Rooster hurting Hens

[allosaurusrock]

Hello everyone! I really hope you can help me with this problem. I have a Black Australorp, who is an absolute gem to people, but evil to the hens. He is young, and I am aware that some go through a phase, but he is aggressive. After mating, (quite brutally) he will continue pecking the head and comb of the hens. My 8 week old chicks are small enough to escape, and when they got to where he was, my rooster picked one of them up by the scruff of the neck and shook her/him. He has left my speckled sussex with a gaping hole in the back of her head. He chases the girls around and doesn't give them a break. Is there any way to stop this behavior?

 

[limited25]

Put him in a pen by himself where they can all see each other but he cannot get to them.

 

[Pork Pie]

And do it for a long time - they can be nutters when they are young!

 

[allosaurusrock]

I have tried this.

 

[limited25]

Hello everyone! I really hope you can help me with this problem. I have a Black Australorp, who is an absolute gem to people, but evil to the hens. He is young, and I am aware that some go through a phase, but he is aggressive. After mating, (quite brutally) he will continue pecking the head and comb of the hens. My 8 week old chicks are small enough to escape, and when they got to where he was, my rooster picked one of them up by the scruff of the neck and shook her/him. He has left my speckled sussex with a gaping hole in the back of her head. He chases the girls around and doesn't give them a break. Is there any way to stop this behavior?

I understand, but his hormones are raging right now ... he is young and he needs to mature which will take a while. Separating him for a short time isn't long enough. I don't see a lot of options, other than rehoming him or separating him.

 

[aart]

I have tried this.

But for how long?
You might need to keep him separated for a couple months.

 

[allosaurusrock]

I will continue doing that! Thank's for your input! I just have to convince my family that keeping him separated isn't cruel.

 

[aart]

I will continue doing that! Thank's for your input! I just have to convince my family that keeping him separated isn't cruel.

The " gaping hole in the back of her head." isn't convincing enough evidence?!?!?!?

 

[thebulg]

Lesson i have recently learned the hard way: one rooster's suffering does not trump an entire flock's suffering. It's easy to not want to be cruel to him, but he is being cruel to everyone. You might be amazed at the behavior shift when the hens realize they are safe from him. Someone on here said to me :no rooster is better than the wrong rooster" and that is absolutely true. Keeping him separated for a few months might be painfully boring for him, but keeping him in with ladies could be traumatizing for them and possibly stress them enough to kill them or to destroy their entire social dynamic.

 

[TroyerGal]

Eat him.