.

I had three roosters for several years that had a good pattern worked out. The alpha crowed all of the time. He had 7 to 10 girlfriends. The beta could not help himself and crowed pretty often, bringing down the wrath of the alpha. He always had at least 2 or 3 girlfriends. Number 3 had no girlfriends, officially. He stayed quietly in the woods, waiting for the women to come to him, which they did often, but carefully on the sly when no one was watching. Since the alpha and the beta watched each other all of the time and ignored him, he had a pretty good life in the hoochie coochie department. He kept his action real quiet and smooth. It balanced out well. I judge the flock by how happy the hens are. If they are not happy, I change things until they are. If a rooster has to go, then off with him.

 

[The Golden Egg5]

Thank you for the replies. I will keep an eye on them and once they start laying I will see if things settle down and see what to do from there. the cockerels don't seem to want to hurt the girls. I will give them a bit of time to figure things out before sending them off to camp.

 

[clembone]

"Off to Rooster Island, where all the mean Roosters go to get nice. That's where he went. He is not coming back. He is happier there."