Rooster Issue

[smk2010]

I have a year old mixed breed rooster who is basically a pet whom I do not want to get rid of. The problem is that he is overly aggressive to my hens and is just tearing them apart. It's to the point now that if they see him they tuck tail and take off running the other direction. The rooster will chase them down then aggressively have his way with them. Many of the hens backs are all bald and raw. I keep him separated most of the time and turn him out during the day and the hens out in the evenings but it's getting more difficult to pen him up each evening. I use to be able to just open the door of his pen and he'd jump in - now he runs the other direction and is getting very hard to catch. I really do not want to get rid of him for fear he will end up in a stew pot, but I hate having to keep switching him out with the hens too. I also feel sorry for him always having to be alone. Will he eventually settle down? Can I have his spurs and claws removed or trimmed? I thought about castration but from my understanding that is easier said than done and often kills the rooster.

Any help will be greatly appreciated!!
Thank You!!!

 

[roosters4sale]

Hi . Leave the rooster with the hens all the time ,this will cut down on sexual frustration . Also if you can introduce more hens to the flock this will occupy him more and will also cut down on it. A very veral rooster can handle up to 12 hens . 10 is a good average though.

 

[Chickenaddict]

You could try chicken saddles on the girls, taking the spurs off, and trimming toe nails and the beak a bit couldn't hurt either. Do a search on spur trimming and you should find good info on how to do it. I just trim them with a dog nail clipper every so often along with regular pedicures for a flock of 45 lol

 

[smk2010]

I had been leaving him to free range with my 15 hens for the first year but he seems to like just 5 of them and was going after those 5 all day long since he reached rooster puberty. Those 5 hens have been bald all summer and have been unable to re-grow their back feathers which is why I started separating him. I tried reintroducing him with them for a couple of weeks but he was worse than ever and only got more aggressive as time passed rather than letting up. At this point, with winter coming, I really do not want the hens to lose any more feathers...Nor do I want to leave him out in the cold all by himself all winter.

 

[NHchicks]

As much as you love your rooster, you may have to think about your hens too. I wonder if adding another rooster would keep him in line more? Sounds like he needs a little tutoring from an alpha rooster or a very mean hen. But if it were me, and it's just me, I'd pass him along to another home because I don't like to see my hens suffer that much.

 

[smk2010]

Sadly I may have no choice soon.

 

[teach1rusl]

I have to agree with NHchick...my hens are my priority. After all, they're the productive ones. However, saddles would help your hens who are being abused. Look under the auctions section...they are sold there and are reasonably priced.
Also, you could try penning the abused hens up by themselves for a while (giving their feathers a chance to recover) and allowing the rooster only with the other hens. Maybe the ones he's going after are the most submissive, lower hens?? If that's the case, maybe the more assertive hens would teach him some manners if that's all he has access to.
He could grow out of this overly aggressive stage, although it would take many, many months. But some roosters simply have no finesse and will go at things caveman style all their lives, which can result in hens being harmed (more seriously than they already are if skin gets broken). Personally, I would not keep a rooster who damages hens, but it sounds as if you really like him.
You could get him his own little coop and run (dog house in a pen?)...

 

[Drk_Wlf]

Quote:
My roo is a viral guy but my one RR hen keeps him from going after the other hens to much. If your flock has had all summer to adjust and it still isn't getting better I would say it's time to find your guy a new home.... or make him dinner if your not against it. You might try finding an older more meaner hen (I would try to find a Rhode Island Red), but then you might run the risk of her picking on the other hens as well. What breed is your flock? Are they all mixed breed, or are the 5 he is picking on a different breed. My Black Australorp roo prefers the golden comets over the other BA's

 

[smk2010]

I have 5 Rhode Island Red pullets, 3 EE's pullets , two mixed breed hens, and 5 Sex Links 2 year old hens (the ones being beat up). I might try a few saddles and removing his spurs then give him a couple more months to see what happens. If nothing changes he is going to have to go.

 

[Drk_Wlf]

Quote:
My sex links (golden comets) get beat up allot by eachother and my Rohde Island Red hen, plus they are the prefered victims of my roo as well. I don't think I will ever get anymore. They lay we but they don't seem to do well in a mixed flock or even with each other. My Australorps and the RIR look great but the sex links always look run down. I prefer the dual purpose breeds they seem to hold up better.