Yesterday I brought home four pullets to live with my formerly solo rooster, named Jamal. Jamal is almost five months old, and all of the pullets are four months old, and they are mostly of similar size, minus the Ameraucana who is a good bit smaller than Jamal.
I expected him to immediately start mating the pullets like crazy. He's a teenager, obviously full of raging hormones, I get it. He seems to be taking it a little too far, and the pullets are terrified and injured.
I brought them home yesterday afternoon. They got on the roosting poles and stayed there, with Jamal pacing the ground underneath them. Every time they tried to jump down, he'd immediately jump on them and they'd scream bloody murder. I left them alone and figured he'd work it out of his system or the pullets would get used to him.
They co-existed through the night and shared the roosts. This morning, I went out to see them before I went to work. The four pullets were still on the roosts, and Jamal was pacing the ground underneath them. I saw no new poop anywhere else in the coop and the girls' crops were empty, which I thought was odd since this was around 11AM and they should have eaten by then.
After I got home from work I went out again. The pullets were still on the pole and they still had not eaten. Jamal was still pacing beneath them. I put them on the ground myself and stood by so that maybe they'd eat and I would keep Jamal at bay if needed. He jumped back on them, one after the other, and I could barely kick him away long enough to help anyone. He's made nearly bald spots on all four, their combs are bleeding, two of them have cuts on their feet from him mounting them, and one of them has what looked like a gash on her back, but she wouldn't let me see it.
I've been raising chickens for six years and have had roosters the entire time, and I've never seen anything like this. I know roosters get excited over new girls, and I know teenage roosters are a little excessive, but they're so scared of him they're not eating. They were already skin and bones when I got them yesterday and it's serious enough that they could die if they can't gain some weight.
I removed Jamal and put him in a dog crate nearby. As soon as I did, they started eating like crazy.
I know this is only day two of this new flock, but so far it's going horribly. What am I supposed to do here? Let them sort it out? Or will the hens starve/continue to get hurt? I do not believe in killing my own roosters, so am I looking at re-homing as an option?
I expected him to immediately start mating the pullets like crazy. He's a teenager, obviously full of raging hormones, I get it. He seems to be taking it a little too far, and the pullets are terrified and injured.
I brought them home yesterday afternoon. They got on the roosting poles and stayed there, with Jamal pacing the ground underneath them. Every time they tried to jump down, he'd immediately jump on them and they'd scream bloody murder. I left them alone and figured he'd work it out of his system or the pullets would get used to him.
They co-existed through the night and shared the roosts. This morning, I went out to see them before I went to work. The four pullets were still on the roosts, and Jamal was pacing the ground underneath them. I saw no new poop anywhere else in the coop and the girls' crops were empty, which I thought was odd since this was around 11AM and they should have eaten by then.
After I got home from work I went out again. The pullets were still on the pole and they still had not eaten. Jamal was still pacing beneath them. I put them on the ground myself and stood by so that maybe they'd eat and I would keep Jamal at bay if needed. He jumped back on them, one after the other, and I could barely kick him away long enough to help anyone. He's made nearly bald spots on all four, their combs are bleeding, two of them have cuts on their feet from him mounting them, and one of them has what looked like a gash on her back, but she wouldn't let me see it.
I've been raising chickens for six years and have had roosters the entire time, and I've never seen anything like this. I know roosters get excited over new girls, and I know teenage roosters are a little excessive, but they're so scared of him they're not eating. They were already skin and bones when I got them yesterday and it's serious enough that they could die if they can't gain some weight.
I removed Jamal and put him in a dog crate nearby. As soon as I did, they started eating like crazy.
I know this is only day two of this new flock, but so far it's going horribly. What am I supposed to do here? Let them sort it out? Or will the hens starve/continue to get hurt? I do not believe in killing my own roosters, so am I looking at re-homing as an option?