Rooster hates old hen

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WhyDoILikeChickens said:
New here (officially).
I had 7 hens and in 1 weekend I lost 5.
Now I have 1 old hen. Recently received 11 chicks 1 of which is Roo. Took a while for the mean ole hen to stop picking on the younglings. I knew the day would come when Rooster went for his place in pecking order. Old hen was beat up pretty bad even looked like he pulled a bit of her comb off. Today I let her out and putting her back in the run she ran and hid (uncharacteristically). Then Rooster went after her tearing feathers out the back of her neck. She ran to her coop and he didn't bother her anymore. He isn't violent to any of the others.
Any ideas or wisdom to stop his aggression to her? She stopped laying 5 months ago and if I was a farmer solution would be simple (soup) but I've been treating her like a pet and daughter likes her.
Thanks
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Keep an eye on that and maybe you will have to separate her and make her truly a pet! I had that happen in my flock, one of my pullets was friends with another pullet and then for some reason she started picking on her really bad. I thought to myself she shouldn’t be doing that because she is half blind and the other chicken is going to get a lot bigger than her later on and she won’t forget being picked on so badly, Well I was right and one day the other chicken turned on her and would go out of her way to attack her! One day I saw my little half blind chicken come running out of the run and the other chicken was straight after her full speed and barrel rolled right over her! Pretty much from that day on, my half blind chicken was always having to hide from the other one! I guess that’s what happens when you are a bully! About six months later the other chicken died, so I guess my little half blind chicken lucked out!
 
I'd pull the cockerel out of the mix, temporarily. Put him in a dog crate in a location that he's seen and heard by the flock, but he absolutely cannot touch them. Three days to a week ought to give him a proper attitude adjustment. Your hen is not the problem, the cock is asserting his dominance and it's fueled by his adolescent raging hormones.
 
WhyDoILikeChickens said:
22 weeks or something like that. Born aug 3
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OK, so he’s a cockerel, just coming into sexual maturity. Full of raging hormones, not a mature rooster. I’d separate him from the flock for a few months and let him settle down a bit. It doesn’t have to be fancy - just a chicken wire partition in the coop would work (if your coop is big enough).

I agree with Sourland that he’s probably seeing her as competition for flock leader. I also think chances are slim that she will submit to him until he matures and earns his place as flock leader.
 
I've seen something similar to this before, though the cockerel was older and there were several hens. The rest of the hens would submit to the cockerel but the dominant hen would not. It was her flock, she was dominant, and she would knock him off if he mounted a hen where she could see him.

Then one day he matured to the point where he was not going to take it any more. Instead of running away when she knocked him off he fought back. He was bigger than her so she ran away. For two days he would attack her without provocation, mainly trying to peck her head, not trying to mate with her. After two days she gave up and submitted to him, accepted him as flock master instead of trying to keep the position for herself. After that they became best buddies.

Your situation is different since there are no other older hens. 22 weeks is pretty young for a cockerel to stand up to a mature hen. I've seen a couple that age that could do it but 7 months is more typical. The one I was talking about above was 11 months old, the oldest of any I've had when they took over. From what I've seen the hen's attitude has a lot to do with how this works out. Most of my dominant hens don't put up much of a fight.

So what can you do? I agree that she is at some risk.

You could let it go and hope they work it out before either gets hurt. A common thought on other integrations is to let them work it out unless you see blood.

You can separate him until he matures more. She might be more willing to accept an older more mature rooster. Maybe.

You can separate her entirely from the flock for a week or so. That might knock her down so she no longer automatically thinks she is the dominant chicken. I've had some success in changing behaviors by separation, but I have not tried it in this situation. It doesn't always work.

I don't know what the right answer is for you. When I was faced with something like this I just let them work it out. But I certainly cannot guarantee that it will work out for you. For it to be peaceful she has to submit to him. I don't now how willing she may be to do that now or later.
 
bobbi-j said:
OK, so he’s a cockerel, just coming into sexual maturity. Full of raging hormones, not a mature rooster. I’d separate him from the flock for a few months and let him settle down a bit. It doesn’t have to be fancy - just a chicken wire partition in the coop would work (if your coop is big enough).

I agree with Sourland that he’s probably seeing her as competition for flock leader. I also think chances are slim that she will submit to him until he matures and earns his place as flock leader.
Click to expand...

The old hen I believe submitted to him.
Ridgerunner said:
I've seen something similar to this before, though the cockerel was older and there were several hens. The rest of the hens would submit to the cockerel but the dominant hen would not. It was her flock, she was dominant, and she would knock him off if he mounted a hen where she could see him.

Then one day he matured to the point where he was not going to take it any more. Instead of running away when she knocked him off he fought back. He was bigger than her so she ran away. For two days he would attack her without provocation, mainly trying to peck her head, not trying to mate with her. After two days she gave up and submitted to him, accepted him as flock master instead of trying to keep the position for herself. After that they became best buddies.

Your situation is different since there are no other older hens. 22 weeks is pretty young for a cockerel to stand up to a mature hen. I've seen a couple that age that could do it but 7 months is more typical. The one I was talking about above was 11 months old, the oldest of any I've had when they took over. From what I've seen the hen's attitude has a lot to do with how this works out. Most of my dominant hens don't put up much of a fight.

So what can you do? I agree that she is at some risk.

You could let it go and hope they work it out before either gets hurt. A common thought on other integrations is to let them work it out unless you see blood.

You can separate him until he matures more. She might be more willing to accept an older more mature rooster. Maybe.

You can separate her entirely from the flock for a week or so. That might knock her down so she no longer automatically thinks she is the dominant chicken. I've had some success in changing behaviors by separation, but I have not tried it in this situation. It doesn't always work.

I don't know what the right answer is for you. When I was faced with something like this I just let them work it out. But I certainly cannot guarantee that it will work out for you. For it to be peaceful she has to submit to him. I don't now how willing she may be to do that now or later.
Click to expand...

Thanks for the info. She has submitted to him since their first cage match. Now she just stays in her own coop so I bring her food there. He definitely drew blood more than once. I will most likely try to separate her (officially) first because I do have some predators and
20191226_131237.jpg
the reason I ordered a rooster is to protect his flock.
When they were smaller the old girl was definitely dominant to the other hens and downright mean to him, roles reversed.
He doesn't match her for weight but he is bigger.
 

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