Rooster hurting hens

[oldhenlikesdogs]

View attachment 1211023 I have a rooster he is about 3 1/2 months old he just started trying to jump on the hens older and his sister's and his momma. This is the second day now I noticed and one of the older hens that was chasing him away from food the other day is now running like heck from him he is chasing her all around the yard and it was time I lock the coop up and all my girls were in accept the one he was chasing I found her under my wheel barrel. That bothered me I will not tolerate this if he picks on her again tomorrow it will be time for him to go. He is young any feedback on this? I will post a picture of himView attachment 1211023

I have zero problems with human aggression in my roosters, so I judge mine solely on behaviors towards the hens. We just butchered one for pecking hens in the head. The other one that was doing it is in a pen for now as that was the first offense for him. One other young rooster has been kind and respectful to his pullets. He's a keeper. Yours would be going in the freezer here. I don't tolerate that behavior. A rooster should be smart enough to know how to treat the girls.

 

[bobbi-j]

View attachment 1211023 I have a rooster he is about 3 1/2 months old he just started trying to jump on the hens older and his sister's and his momma. This is the second day now I noticed and one of the older hens that was chasing him away from food the other day is now running like heck from him he is chasing her all around the yard and it was time I lock the coop up and all my girls were in accept the one he was chasing I found her under my wheel barrel. That bothered me I will not tolerate this if he picks on her again tomorrow it will be time for him to go. He is young any feedback on this? I will post a picture of himView attachment 1211023

Your rooster is actually a cockerel and is full of raging hormones that are telling him to "breed, breed, breed"! Your older hens aren't accepting him because he's just a punk and they're waiting for him to earn their respect (which he may do as he matures). If you have pullets around the same age, they're likely rejecting him because they're not as sexually mature as he is. Since he's young, if you want to keep him, you could put him in a separate pen from the hens/pullets until he matures more. How many chickens do you have, and how much space do you have them in? It may help if they can get out and free range, or if they have more coop/run space to avoid him.

 

[Mrs. K]

To the original poster - I would pull the hen out and watch the flock, see how it goes for several days. If the flock is peaceful, then that is how I would leave it. If that rooster finds some other bird to terrorize, then he would be culled.

To the poster with the young cockerel, separating him, might work, try it. Again, solve for the peace of the flock. Some birds do not fit in a flock for what ever reason, and cause a lot of strife.

Mrs K

 

[Greekwuzhere]

Your rooster is actually a cockerel and is full of raging hormones that are telling him to "breed, breed, breed"! Your older hens aren't accepting him because he's just a punk and they're waiting for him to earn their respect (which he may do as he matures). If you have pullets around the same age, they're likely rejecting him because they're not as sexually mature as he is. Since he's young, if you want to keep him, you could put him in a separate pen from the hens/pullets until he matures more. How many chickens do you have, and how much space do you have them in? It may help if they can get out and free range, or if they have more coop/run space to avoid him.

Your rooster is actually a cockerel and is full of raging hormones that are telling him to "breed, breed, breed"! Your older hens aren't accepting him because he's just a punk and they're waiting for him to earn their respect (which he may do as he matures). If you have pullets around the same age, they're likely rejecting him because they're not as sexually mature as he is. Since he's young, if you want to keep him, you could put him in a separate pen from the hens/pullets until he matures more. How many chickens do you have, and how much space do you have them in? It may help if they can get out and free range, or if they have more coop/run space to avoid him.

My coop is ok and has two sides one for the rooster and the his sister's and one side for momma and the mature hens. I let them out every day to run the back yard and in the evening they put themselves to bed and I lock up till morning. I have six mature hens and the rooster has six sister's.

 

[Peeps61]

It could also be that that particular hen is his "favorite". Roosters do have favorites that they like to breed more frequently than the other hens. If this is the case, a saddle might work to protect her.

No - it's not that - he's trying to kill her. They jump on the hen, spurring and pecking. I had a rooster that did that to one of my BSL hens - she was so traumatized, she wouldn't even come out of the coop. I still have her, and the rooster is gone. End of story.